Global Healthcare Staring At Acute Nursing Shortage In Next Decade
February 15, 2021
If you are banking on traditional blue-collar jobs in the coming years, it’s time to re-look and re-plan. As per the latest figures from the USA Labor Bureau, nursing will be the most advertised job prospect in the next decade, billed to grow at 12%, which is much higher than the National Average. Figures in Australia point to around 4 million total job openings for nurses from 2019-2024. India is staring at an acute shortage of 2 million nurses by 2030. Medical Assistants, Medical Secretaries and Nursing Attendants make up for the top 10 career growth prospects in major European countries.
Nurses, along with allied healthcare professionals account for the direct delivery of healthcare and are crucial for quality and sustenance of healthcare infrastructure. With the demographics of major first world countries gradually shifting towards the elder bracket, aggressive hiring of foreign nurses has become a norm to maintain the efficiency of healthcare services. India has emerged as a favoured hiring destination due to the availability of a dedicated workforce with fluent English speaking abilities at attractive salary packages. As a country with an already dismal nurse to patient ratio (0.8 nurses per 1000), India is getting severely disadvantaged in terms of delivery of critical healthcare to its vast populace.
Studies have shown that professional, social and economic reasons are considered to be the reasons for the acute nursing crisis in India. Nursing as a profession did not generate enough social recognition or an attractive pay package to motivate students to take it up in their teens. The dismal work conditions and acute work pressures were an added disadvantage. With the advent of major National and Global players in the field of Healthcare, nursing as a profession is gradually turning lucrative for the younger generation. Apart from B.Sc. Nursing and General Nursing and Midwife (GNM) Diploma, various online portals are coming forward with unlimited access to nursing courses. A strong career in Healthcare requires regular upskilling through Continuing Nursing Education and Healthcare Management. The advent of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Healthcare management signifies that nurses have to be always ahead with their knowledge and technical expertise to bag attractive salary packages. Various Australian-based premier Healthcare experts have opened their campuses in Kochi and are leading the pack for online nursing education. Their courses are awarded globally recognized Continuous Professional Credit (CPD) points, which makes it possible for nurses to keep on adding to their knowledge repositories while on work.
It is time aspiring nurses look up to the opportunities coming their way and get prepared to join the booming Healthcare Industry in terms of opportunities and pay packages. The job scenario is witnessing a tectonic shift as witnessed by a major global slowdown in IT and Banking sector. Along with farming and teaching, Nursing promises to rake in the big bucks in the coming years. Are you ready?
