IOM future recommendations on nursing are concerned about the future of health care in general. The recommendations emphasize the important role that nurses will play in the industry by providing safe health services of high quality. In addition, they will play a critical role in ensuring that all patients in the health care system get quality services.
The fourth recommendation talks about increasing the number of nurses with university qualifications, a target that should be achieved by 2020. I fit into this recommendation because I am studying for my BSN degree. This will equip me with the knowledge I require to manage, promote and oversee the administration of health services to patients. The recommendation focuses on equipping nurses with leadership skills and the ability to take over responsibilities that provide patients with quality services (Initiative on the Future of Nursing, 2011). Completion of my BSN degree will therefore make me fit well into this recommendation.
By 2020, the fifth recommendation envisages a situation where doctorate degrees among nurses will have doubled. This recommendation aims at ensuring that the health care sector comprises professionals with the ability to come up with numerous changes in the sector and increase diversity. I fit into this recommendation because my ultimate goal is to acquire a doctorate. My decision to enroll for my BSN degree justifies my commitment to attain the highest professional level in nursing. Once I complete my degree, I will enroll for a master’s and eventually pursue a doctorate. By 2020, I will have fitted into this recommendation.
In the sixth recommendation, nurses are supposed to learn continuously. This recommendation targets nursing institutions, accrediting bodies, and organizations that provide health care services. Different organizations should work together to ensure that health care professionals engage in lifelong learning to acquire the competency required to offer quality health care services. I fit into this recommendation because I am engaged in continuous learning. As a registered nurse, I am advancing my academic knowledge by pursuing a BSN degree. This will equip me with the competency and skills required to provide quality health care services to various populations. Since I am not intending to stop studying after acquiring my degree, I fit into the recommendation. For instance, I will enroll for a master’s degree after which I will pursue a doctorate. Learning for me will be a continuous process.
Increasing my level of education will have positive implications concerning my competitiveness in the current job market. There is indeed stiff competition in the job market and only individuals with sound educational qualifications will have the best opportunities. Increasing my level of education will give me a chance to acquire more skills and competencies in nursing. Organizations prefer individuals with competency and advanced skills. If I acquire a doctorate, this will also increase my competitiveness in the market because the industry does not have many people with doctorate degrees. I will stand a good chance of being promoted to bigger positions within the health care sector (Scheffer & Rubenfeld, 2010).
Increasing my level of education will affect my role in the nursing industry significantly. For example, I will be involved in more research work as opposed to the normal duties of attending to patients as a nurse. In addition, I will be able to get involved in managerial positions in the nursing sector. This will involve performing the role of coordinating other health care workers and overseeing their work.
References
Initiative on the Future of Nursing. (2011). Web.
Scheffer, B., & Rubenfeld, G. (2010). Critical Thinking TACTICS for Nurses: Achieving the IOM Competencies. London: Jones & Bartlett Learning.