AI and Your Future; will you "react" or adapt
The artificial intelligence wave
You've heard of AI — the artificial intelligence wave that is making life easier, transforming industries and, yes, taking over your job. The facts: AI is no longer just a trend; it's transforming industries, jobs, and business strategies at a faster rate than other industrial eras. Automation — which we have experienced in each industrial era, so it's not new — will continue to shape our work, our careers, and our lives. Computers, the internet, and digitalization have not eliminated any of us, so don't look for, or expect, AI to have this impact.
So, what can we expect from AI for the healthcare profession?
Healthcare has talked of "personalized care" for the past 5-10 years — have you experienced personalized care from your PCP or medical specialist clinic? No, I don't expect AI or Generative AI to sign up as my PCP. But I do expect and look forward to a personalized treatment plan.
For the Health Information Professional — don't throw out your medical coding book, although you will be using it differently. Expect Health Information and Medical Coding to become a function more aligned to an auditor of today, but more advanced.
Will nurses benefit from AI? In the advanced clinical setting — like ICU or Labor/Delivery — I would expect AI to analyze patient requests, those times when several patients need the nurse at the same time (all call lights on), and communicate to the nurse which patient has the most critical need. Much responsibility is placed on AI in this model, and there's a lot at risk — ultimately, the nurse will assess the situation and determine who needs services.
And of course, continuing education.
How do you prepare for artificial intelligence — what's next for you?
- Recognize that AI is real
- Don't wait for someone to give you the answers
- Acknowledge that AI is coming to see you in many aspects of your life
- Start now learning about AI — continuous learning is for the advanced mindset
- Learn how AI will affect your work, your job, and your career, and position yourself as a leader
Develop an anticipatory mindset — the future lies in anticipating and making plans based on your individual career and needs. This avoids the reaction mindset one experiences when "the ship has set sail."
The truth
No, I don't know everything. I remember arriving at work one day at the hospital for the evening shift and being greeted with, "computers are coming and they will take our jobs." It was the mid-1980s, and I was working at Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta. I had just bought my first home, and there was no one to make the payment but me. Keyword: frightened.
Shortly afterward, word came from management that the nurses were asked to write the care plans for the computer. Fearing for my livelihood, I signed up, and I wrote the care plans for the HBO computer system for the ortho/neuro post-operative unit. As you can see, computers are alive and well in our lives, nurses are still working and in high demand, and I worked on.
Will you react, or adapt a strategic mindset and plan for your career and your future?