A). Role of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Committee
In 2008, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) launched a 2-year initiative in response to the need to evaluate and transform the United States’ nursing practice (IOM, 2010). The Institute of Medicine instituted a committee on the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Initiative on the future of nursing. The committee would be based at IOM and charged with a mandate of developing report comprising recommendations on the future of nursing. The report was generated based on assessment of the nursing situation at the time. The report provides an action-based blue-print for the transformation of the future nursing practice.
A number of barriers prevent the nursing practice from being able to respond effectively to dynamic changes in the healthcare environment and a constantly evolving system of health care. The obstacles must be overcome so that practicing nurses are well positioned lead transformation and advance health. This rationale is a gap that led to the formation and the design of function of the committee. The committee examined the nursing situation in hospitals, war zones, homes, schools, community, long-term care facilities, public health centers, and retail health clinics. Nurses practicing in these settings have varying competency levels and educational qualification. Nursing professionals vary ranging from licensed nurses working in nursing homes, to scientists conducting nursing research in patient care and health promotion. The committee made considerations of nurses cutting across settings, roles, and education levels with an aim of envisioning the future of the nursing profession characterized by improved quality of care and the practice of nursing to the full extent. The general aim is that nurses should obtain higher education and training through an advanced system of education. implementation of the IOM future of nursing report essay assignment paper example.
B). Significance of the IOM “Future of Nursing” Report
Nursing profession comprises over 3 million practitioners making it the largest segment of the United States’ health care delivery workforce (IOM, 2010). Nurses work on the front-line in health care system and contribute a direct impact on patient care. The proximity to patients and scientific knowledge of processes across the continuum of care, make nurses the most potent healthcare staff in effecting significant transformation in the health care delivery system. Implementation of the provisions of the report would enable nurses to be better equipped for leadership, diversity of patient needs, and scientific research capacity. implementation of the IOM future of nursing report essay assignment paper example.
The report designed four key messages that guided the formulation of recommendations significant to the nursing practice. First, nursing should be practiced to the full scope of training and education (Rubenfeld & Scheffer, 2010). This provision requires the redesign of the state and national regulations outlining the scope-of-practice for nurses. This will guide policy reform across all states so as to ensure that nurses perform duties that make total use of the full extent of education qualification. Secondly, nurse should obtain greater levels of training and education through an enhanced system of education. Through higher education, nurses can be able to deliver care that is patient centered and safe, across various settings of nursing practice.
Thirdly, nurses should partner with other health practitioners to redesign health care delivery system in the United States. Promoting leadership capacities and opportunities for nurses will enable nurses to move forward in this partnership role. The fourth outline of need is that effective policy making and workforce planning require better data handling and information infrastructure. This facilitates transformation in education and deployment of the nursing staff. The four key messages guided the development of far-reaching recommendations for reforms in the nursing practice. The recommendations aim to increase to 80% population of nurses with baccalaureate degrees and double the number of holders of doctorate qualification by 2020. The committee also recommended the implementation of the nurse residency programs. The final recommendation was to ensure that institutions and educators facilitate nursing programs that promote lifelong learning. implementation of the IOM future of nursing report essay assignment paper example.
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