As time advances, we are seeing more and more technology that is helping mankind in a variety of ways. One of the things that may concern those in the medical profession is whether this technology will start to take over their jobs.
There is some speculation that robots or forms of artificial intelligence will creep in and replace our beloved nurses.
But is there any truth in this? Will nurses be replaced by robots?
In short, the answer is no, whilst there are some technologies that can be of great assistance in the nursing world, it is highly unlikely that we will see robots replacing nurses, at least in our lifetime.
In this article, we are going to look at the subject “Will nurses be replaced by robots?” a little more in-depth.
Unless we are talking about thousands of years in the future, when we simply don’t know what kind of technology will be available, the chance of nurses being replaced by robots is pretty much impossible.
The main reason for this is that one of the main duties of a nurse is caring, and we are not simply referring to the physical and practical side of caring but the emotional aspects.
You may have heard the term ‘bedside manner‘ when talking about medical professionals and it is used for a reason.
Being a nurse – or any kind of medical personnel requires a caring, empathetic attitude that can be easily displayed to patients.
A good nurse will show kindness and love to his or her patients and in turn, allow them to feel at ease, despite what ailments or diseases they may be struggling with.
See also: The 7 Ethical Principles in Nursing
A robot simply would not have the capacity to do this.
What’s more, especially in a busy hospital setting, nurses are required to make quick decisions, for example, if they are presented with an emergency situation and need to reorganize their priorities, this needs to be done at speed.
No AI would have the ability to reorganize their tasks in such a short amount of time, if at all.
But will nurses be replaced by robots in the future?
The role of a nurse is one that requires the constant complexity of the human brain and not a ‘brain’ that has been pre-programmed to perform certain tasks.
With all of this in mind, there are certain technologies becoming more readily available that can be of great assistance to those in the nursing profession.
Whilst the personal connection with patients and other members of staff can never be replaced by a robot, some of the more practical tasks could be eased with the use of artificial intelligence.
Let’s consider an example of this.
RoboCourieris a modern piece of equipment that is being implemented in hospitals to reduce the number of human trips carrying medications and surgical equipment, to name a few.
Robots such as this can save a lot of time for nurses and allow them to focus more on patient care.
In addition to this, there are new forms of technology that are being used to perform tasks such as moving patients from one place to another and taking blood samples.
But will nurses be replaced by robots like RoboCourier? I think not.
Whilst these are excellent in helping our nursing teams, they are only there to aid in the practicalities of the more difficult or time-consuming jobs.
Another example is Moxi the Robot.
Here is a quick video that introduces Moxi the Robot and what it’s capable of doing while helping out the nursing staff.
See also: How Can Nurses Improve Patient Outcomes?
What is my personal opinion about whether will nurses be replaced by robots?
I think it’s not going to happen in our lifetime at least.
For sure, some of the work could be replaced by robots.
Next, I will cover the subject “Can nurses be replaced by robots?” in more in-depth.
Table of Contents
Can nurses be replaced by robots?
What is most interesting about this subject is that there are some tasks that could be quite easily completed by some form of artificial intelligence.
There is no denying that there have been great developments in diagnostic technology and this stands to be an excellent complimentary advancement in the medical profession.
However, it is important to keep in mind that these AIs will have been programmed by human beings, thus making them capable only of what a human has created them to be.
Yes, there is some suggestion that as technology advances further, it will be able to ‘learn’ but this is highly unlikely to apply in the medical field.
Nurses are human beings who are able to interact with their environment as they desire, meaning that they can prioritize tasks, converse with patients and other members of staff and move from task to task without the need to be programmed.
For this reason, nurses simply cannot be replaced by robots.
It would neither be beneficial nor productive to eventhinkthat it might be possible.
When we think about the technology being used alongside nursing, we can rest assured that whilst it is a great addition to our medical teams, it will never be able to complete the kinds of tasks that humans can and will likely always be used as an aid rather than the main event.
For example, whilst a robot might be able to carry lab specimens from one person to another, it would not be able to explain the details of the test and discuss options for treatment.
There is some suggestion that up to800 million jobscurrently performed by humans, could be taken over by robots by the year 2030 and this is a terrifying thought where unemployment statistics are concerned.
But what is almost certain is that nurses will not be affected by this prediction.
See also: How Often Does Hospice Nurse Visit?
Conclusion: Will nurses be replaced by robots?
In a world where technology assists us in almost every area of our lives, it is not too much of a stretch of the imagination to think that artificial intelligence could stand to replace nurses.
However, when we look at this concept a little more closely, we begin to see that this will never be entirely possible.
Indeed, it is not unreasonable to think that nurses will be more and more aided by robotics and technology as time progresses.
We are already seeing the implementation of various types of technologies within a medical setting that is helping nurses and other medical professionals with their day-to-day tasks.
But at the heart of nursing lies personality and compassion and this is something that can never be replaced by a robot.
See also: Why Compassion Is Important in Nursing?
Nurses are required to have in-depth conversations with their patients both to ascertain the problem and to put the patient at ease.
Being able to listen and understand how patients are feeling and give the security of loving care is one of the most important features of a good nurse, so when we question whether this could ever be replaced with a robot, we can confidently answer with a resounding ‘no!’
Now you know pretty much all there is related to the topic “Will nurses be replaced by robots?”.
If you would like to read more nursing-related articles, check these out:
- Why Nurses Leave the Bedside?
- Where Do You See Yourself in 5 Years Nursing Interview Question
- How Can Nurses Influence Policy?
- Objective vs Subjective Data – What Are the Differences?
- Nursing Symbols – What Are Those?
I’d appreciate it if you could this article a star rating. It only takes a couple of seconds and it helps us to create even better content in the future.
Thank you in advance!
How useful was this post?
Click on a star to rate it!
Average rating 4.7 / 5. Vote count: 43
No votes so far! Be the first to rate this post.
We are sorry that this post was not useful for you!
Let us improve this post!
Tell us how we can improve this post?
