Medical & Health // Implementation of the IOM Future of Nursing Report
Implementation of the IOM “Future of Nursing” Report
The Merger and Its Importance to Nursing
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Institute of Medicine or IOM entered into a partnership in response to the urgent call by the Affordable Care Act of ACA for the transformation of many aspects of the country’s healthcare system in order to accommodate an approximate 32 million more Americans (NAP, 2017 p 2). The partnership created an ad hoc committee as its cornerstone with a mandate to compose a report on the future of nursing. The report would include action-based recommendations on achieving the goal of a responsive healthcare system in the national, state and local levels (NAP, 2017 p 2).
The recommendations would address the current shortages in nursing services delivery and the current capabilities of the nursing education system (HMD Executive Office, 2017 p 1). These would evolve responsive changes in public and institutional policies at all of the said levels, especially new and effective ways of filling the detrimental nursing shortage. The ad hoc committee may also review and make adjustments in solving issues in determining nurses’ roles in coming up with and implementing a more suitable and effective system of healthcare. One issue would be the recasting of nurses’ role as part of an entire workforce. A second issue would be the redesigning of nursing education itself with the end-view of producing sufficient numbers of adequately prepared nurses to meet ever-increasing demands in the future. A third is the delivery of care and professional education by concentrating on the delivery of nursing services. And a fourth would be how to attract and retain adequately prepared nurses in different care settings. These include ambulatory, primary care, long-term care, acute and public health (NAP, 2017 p 1; HMD Executive Office, 2017 p 1).
The Report’s Key Messages and Recommendations
Key Messages
The first is that nurses to apply and use their entire education and training to the limits of their practice (IOM Committee, 2017 p 2). They are in a critical position to introduce and utilize new, more suitable and effective approaches in improving health care. But this huge potential is thwarted by many historic, legal and policy obstacles that prevent or limit nurses’ efforts in creating or implementing new or radical changes. A fragmented health care system, high turnover, difficult transition from school to practice, aging nurses, and demographic issues are major ones. Many of them derive from structural defects or errors of the US health care system itself, from limitations of the environment itself or from the demographic character of the workforce. These defects and limitations widely vary among states. The situation requires the federal government to come in with a truly effective nationwide scheme (IOM Committee, 2017 p 2).
The second is their acquisition of higher levels and better quality education and training by means of an upgraded education system (IOM Committee, 2017 p 3). This education system should enforce true academic excellence. This is necessary in order to respond to more complicated patient needs and demands for higher-quality healthcare. Competencies must rise to the level of required leadership, evidence-based practice and research, health policy, system improvement, geriatrics, community health and information and technology information management (IOM Committee, 2017 p 3).
The third is for full partnership between physicians and other health professionals in redesigning the American healthcare system (IOM Committee, 2017 p 3). Full partnership involves assuming responsibility in confronting and solving problems, upgrading services, and adjusting goals. As full partners, nurses should share in decision-making, implementing tasks and active participation in advisory boards (IOM Committee, 2017 p 3).
And fourth and last message consists of improved data collection and updated information tools by upgrading workforce planning and manpower policies (IOM Committee, 2017 p 3). When achieved, a realistic and systematic evaluation and projection of employee roles, skills, regions and demographics could identify changes in nursing education and practice (IOM Committee, 2017 p 3).
Recommendations
First is to remove all barriers to nurses’ scope of practice (NAP, 2017 p 2). Support from Congress, state legislatures, centers for Medicare and Medicaid services, offices of personnel management, the Federal Trade Commission and the Anti-Trust Division of the Department of Justice will be needed. The second is to expand their opportunities for leadership and collaborative work for improvement. This is addressed to private and public financiers, all healthcare organizations, nursing educators and associations. The third is to implement all nurse residency programs by state boards, all healthcare organizations, and the federal government. This will help nurses transition from residency to practice. The fourth is targeting an increased proportion of nurses with baccalaureate degree to 80% by the year 2020. Leaders should combine resources with education accrediting entities, private and public financiers, and employers to achieve this goal. The fifth is to increase the number of nurses graduating with a doctoral degree twice by the year 2020. This is addressed to nursing schools, private and public financiers, school administrators and trustees and accrediting bodies. They will increase desired nurse faculty size and researchers with greater emphasis on diversity. The sixth is to insure lifelong learning among nurses in continuously gaining competencies in extending care to different populations in their entire lifespan. And the seventh is equip them into leading change in advancing health. They should be shaped into leaders in healthcare in all levels. Decision-makers in public, private and government health sectors should make sure that leadership positions are open for nurses (NAP, 2017 p 6).
Action Coalition
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation collaborated with the American Association of Retired Persons or AARP and the AARP Foundation in promoting the Campaign for Action (OCN, 2017 p 1). Each Action Coalition consists of different groups of individuals who can influence workable changes in a given state or region. These Coalitions determine the best approaches, identify needed information, monitor learning, and decide on models that can induce and expedite specified changes and improvements. With these capabilities and influence, Action Coalitions can most certainly and effectively promote the goals and carry out the recommendations of the Committee Report (OCN, 2017 p 1).
The Oregon Action Coalition develops suitable strategies in cooperating with nurses and nursing schools in the state (OCN, 2017 p 1). It has actively contributed its share in fulfilling the Committee Report recommendations and heeding its key messages. It has done so by helping build nurses as leaders in the state, eliminate the barriers to the scope of nursing practice especially for advanced practice nurses, devising ways of increasing the volume of baccalaureate nurses, and constantly disseminating the value of nursing statewide. It also encourages involvement in the work of the Action Coalition through regular workgroup activities. It fosters commitment to the desired and targeted transformation of healthcare by becoming a member os the Action Coalition (OCN, 2017 p 1).
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WORKS CITED
(HMD Executive Office, 2017). Robert Wood Johnson Foundation report. National Academies
of Science: National Academies Press. Retrieved on September 7, 2017 from
http://www.nationalacademies.org/hmd/Activities/Workforce/Nursing.aspx
IOM Committee (2011). The future of nursing: leaqding change, advancing health. US Institute
of Medicine Committee: Pubmed. Retrieved on September 7, 2017 from
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24983041
NAP (2011). Summary of recommendations. National Academies of Science. National
Academies Press. Retrieved on September 7, 2017 from
https://www.nap.edu/read/12956/chapter/2
OCN (2017). Oregon action coalition. Oregon enter for Nursing. Retrieved on September 7,
2017 from http://oregonactioncoalition.org/
2017/5179
