Implementation of the IOM Future of Nursing Report, Research Paper Example

Six years ago, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation requested to form a partnership with the IOM (Institute of Medicine). The partnership between the two bodies ended up resulting into the two-year initiative towards the nursing future at IOM. A committee was formed, under the leadership of Donna Shalala, a former American secretary of health and human services, and the main goal was to come up with options of changing the profession of nursing to fit the dynamic healthcare industry. The report produced by the committee entitled The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health, contains certain and outright recommendations in nursing areas such as education, training, policy of workforce, and professional leadership (Johnson et al, 2012).

Alongside IOM (Institute of Medicine), Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Committee Initiative aims at establishing an initiative towards the future of nursing. The first major step towards this program is to carry out a research in order to identify the body that will take the mandate to orchestrate a report on the future nursing (Johnson et al, 2012). A committee will be put up to examine the ability of nurses to handle the demands of the ever-growing health care industry. The committee will have the mandate of introducing recommendations, some of which that will aim at addressing the nursing services delivery in a limited capacity and the nursing system of education. In the report that will be drawn by the committee, a clear agenda will be spelt out on the changes in policies at local, state, and national levels. The recommendations will capture a wide range of changes needed on the system, besides innovative methods of solving shortage of nurses in the United States.

The recommendations made are expected to relate to some health related issues, with the main goal of recognizing the significant roles played by nurses in ensuring an efficient and effective system of healthcare. The major issues is to re-conceptualize the roles played by the nurses, putting into consideration the work load, issues in the society, the present and the future of technology (Clavelle, 2012). The two bodies also aimed at exploring the manner in which, nursing faculties can  be expanded, nursing schools, and redesign schools of nursing to accommodate a large number that can cope with the ever rising need for healthcare services. Others, include, retaining and attracting nurses who are equipped fully with numerous care settings among them acute, long-term care, ambulatory, primary care, public, and community health (Johnson et al, 2012).

The IOM “Future of Nursing” report is significant in terms of nursing practice, nursing education, and nursing workforce development for numerous reasons. In terms of nursing practice, the report has identified nurses as a one of the largest workforce that has to be handled with a lot of care in order to ensure that their role in healthcare development is recognized (Clavelle, 2012).

In terms of nursing education, the IOM “Future of Nursing” report has accepted the fact that education is an important element in the healthcare transition programs. The body has helped to mobilize resources in order to ensure enough training programs for the nurses are available. Thanks to IOM, nurses have been accorded an opportunity to gain access to higher education, through training programs, and improved system of education, that boosts seamless progression of academic (Clavelle, 2012). The initiative recognizes that, nurses have access to an education system with an effective curriculum, aimed at providing them with a firm foundation that promotes wellness in the nursing profession. Currently, population health and clinical prevention are needful requirements of education for nurses. Through IOM, nurses practicing clinical prevention will be offered education that will revolve around screenings, immunization, and counseling geared towards preventing escalation of diseases.

Thanks to the IOM “Future of Nursing,” nursing workforce development has been given priority. IOM has acknowledged the fact that, American population is growing every day, and there is need to establish a nursing fraternity that will meet the needs of the diverse population. People who come from small ethnic groups will be provided with a chance to pursue nursing courses, in order to ensure they are not disadvantaged. The initiative pushes for the increase in funding of nursing activities, to ensure that programs such as practice and education are provided.

The role of state-based action coalitions and the manner in which they advance goals of the Future of Nursing: Campaign for Action is evident. At the state level, action coalitions have the responsibility of ensuring that sustainable change in the nursing field is achieved. The coalitions at this stage have the responsibility of capturing the modest nursing practices, determine the type of research needed, identify the learned lessons, and establish replicable models (Ellerbe, 2012). With some assistance from CCNA and RWJF, these collations at the state level are establishing and implementing certain sets of regional campaigns and goals as recommended by IOM. The coalitions are being launched in all the states in the united states, and some have already been launched in Alaska and Oregon.

In my state, some initiatives are being spearheaded by the state Action Coalition. The coalition has invested heavily in nurse education. People with the right qualification but lack funding are being sponsored to take nursing education (Clavelle, 2012). The already qualified nurses have been given an opportunity to advance their skills, in order to serve the ever-growing population. In line with the IOM recommendations, the state coalition is retaining and attracting nurses who are equipped fully with numerous care settings among them acute, long-term care, ambulatory, primary care, public, and community health.

These initiatives advance the nursing profession in numerous ways such as ensuring nurses has the right qualification, besides encouraging people to take nursing courses. The initiative has also served a s a wakeup call to people that there is shortage of nurses and the healthcare industry is becoming complex by day (Hansen, 2013). Some of the barriers to advancement that currently exist in my state include inadequate funding, and lack of enough support from the locals. The nursing advocates in my state can overcome these barriers by looking for sponsors of the nursing education, besides encouraging the locals to support it. Some acts can equally be introduced to solicit for funding from the local government.

References

Clavelle, J. (2012). Implementing Institute of Medicine Future of Nursing Recommendations: A Model for Transforming Nurse Practitioner Privileges. JONA: Journal of Nursing Administration. Volume 42  Number 9 Pages 404 – 407

Ellerbe, S. (2012). Responding to Health Care Reform by Addressing the Institute of Medicine Report on the Future of Nursing. Nursing Administration Quarterly. Volume 36  Number 3 Pages 210 – 216

Hansen, J. (2013). Nurse Residency Programs: A Critical Part of The Future of Nursing, Part 2. Journal for Nurses in Professional Development.Volume 29  Number 3 Pages 157 – 158

Johnson, J. et al. (2012). Nursing’s future: What’s the message? Journal of Nursing Management.  Volume 43 Number 7 Pages 36 – 41