Running header: THE FUTURE OF NURSING
TheUnited State has undergone significant transformations in the healthcare system. The changes have been initiated by various private orcommissioned works by committees. On such report is the one done byThe Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in partnered with the Institute ofMedicine (IOM). This paper purposes to explore the IOM report, itsimportance on nursing and the Arizona’s state-based actioncoalitions in the advancement of the nursing profession.
The IOM report
In 2008, theInstitute of Medicine partnered with the Robert Wood Foundation(RWJF) established an initiative on Future of Nursing (Fineberg &Lavizzo-Mourey, 2013). The group had recognized that seriouschallenges faced nurses in a bid to realize the reforms in the ailinghealth care in U.S. The committee was given a task of producing areport with recommendations based on action blueprints for a betterfuture in nursing practice and profession. After two years, IOM andRWJF launched the report at a national conference and approved waysof implementing the findings.
IOM recognizedthat nurses were invaluable agents in enacting changes in the U.Shealth care system. This is because the number of nurses is higher,regular and close to the patients. This gives them the upper hand inthe scientific understanding of the care process and able to workwith other professionals in bringing changes in the medical sector.However, nurses still face challenges because of lack of enougheducation, poor working environment, barriers in practice.
Recommendations
According toFineberg & Lavizzo-Mourey (2013), IOM recommended the removal ofthe scope-of-practice barriers. The legislative proposals were aimedat allowing the advanced practice registered nurses to practice theirskills to the full extent.
Secondly, thereport recommended an expansion of opportunities for nurses to be inthe frontline and collaborate with other professionals inimplementing changes in caregiving. Shareholders should encourage thecorporation efforts between physicians and nurses to diffusesuccessful practices.
The committeealso proposed changes in the education of nurses. IOM suggested thatthe number nurses wit degrees be doubled and an increase of 80% inholders of baccalaureate degree by 2020. Similarly, a lifelonglearning was also part of the ways to improve the know-how to helpnurses offer quality and safe healthcare services (Fineberg &Lavizzo-Mourey, 2013).
Additionally, itproposed that opportunities be expanded for nurses in leading andadvancing health care. The roles of nurses as leaders would be vitalin the transformation process
Theimportance of IOM
Nursing practice
IOM recommendsthe collection of date for an effective workforce planning andpolicymaking. Information is vital in care delivery. The records anddocumentation carrying the patient’s history are what helps thephysicians and nurses to understand the kind of service the patientneeds.
The practice ofnursing is fast changing in scope. The role of the physicians, theirassistants and nurses in primary care overlap, while there isdiversion towards the team-based care. Data collection and analysisis invaluable asset these transformations in the health care system.
The report alsooffers significant recommendation for the policy makers to removescope-of-practice barriers on nurses. This gives the advancedpractice registered nurses to practice their education and trainingfully. The implementation of the legislative recommendations is vitalin solving the shortage of medical practitioners. For instance,authorizing APN to do admission assessment for patients addsworkforce to the health facility (Fineberg & Lavizzo-Mourey,2013).
Nursing education
The report offersa fantastic breakthrough in improving the skills and knowledge ofnurses in U.S. In the report, the academic leaders in all nursingschools are recommended to encourage the practicing nurses holdingassociate’s and Diploma degrees to enroll for baccalaureatedegrees. This is done within five years after graduation, where thestudents are offered with tuition reimbursement as well as offeringsalary differential and promotion. Such programs are intended toincrease the baccalaureate degrees to 80%by 2012. Doubling the numberof degree holders among nurses by 2020 is a positive step towardsrealizing a quality and safe health care for the U.S population(Arizona Action Coalition, 2012).
What is more, IOMadvocates for the promotion of seamless access to higher educationfor nurses. Through the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education incollaboration with the National League for Nursing AccreditingCommission, the schools are mandated to offer defined pathways forthe easier academic advancement of nurses.
Nursing workforce development
The report offersleeways for nurses to act as agents of change in their practice. Itrecognized that invaluable role played by nurses in the medicalfacilities. The caregivers outnumber other practitioners in thissector and have a strong relationship with the patients. For thisreason, collaboration and teamwork with doctors, assistantphysicians, and all other stakeholders will help transform healthcare.
