The Future of Nursing - Will Nurses Ever be Replaced by Robots? | Medshop Australia (2024)

FAQs

The Future of Nursing - Will Nurses Ever be Replaced by Robots? | Medshop Australia? ›

Robots and automated tech will essentially just be another tool for nurses to bring increased efficiency to their jobs, and while there are many exciting developments coming out of the healthcare tech industry, including those that make nurses jobs easier, it's probably safe to say that you won't be out of a job ...

It seems unlikely that robots will take over all the duties of a nurse within our lifetime. However, it is important to upgrade your skills in order to remain attractive for employers as machines begin to fulfill more tasks, and nurses are assigned new responsibilities in their place.

The workforce planning projections in this publication show that in the medium to long-term, Australia's demand for nurses will significantly exceed supply (with a projected shortfall of approximately 85,000 nurses by 2025, or 123,000 nurses by 2030 under current settings).

To this end, nursing robots can decrease the physical demands of nurses' work and reduce the rate of injuries and human errors, thereby increasing job satisfaction and improving patient care quality and outcomes [37,38].

Australia is currently experiencing a dire nurse shortage. Nurses play a critical part in Australia's health ecosystem. Currently, there are approximately 303,000 registered nurses in Australia, but many more qualified nurses are needed. The nursing shortage is complex and requires further examination.

Although it won't happen soon, new technologies will continue cutting nursing duties. There will continue to be more technology incorporated into their daily routines. More technology introduced will allow nurses to see more patients daily, administer medications better, and more competently monitor their patients.

AI will replace both blue-collar and white-collar jobs that involve more straightforward and repetitive tasks. These jobs include drivers, factory workers, administrative assistants, paralegals and some copywriters.

Trends in nursing

According to current trends, our older generation, aged 65 and above, will double by 2057. Meanwhile, by 2025, Australia will face a shortage of 100,000 nurses, increasing to over 123,000 by 2030. That means increased demand for nurses and caregivers with a speciality in chronic disease or geriatrics.

In fact, the Roy Morgan Image of Professions Survey has seen nurses picked as the most trusted profession in Australia for nearly 25 years! As mentioned earlier, they're essential workers and an essential part of healthcare and we and many others respect that.

What is the disadvantage of robot nurse? ›

Challenges- High costs, lack of human touch and ethical decision-making abilities. Robots come with various advantages, but being technologically advanced doesn't replace the qualities of humans like decision making abilities, critical thinking and warmth.

Advancements in robotics could enable robots to perform lab tests without human intervention, remove plaque from arteries, take tissue biopsies, and attack cancerous tumors. In the future, robots could also deliver targeted medication, provide patient care for minor issues, and speak to patients about their symptoms.

You can't miss Cedars-Sinai's newest helpers: identical twin robots named Moxi. They zip through the hospital's hallways and corridors, assisting nurses by performing simple yet time-consuming tasks such as delivering lab samples and collecting medicine from the pharmacy.

Lengthy hours, quality of working environments, lack of leadership and the ageing population and workforce, can all be seen as influential factors, in which have the potential to leave this profession in a situation of calamity.

The good news is that many of them are paid quite well for it. Nursing salaries in Australia vary, but the national average for a registered nurse is about $82,000 annually. This is higher than the national average in Canada, but lower than the average for the United States.

But it wasn't until the early 1970s that AI was introduced to healthcare when a program using a powerful algorithm to diagnose illness was developed. Today, the use of AI adds value to the patient experience, but it's unlikely that computers will ever replace human physicians.

It is important to note that while AI has the potential to significantly enhance hospital administration, it is not meant to replace doctors and nurses entirely. Rather, AI acts as a tool to support and augment the capabilities of healthcare professionals.

Future Look: How Long Could the Nursing Shortage Last? HRSA projections estimate that the shortage of full-time registered nurses (RNs) is projected to peak in 2027 and continue until 2035 — the first year where the supply of RNs is estimated to meet the national demand.