The Future of Nursing in an Evolving Health Care System - Research Paper Example

 The Future of Nursing in an Evolving Health Care System The report by Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) in collaboration with the Institute of Medicine (IOM) aimed at coming up with strategies that could actively involve nurses in finding solutions to American’s healthcare problems. The report also aimed at devising new methods that could articulate and efficiently meet the changing needs of an aging community (RWJF, 2012a). The committee’s main task was to find ways to actively involve nurses in transforming healthcare facilities and health service delivery by enabling their unique experience and leadership qualities. The report recommended nurses to join the talks regarding transformation of healthcare service delivery by giving them a greater voice and control in making reliable and effective decisions (RWJF, 2012a). The main objective was reforming the healthcare delivery approach, and ensuring patients received better and reliable care at much lower costs that they could afford. To make service delivery more affordable and efficient, nurses had to be the focus in all deliberations; they are much closer to patients in healthcare facilities. Such were the proposed strategic decisions to transform the future of nursing in improving healthcare delivery. The IOM report on the future of Nursing was of much importance to the nursing profession. Nurses have varying levels of education and competencies raging from the licensed practicing nurses, who in most cases are in contact with patients in nursing homes, to nurse scientists who are actively involved in research work on how to improve the care of patients and improving the nursing profession. The IOM report considered all classes of nurses across education levels, roles, and settings in envisioning the future of the profession (Institute of Medicine, 2010). Such an approach implied all nurses regardless of their duties and settings were empowered through the committee recommendations. In addition, the report suggested that all nurses had to be given room to practice to the full extent their training or education. This is important because nurse licensing and practice are widely varied across states, with regulations related to the scope of practice defining what activities a qualified nurse has to perform, all which affect different nurses in different ways (Institute of Medicine, 2010). Moreover, the recommendations of the IOM committee sought to improve the nursing profession by recommending that nurses had to achieve higher levels of education and training by going through a much improved education system with seamless academic progression (Institute of Medicine, 2010). This was aimed at ensuring nurses are better equipped to deal with the rapidly changing patient needs, which are becoming more complicated. By advancing their academic levels, nurses would be better equipped to deliver high quality care with competencies such as leadership, system improvement, health policy, and research and development being injected in the nursing profession. According to the Institute of Medicine (2010), the purpose of the Future of Nursing: Campaign for Action intended to guide the implementation of the recommendations by the Institute of Medicine report on the Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health; a report that was considered a blueprint in the medical sector. It was taken as the roadmap for future direction and actions in the nursing sector, towards making the recommendations of the committee a reality. The campaign aimed at enabling and preparing the nurse to lead changes within their areas of operations, advancing and improving the nursing education, removing barriers in nursing practice across the states, fostering an effecting interprofessional collaboration between various stakeholders, enabling an infrastructure for data collection in interprofessional healthcare staff, among other reasons (Institute of medicine, 2010). Generally, the campaign was aimed at transforming the national healthcare system in ensuring all Americans access high quality patient centered care in their working, living, learning, or playing endeavors. The rationale behind the state based action coalitions is forming bodies that could aid in implementing recommendations of the IOM report. These are composed of collections of stakeholders who can effectively articulate and effect sustainable changes at the regional or state levels (Institute of medicine, 2010). The coalitions are used to capture the best practices, determine different needs related to research, track and record data in the process, and indentify models that can be used to accelerate improvements regionally and nationally (Institute of medicine, 2010). The coalitions are also meant to ensure uniformity in transforming the nursing profession across states by standardizing recommendations in making these recommendations replicable across each state (Institute of medicine, 2010). The state based action coalitions are therefore formed to ensure the IOM report is implemented effectively, in addition to collecting and reporting data regarding the implementation process; the coalitions are the agents responsible for the implementation of the IOM committee report. The Arizona state based action coalition has two major programs that they are currently working on. In North Carolina, the population is rapidly aging due to an influx of retirees enjoying the temperate climate in the state and the relatively low cost of living compared to other states (RWJF, 2012b). Access to the rural areas where there is lack of enough healthcare professionals is thus becoming a problem. In order to alleviate these problems, the action coalitions are working to abolish restrictions that limit access to healthcare; the coalitions transform the nursing profession by advancing the education of nurses, building an interprofessional healthcare data infrastructure related to the workforce, and improving leadership qualities (RWJF, 2012b). This is achieved through organizing the stakeholders in four taskforces to address the following priorities: leadership, practice barriers, BSN, and workforce data. Improving the four elements separately and integrating the elements to have a holistic approach in nursing would eventually improve the profession and service delivery to patients. On the other hand, in Texas, a team involving Texas Nurses Association and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas is working towards implementing the report recommendations. The team comprises more than 120 partners from academia, healthcare, business, and other sectors, who have come together to ensure healthcare improvement in the region (RWJF, 2012b). In order to improve nursing education in Texas, the team is preparing to implement a common core of prerequisite courses to facilitate the associate level nurses to progress quickly to the baccalaureate programs. For example, the team recently published a report on the economic impacts of advanced practice registered nurses (ARPNs) in Texas (RWJF, 2012b). By ensuring the nurses have better access to education and encouraging them to take higher education courses, the coalition aims at advancing the nursing profession, which would translate to better healthcare services in all healthcare facilities. This would facilitate effective implementation of the IOM recommendations. Therefore, the IOM – Robert Wood Johnson Foundation report was aimed at empowering the nurse to introduce changes in the healthcare setting. The report aimed at advancing the skills of nurses and instilling leadership qualities to ensure they are well equipped in dealing with the rapidly changing healthcare climate, through advancing their education levels, which would translate to better services to patients. Coalition programs are aimed at harmonizing advancement of nursing practices across all states, and abolishing barriers related to nursing practice. The report is thus a blueprint in achieving better nursing profession and service delivery to patients. References Institute of Medicine. (2010). The Future of Nursing Leading Change, Advancing Health. Retrieved from: http://www.iom.edu/Reports/2010/The-Future-of-Nursing-Leading-Change-Advancing-Health/Report-Brief.aspx Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. (2012a). Communication Toolkit for action Coalitions, AARP. Retrieved from: http://www.ndcenterfornursing.org/linked/communications_toolkit_fnl_3_19_2012.pdf Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. (2012b). State Action Coalitions: Arizona, AARP. Retrieved from: http://campaignforaction.org/state-action-coalitions Read More