The state-based action coalitions
Theseare the steps that the 36 states in U.S take to implement the IOMreport for a better future in the health care system. The Campaignfor Action is led by nurses in conjunction with a host ofstakeholders that can affect sustainable change at the state level.The program was first launched in October 2010 followed by the secondphase in February 2011 (Arizona Action Coalition, 2012).
Thestate-based action coalitions promote the objectives of the Future ofNursing: Campaign for Action in various ways. They formulate goalsthat tally with the IOM report recommendations, form and mobilize thestakeholders drawn from a variety of sector and conduct education forthe policymakers on the action plans. On top of these, ActionCoalitions identify and reach out to sources of funds to support theefforts like publications through the media. What is more, the groupswere formed to work towards implementing valuable strategic programsthat aim improves the quality of healthcare in future. They doeducation programs for nurses, leadership promotion in nursing,increasing the diversity in the health care workforce, and otherplans to foster inter-professional collaboration.
Action coalition in Arizona
InArizona, there is the Arizona Action Coalition in the front line inimplementing the IOM report. My state has an education task forcerunning the Education-Practice Collaborative (EPC) (Arizona ActionCoalition, 2012). It consists of over 120 nurses, where the nursingeducation and practice collaborate to attain the quality and safetydemands of patients and families.
EPCwork to advocate for the implementation of the IOM nursing education.It aims to encourage nurses to engage in lifelong learning, to up thenumber of nurses having the baccalaureate degree to 80% by 2020.
Educationand practice collaboration is important in improving the nurses’readiness in their daily health care delivery service. The teachingsyllabus is mandated to incorporate the competencies offered by theArizona Nurse of the Future Core Competency Model to equip thecaregivers with enough knowledge that is essential to the provisionof safe and effective care. This model was adopted in 2013 from theMassachusetts Nurse of the Future Core Competency Model and Purpose.
Currently,there are small work groups on the ten competencies of safety,improvement of quality, patient-centered care, system-based and theevidence-based practices leadership, communication, teamwork andcollaboration as well as information and technology.
Eachsmall group has an objective of creating a paper exploring specificsuggestions to nursing education and practice on ways to improve newgrad practice readiness to the competency. The works done by eachgroup must be disseminated through narratives.
The leadership task force in Arizona
Accordingto the Arizona Action Coalition (2012) on leadership taskforce, thisgroup works on the expansion of giving nurses the opportunity inleading and diffusing collaboration efforts of improvement. It alsoworks on the preparation and enabling of nurses to be in theforefront in changes to advance health.
Thetwo roles are in tandem with the 2010 IOM report recommendationnumber seven and two. Currently, Arizona faces advancement barrierssuch as lack nurse leaders ready to spearhead the process of enactingchanges in healthcare. The opportunities are also rare since thecaregivers only play second fiddle to doctors in the medicalfacilities.
Thistask force identified nurses who are willing to lead the change fromrural or reservation care facilities and provide mentorship andcoaching programs on leadership. The improvement of the educationskills on leadership provides the feasible way of dealing with thebarriers to advancement in nursing this is what the nursing advocatesin the Arizona Leadership Taskforce do.
Conclusion
Nursesplay an important role in the medical system. Expanding theirleadership skill through lifelong learning, mentorship and trainingare essential in enacting changes aimed at improving the quality ofhealth care in the U.S. all the stakeholders are also needed in theimplementation of the IOM report for a better future of nursing.
Reference
Arizona Action Coalition (2012), Education Task Force:Education-Practice Collaborative (EPC). Retrieved fromhttp://www.futureofnursingaz.com/education/Accessed on December 11, 2016.
Arizona Action Coalition (2012), Leadership Taskforce.Retrieved from http://www.futureofnursingaz.com/leadership/Accessed on December 11, 2016
Fineberg, H. V., & Lavizzo-Mourey, R. (2013). The future ofnursing: A look back at the landmark IOM report
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