What's Next for Healthcare? The Future of Medical Tech

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Healthcare has been revolutionized by technology. Nowadays, most hospitals have moved to electronic medical records over paper records. Physicians are able to order labs tests, view MRI and other images and prescribe treatments online. Nurses are able to remotely monitor patients' vital signs from computers at their nursing station.

It's clear that digital innovations have changed the way that healthcare professionals practice. This revolution in biomedical technology has necessitated the need for frontline healthcare workers, such as nurses, who can facilitate change and who have a willingness to embrace and adopt innovation.

How Do Nurses Use Technology?

Nurses are the healthcare professionals who spend the most time at the bedside using technological advancements. In the intensive care unit, nurses monitor the waveforms on respiratory ventilators and make necessary adjustments based off the machine's readings. On a general medical unit, a nurse may employ ultrasound technology when venous catheterization proves especially troublesome, or when he or she needs to scan the bladder to see if a patient needs a urinary catheter. A nurse in the mother and baby ward relies on his or her smartphone to teach a new mom breastfeeding techniques from a trusty lactation app. The ways in which nurses use technology is both varied and incredibly widespread.

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What Does Technological Evolution Mean For Nursing?

Nursing has always been about providing compassionate care. It has become more and more about also providing specialized technical care. Nurses from the millennial generation are perfectly suited to lead this next frontier of the digital revolution. Those with a bent for technology should obtain a Master's of Science in Nursing (MSN) with an emphasis in informatics. Alternatively, new nurses can pursue Master's in Nursing degrees online for tech-based nursing specialties. Online MSN programs available for nurses are perfect for nurses who work full-time or who cannot attend class in person.

Tech Savvy Nurses Should Become Nurse Informaticists

Healthcare is becoming ever more high-tech. New technologies are constantly emerging that innovate the way medicine is practiced. New technological devices and practices highlight the need for nurses to stay up to date on the latest industry innovations. The best way to do that is to pursue higher education with a focus on technology. Nursing informatics is a growing field that is perfect for the tech savvy nurse. Nurse informaticists are specialists at the forefront of the changing technology in the healthcare world.

By Marlena Stoddard

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Author Bio- Marlena Stoddard is a freelance writer who received her BA from the University of Georgia. She currently resides in Atlanta with her husband, two kids, and puppy Molly Belle.