1. Top 10 Things Nurses Can Expect in 2015
By Debra Wood, RN, contributor
January 12, 2015 - With toasts made, decorations put away and New Year celebrations but a memory, it’s
time to take a look at the nursing predictions for 2015.
“It’s getting better and better for nursing,” declared Beverly Malone, PhD, RN, FAAN, CEO of the
National League for Nursing in Washington, D.C.
“2015 will present constant opportunities for nurses to step boldly into their own
power,” added Connie Barden, RN, MSN, CCRN-E, CCNS, chief clinical
officer for the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses. “When nurses
have the time and resources to focus on what patients need and how care is
delivered, there can be amazing improvements in patient outcomes.”
Malone, Barden and others spelled out 10 nursing predictions for the year ahead:
1. Nurses will take the lead in shaping the future
Meredith Kazer on nursing predictions
Meredith Wallace Kazer, PhD, APRN, FAAN, expects nurses will assume a
greater leadership role in shaping health care policy.
“Health care is growing so much, and nurses are
prepared to assume roles in a number of settings,” added Meredith Wallace Kazer,
PhD, APRN, FAAN, dean and professor at Fairfield University in Connecticut,
who predicts great opportunities for nurses in the year ahead as they will gain
prominence in health policymaking, care delivery and with health plans.
Malone took it a step further and suggested that nurses can bring communities
together and help heal old wounds, such as racial tensions.
“There’s a role for nurses in creating better communities, stronger communities,”
Malone said.
2. Collaboration will gain prominence in a variety of ways
Patrick Coonan: more care transitions among things nurses can expect
Patrick R. Coonan, EdD, RN, NEA-BC, FACHE, reports more nurses will be involved in care transitions
and in ambulatory care.

2. Nurses will become more involved in care coordination and transitions between
settings in addition to their direct-care duties, reported Patrick R. Coonan, EdD,
RN, NEA-BC, FACHE, dean and professor, College of Nursing and Public
Health at Adelphi University, in Garden City, N.Y.
Nurse-led interdisciplinary teams will improve patient outcomes, Kazer
suggested.
“I believe we’ll see an increase in the number of providers using predictive
analytics to improve nurse–physician communication,” said Stephanie
Alexander, CEO of PeraHealth in Charlotte, N.C. “Predictive technologies
quickly analyze trends and provide actionable alerts.”
Also, “more collaboration will take place between the academic and educational
arena and service delivery to prepare nurses for new roles,” Coonan predicted.
3. More nurses will work in ambulatory settings
Stephanie Alexander: nursing predictions include using analytics.
Stephanie Alexander said leveraging predictive analytics can improve nurse-
physician communications and patient care.
As U.S. health care transitions from treating episodes of illness to managing the
health of populations, “nurses will play an even more vital role in clinics and
physician offices, supporting efforts to keep healthy people healthy and keep
those who suffer chronic conditions from experiencing acute episodes of illness,
thus reducing the need for higher-cost inpatient care,” said Paula Roe, BSN,
MBA/HCM, FACHE, senior consultant with Simpler Consulting, based in
Pittsburgh, Penn.
Other things nurses can expect: “I believe we will see more nurses practicing prevention and health
screening services in nontraditional environments, such as retail locations, employer sites, mobile health
vehicles, through telemedicine outreach, and even mobile applications,” she said.
The growth in ambulatory care is not just for experienced nurses. More new Adelphi graduates are being
hired into ambulatory and outpatient positions than in the past, Coonan reported.
4. Salaries will remain stagnant
Ron Seifert: stable salaries among things nurses can expect.
Ron Seifert expects nursing salaries to remain stable.
While nurses are taking on new responsibilities, pay rates are expected to keep
the same pace, with no major changes in practices or compensation increases,
said Ron Seifert, vice president in the healthcare practice with Hay Group in
Philadelphia.
“There is still demand for clinical capability, but we are seeing organizations
deploying talent differently,” Seifert reported. “Additionally, organizations are
looking to shift to a more performance-oriented reward program. I do not see
nurses exempt from that.”

