Published by: OnFolio Admin
Some people are born with a curiosity about how things work. Their analytical minds are like ticking clocks, dissecting, researching, and tinkering until they reach their Eurika! moment.
It’s probably the reason why analytical thinkers pivot into the tech space. It gives them freedom to explore new possibilities and solutions without the limitations of bureaucracy and red tape.
AI has presented an unchartered world and besides the inroads made, there’s much more to discover. Healthcare, especially, is reaping the rewards of AI tools to ensure improved patient outcomes.
If you have an empathetic disposition and a passion for artificial intelligence, why not consider a healthcare career? Confused? We’ll explain how the two intersect below.
Staffing Solutions
It’s no secret that the U.S. is facing a nursing crisis. The shortage of registered nurses (RNs) is reaching a critical level as more people leave the profession due to retirement or low work satisfaction.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, burnout is the No.1 cause of resignations, leaving almost 20,000 vacancies open annually. The State Department’s refusal to accept applications for employment-based visas further exacerbates the problem, reports Voice of America.
A workable solution is utilizing AI to help enhance patient care, improve efficiency, and aid decision-making. It may sound scary to the uninitiated but those knowledgeable in AI know that when used responsibly, the technology can yield impressive results.
A company has created a program in the clinical placement services space that automates time-consuming tasks for nurses and medical assistants. ABC reports that this technology improves efficiency and helps combat burnout and understaffing.
Forging a Career Pathway as a Registered Nurse
RNs will always be in short supply globally; the shortage isn’t only U.S.-specific. Many newly registered nurses look to technology to future-proof their careers.
Obtaining an accelerated BSN nursing degree online typically takes 14 months to complete.
A basic collegiate nursing education is no longer enough in professional nursing. A Second Degree Distance Hybrid Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) is the preferred nursing degree in many healthcare settings. However, RNs can earn 45% more than the average healthcare worker.
Nursing students must have an accredited bachelor’s degree from a college or university and a 3.0 cumulative GPA.
Holy Family University suggests enrolling in an online nursing program that offers clinical placement support.
Rethinking the Fundamentals
The World Economic Forum claims that generative AI in the medical field is expected to reach $2.7 billion this year alone.
And the progress it’s made thus far is remarkable. AI software is said to be twice as accurate as humans examining the brain scans of stroke patients.
Two UK universities trained the software on 800 brain scans and tested it on 2,000 patients. In addition to the accuracy, the AI software identified when the stroke occurred.
The study claims that for most strokes caused by blood clots, patients qualify for both medical and surgical treatments within 4.5 hours.
The software helps doctors discover the stroke’s onset time and whether it can be reversed. Using an AI algorithm model, the tool estimates the chronological time of the stroke.
Guiding Healthcare Decisions
AI comes with its own set of challenges. In the medical field, making sound decisions is a matter of life or death.
Relying on standard large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT has shortcomings. These models are not trained to answer clinical-based questions. However, LLMs are fast catching up.
ChatRWD is a retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) system. In short, it combines LLMs with retrieval systems to improve output. Everyone knows to get the correct answers, you have to ask the right questions. Someone who excels at clinical work and AI know-how is the ideal person to take on the task.
These combined skills are already in high demand. The Digital Transformation Healthcare Initiative published a case study on how digital interfaces can help triage patients.
Using the digital patient platform Huma, the report noted that the interface could reduce readmission rates by 30%, alleviating the workload of healthcare workers.
Upskilling
Entering the healthcare field will be a different ball game in several years. Students must join the school of continuous learning and stay abreast of current trends, not only in their field of expertise.
Soon, AI will transform the entire landscape, forcing workers to increase their knowledge base. It’s exciting to witness the birth of AI in the healthcare space. The best part is that you can be a much-needed part of the machine.