Nurses play a vital role working on the front lines of patient care; with almost 3 million members this profession takes up one of the largest segment in healthcare. In order to manage the rapidly changing healthcare rules and regulations that might prevent a nurse from working efficiently and rapidly; in 2008 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Institute of Medicine launched a two year plan to change the nursing profession. (The Future of Nursing, 2011) The committee put together certain key roles that were capable of envisioning the future of the nursing profession. The IOM report focused mainly on many critical components of nursing.
The main focus of this report was not only for nursing practice but also education and leadership. Nursing is a vital component of the healthcare system which needs improvement and the IOM report focuses on those improvements. The nursing education is one of the primary focuses of the IOM report; as studying nursing is relatively expensive in America and to make matter even worse is the fact that a lot of people who is trying to pursue nursing as a profession are finding it inaccessible. The U. S. health care system was primarily built to treat acute illness and other small treatments.
The nursing population is running on the knowledge and practices that are dated back into the 20th century and these are of no match to the illness and treatment needed in today’s world. The treatment and care needed for the patient today is far more complex and is different in nature, hence today’s nurse need to be equipped with the competencies to deliver high level care. “Nursing curricula need to be reexamined, updated and adaptive enough to change with patients’ changing needs and improvements in science and technology, the IOM committee says” (The Future of Nursing, 2011).The IOM committee does make a good point in the fact that, nurses needs to updated knowledge on what they would have deal with on a day to day basis in regards to new diseases and illness and, level of treatment. The report helps in introducing new approaches and educational models for nurses to show them about new improved ways of treatment and care for the patient.
The more educated a nurse is; he or she would have a greater advantage in decision making, quality care, systems thinking and team leadership.This brings one to the next key topic that IOM report covers and that is the impact of this report on nursing practice. The IOM committee is determined to remove any issues that a nurse might encounter which will prohibit his or her ability to provide quality care and service to society. A lot of educated BSN nurses entering the field of nursing do come across major issues between physicians of different states even when the knowledge that they have acquired is relatively the same across the program.
This creates a challenging environment for their choice of practice; which in return threatens their role as a nurse. The IOM report helps in lifting the legal barriers that stops a nurse from performing their job. I would continue my education to acquire a leadership position so I along with other leaders in other sectors of the medical profession can collaborate and enhance or remove certain rules by persuading the federal government to put these changes into effect. The knowledge that nurses have must be taken into consideration to innovate the healthcare system and community, public and or primary care.Thus brings one to the next key point that the IOM report has an impact on towards future nursing and that is a nurse’s role as a leader. Today’s nurses still lack the potential in the area of leadership and this key element is an important factor in the healthcare system.
When a nurse acquires leadership qualities along with knowledge and experience in nursing practice, this gives the nurse a perfect opportunity to connect with physicians and other healthcare professional and, work towards the evaluation of certain regulations in the healthcare system.Nurses with this potential would have the capability of conducting research and enhancing or improving the working environment around them and other nurses as well. “Nurses should have a voice in health policy decision making, as well as being engaged in the implementation efforts related to health care reforms”. (The Future of Nursing, 2011) The article does make a valid point of the fact that nurses should have the voice to make the right decisions that would help them perform their effectively and efficiently and working more effectively would indirect improve the outcome.The impact that IOM report has on the future of nursing is quite a few and that being said one can educate him or herself and push forward to acquire a more effective leadership position which could evitable improve the future of nursing.
The Healthcare is a complex program and that one person by himself or herself cannot make rapid changes and this can only be done by collaborating with other leaders in the sectors of the program; hence knowledge, nursing practice and leadership qualities work hand in hand to expand ones nursing career.