3. 5. Nurses will get serious about retirement
As the nursing population continues to age and the economy becomes stronger and consumer confidence
improves, older nurses may decide it’s time to retire, Seifert suggested. Fidelity Investments reported that
nurses have been saving for retirement at a greater rate than other employees,
12.6 percent compared to 10.5 percent, but 60 percent are still concerned they
will never be able to retire, said Alexandra Taussig, senior vice president of
marketing and business strategy, tax-exempt market, at Fidelity.
Nurses who take the time to read through guidance or talk with a counselor are
more likely to take positive action, increasing savings and making investment
changes, Taussig added. But only 14 percent seek out retirement guidance.
6. Additional education will grow in importance
Eileen Breslin: nursing predictions include more advanced education
Eileen Breslin, PhD, RN, FAAN, expects continued interest in advanced
education as nurses strive to meet contemporary practice expectations.
“I expect to see the momentum continuing to build for advancing nursing education at all levels,” said
Eileen Breslin, PhD, RN, FAAN, president of the American Association of
Colleges of Nursing. “Employers are looking for highly skilled nurses able to
translate the latest scientific evidence into practice.”
One of the greatest areas of growth will be in the number of doctor of nursing
practice (DNP) students, with more than 15,000 students now pursuing a
practice doctorate, Breslin added. Additionally, during the past decade,
enrollment in PhD in nursing programs has increased by 49 percent and is
expected to further increase this year.
Kazer and Coonan report greater interest in nurse practitioner programs, due to
the demand and the good salary the positions offer.
Cardiologist Phillip Johnson, MD, of Birmingham, Ala., predicted a bright
future for nurses, particularly nurse practitioners who will deliver more care as
patient volume increases and physicians offload more responsibility to them, which will create new
opportunities for upward mobility.
“2015 will bring greater opportunities for advanced practice registered nurses to fully contribute to
patients’ care as more barriers to their practice are overcome, as recommended in the Institute of
Medicine’s report on the Future of Nursing,” Barden added.
7. More nurses will volunteer to serve on boards
Last year, the Nurses on Boards Coalition, consisting of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and AARP
and 19 nursing organizations, set a goal to place 10,000 nurses on governing boards by 2020. Recruitment
of nurses and preparation to serve will become a priority in 2015; state Future of Nursing Action
Coalitions are holding workshops, surveying nurses and creating databases of volunteers ready to bring a
nursing voice to policymaking and governing boards.
Sue Hassmiller sees more education among nursing predictions.
Susan B. Hassmiller, PhD, RN, FAAN, encourages nurses to go back to school for more education and to
serve on boards.

4. “There are so many nurses who want to get involved but don’t know how,” said Susan B. Hassmiller,
PhD, RN, FAAN, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation senior adviser for nursing, who recommends
starting on a committee, serving well and getting known for your expertise.
“If nurses are not making decisions about patients, families and communities, then someone else is,”
Hassmiller added. “I want nurses to speak for their patients in a bigger way. It is their responsibility to do
so.”
8. Ethics will take center stage
The American Nurses Association is declaring 2015 the Year of Ethics. It released a revised code of
ethics with interpretive statements, detailing nurses’ rights and ethical conflicts and is offering
educational programs to help nurses better understand ethical issues and solutions. It takes into account
current practices, technologies and evidence.
“As we see more and more issues being challenging in the workplace, it reinforces how important it is to
have an ethical work environment and to be able to have nurses have the code as a living document,” said
Pamela F. Cipriano, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, president of the American Nurses Association. That
includes nurse decision making, speaking up when inadequacies or dilemmas exist and having civility in
the workplace.
9. Preparation and prevention will shift forward
Pamela Cipriano: ethics emphasis among things nurses can expect
Pamela F. Cipriano, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, called attention to the
importance of ethics in 2015.
The Ebola scare called attention to the role of nurses as a frontline defense and
the need to prepare for the unknown and strengthen the public-health system,
Cipriano said.
“Nurses are going to be tapped and will have a responsibility and voice in
identifying gaps in our health care system,” Cipriano explained. “We can’t be
complacent. We need to be ready.”
“This year, we will continue to see nurses embrace patient safety in myriad
ways including preventing health care-associated infections, intervening early
for unstable patients, improving medication safety and appropriately managing
alarms,” Barden said.
10. Nurses will focus on environment and self-care
“Creating healthy work environments that support patient-centered and evidence-based practices is key to
impacting safety and altering the future of health care,” Barden said.
Safe staffing, practicing in an ethical practice environment, not working when fatigued and working
realistic schedules will gain acceptance as critical to ensuring quality, safe care.
“By improving nursing, we can improve the health of the country,” Cipriano added. “Nurses need to be
role models and take care of themselves, so they can better take care of patients and families.”