Current Impact
The 2010 Institute of Medicine (IOM) report titled The future of nursing: Leading change, advancing health outlines the critical aspects of professional practice that have to be addressed due to the challenging landscape of healthcare in the state. The four major messages address the extent of the practice, education, cooperation, and work-related planning as an integral part necessary to improve the nursing practice. Arguably, these four messages already affect the nursing workforce, and the following paragraphs will focus on reviewing these changes.
The four messages presented in the report affect contemporary nursing practice by pointing out the need to trust a nurse’s expertise and experience. The American Nurses Association (ANA) (n.d.) states that the main focus of these professionals is on protecting, promoting, and optimizing healthcare practices, as well as diagnosing and treating individuals. This element is a significant change for nurses whose work was primarily connected to caring for the sick and alleviating suffering. Next, according to the Campaign for Action (2019), in 2010, only 1,282 people received a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree, while in 2019, the number is estimated at 32,327. The difference is significant, indicating that more individuals are advancing their education and skills. Also, the Campaign for Action (2019), states that in 2010, only 532 nurses obtained a Ph.D., while in 2019, over six thousand individuals graduated with this degree. These numbers indicate that key message #2 and being applied effectively by educators and policymakers since more nurses are choosing to continue their education.
Key message #3 highlights the importance of promoting leadership among nurses to ensure proper partnership with other healthcare providers. The contemporary curriculums incorporate this element into the training programs, and much research is dedicated to nursing leadership. For instance, an article by Dyess, Sherman, Pratt, and Chiang-Hanisko (2016) explores the attitudes of nurses enrolled in Mater’s Degree programs towards leadership at work. The findings suggest that most participants understand and value the impact that nurses have on healthcare delivery.
Finally, key message #4 emphasizes the need to address workforce planning issues. One aspect of this is the fact that modern assents indicate a significant shortage of medical professionals, and more specifically, nurses, in the future. The Statistics explored above relating to the number of graduates can serve as an indication of successful policies that attract more individuals into nursing. Overall, the four key messages currently impact the nursing practice because the scope of work outlined by ANA incorporates diagnostic and treatment, and more nurses obtain advanced degrees. Additionally, nurse leadership and workforce planning are an integral part of training curriculums and the state’s policies.
Future Impact
The previous section focused on the impact that the four key messages currently have on the nursing profession, while this part will review future implications. This report will impact future nursing practice because the demand for well-trained healthcare professionals will continuously increase within the United States. According to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (2019), the state will experience a lack of medical personnel since over 203,700 nursing positions will be created by 2026. Hence, well-trained nurses who have a Bachelor’s, Master’s, or Doctoral degree will be in high demand. This prediction corresponds with key message #2 from the report in question, since legislators will have to provide more incentives for encouraging people to pursue a nursing degree.
Key message #1 argues that nurses have to work to their full potential and maximum of their capabilities, while message #2 highlights the necessity for achieving higher educational levels. These two components correspond to the changing environment of the healthcare industry in the US. Medical establishments and patients will have to recognize the value of nurses and their input. Since nurses are capable of diagnosing, treating common conditions, and guiding individuals with chronic diseases through the management of their illnesses, it can be concluded that in the future they will be more engaged in these activities. Nurses will have more freedom in having independent practices and consulting patients.
The report, and key message #1, in particular, promote expanding the scope of nurse’s practice. Also, current educational programs emphasize nursing advocacy and the need to address issues in healthcare. Based on this information and IOM’s (2010) report, one can argue that nurses will be involved in developing policies and conducting research that will affect patient care and provide healthcare establishments with evidence-based approaches to care. Although nurses are already engaged in research, it can be argued that the influence that they will have in the future will be more significant.
This future impact is also connected to key message #3 since promotion and advocacy can only be achieved through proper leadership and cooperation with other healthcare professionals. The need to transform the healthcare system in the United States to ensure that it addresses the existing challenges and raising concerns about population health and staff shortage is the primary element of key message #4. The mentioned shortage of nurses will force healthcare establishments and policymakers to develop initiatives and workforce planning strategies that help address the problem effectively. Overall, the examined four key messages from the IOM report signify the specifics of future nursing practice.
Recommendation
One recommendation that is essential for the nursing practice is number 7, which requires preparing them to lead changes in advanced health. This recommendation was chosen because it incorporates some elements of other statements made by IOM (2010) such as the need for lifelong learning and a plan to increase the number of people in the field with Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. Since this component requires nurses to assume leadership positions, they have to be well trained both as medical professionals and leaders. This will allow nurses to provide their unique insight and practical experience in the process of transforming healthcare and ensuring high quality and proper outcomes. As was mentioned in Sections I and II, the healthcare system in the United States is facing many challenges, and nurses can be trained and encouraged to address these problems. Hence, this recommendation is essential because it has the potential of impacting millions of patients across the country. The training, mentoring programs, and emphasis on leadership qualities are the key to achieving the mentioned impact.
Other ways that can help get the nurses involved include advocacy for actively participating in the development of new policies and health-related legislations. Other strategies are connected to research conducted by nurses that can be used to improve practices of care in hospitals. This result can be achieved by providing grants and other financial support to projects initiated by nurses. Additionally, resources that support lifelong learning, such as access to libraries or participation in conferences should be encouraged by healthcare institutions because it will help nurse improve their skills and knowledge. It can be concluded that enabling nurses to be in charge of the United State’s healthcare system can be an essential feature of addressing contemporary challenges.
References
American Association of Colleges of Nursing. (2019). Nursing shortage. Web.
ANA. (n.d.). Scope of practice. Web.
Campaign for Action. (2019). A number of people receiving nursing doctoral degrees annually.Web.
IOM. (2010). The future of nursing: Leading change, advancing health. Washington (DC): National Academies Press.
Dyess, S. M., Sherman, R. O., Pratt, B. A., & Chiang-Hanisko, L. (2016). Growing nurse leaders: Their perspectives on nursing leadership and today’s practice environment.The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 21(1). Web.