Two weeks ago our daughter Olivia was one of the 157 students who graduated from the UAMS College of Medicine. I have to say, this was one of the proudest Mom moments of my life. I look forward to seeing how much more she learns and grows during her residency in Emergency Medicine here at UAMS.
Watching Olivia begin her healthcare career and hearing about how and what she and her classmates have been learning makes me reflect on how healthcare has changed since I and many of you earned our nursing degrees more than 25 years ago.
Computers, artificial intelligence, telemedicine and remote monitoring are just a few examples of how technology has changed medicine in recent years, and I think we’ll see even more dramatic change in the coming years.
Due to critical nursing shortages, UAMS and healthcare institutions across the country have been investing in ways to automate many nursing tasks so we can focus on the work that requires a human touch or human insight. However, I don’t think technology can ever replace the compassion, institutional knowledge and gut instinct nurses provide.
The healthcare environment that Olivia and her fellow graduates will practice in will likely be determined in the next several years as our industry settles into a new post-COVID norm with limited staff resources. Those of us working in healthcare today have an amazing opportunity to shape the future of medicine.
It’s up to us to sort out what works from “the good old days” and where we can effectively use technology to automate processes. More than 500 ideas and suggestions for improving patient care at UAMS were submitted during Listening Sessions and a “Breaking the Rules” survey in April. Our leadership team is going through all of these now and looking at ways to make meaningful change based on your suggestions.
Technology, and financial constraints, are driving this change. Our goal is to reach a point where we have operational efficiencies that allow us to fully staff our clinical programs with market-competitive compensation packages.
We want to be the employer of choice for the best employees. Your ideas can help us get there. Please share your thoughts. Click here to send me an email with your ideas.
Trenda