Introduction
The U.S. healthcare system is one of the most complex and overburdened in the world, making it highly demanding to both its workers and users. The Institute of Medicine (IOM) has released a report in 2010 called The future of nursing: Leading change, advancing health, which proposed a multi-level solution to the long-standing issues within the system. This essay analyzes the key objectives outlined by the IOM, discusses their current and potential impact, and analyzes their implications for the future.
Main body
The report begins with an outline of four critical moments that must be resolved in order to achieve substantial progress. The IOM proposed to expand the role of nurses with consideration of emerging social developments, innovative technologies, and treatment methods (Institute of Medicine, 2010). The organization also called for improvements in the education of nursing personnel and the promotion of higher degrees in this field (Institute of Medicine, 2010). Nursing must also be put into focus when developing new treatments (Institute of Medicine, 2010). Overall involvement of nursing personnel in healthcare must be increased via innovative leadership practices to boost the quality of care (Institute of Medicine, 2010). These objectives are essential for the nursing practice since they allow personnel to resolve shortages of staffing or knowledge and be more efficient in general.
The report calls for significant changes in the educational processes for the preparation of higher-quality nurses. The statistics reveal that there is an increased percentage of nursing personnel with Bachelor of Science in nursing (BSN) degrees (Palatnik, 2016). BSN-prepared nurses can perform more complex tasks, as their knowledge can enable them to assess a situation properly. However, the more important fact is that BSN provides the most optimal amount of time spent on education to prepare an employee with a sufficient level of knowledge to provide a meaningful contribution to treatment (Institute of Medicine, 2010). It also gives a nurse more opportunities in terms of career and specializations, as the knowledge of BSN is broad enough to be applied in varied settings (Institute of Medicine, 2010). Due to this analysis, there is a noticeable increase in the number of nurses with higher degrees, yet the percentage set by the IoM is far from being reached (Palatnik, 2016). There is a need to provide additional incentives, such as monetary benefits and easier access to continuous education for nurses, if the country aims to fulfill the IOM’s vision of the U.S. healthcare system (Rekha, 2020). BSNs can provide a stable foundation for the changes proposed by the IOM.
As the population grows older and more diverse, new challenges that were out of the scope of study of nurses in the recent past continue to appear. The expected growth of these groups will put excessive pressure on the healthcare system, which will collapse without the support of nursing personnel (Institute of Medicine, 2010). Moreover, without continuous education, nursing personnel will be left unprepared to deal with age- or ethnicity-specific health complications.
There are obstacles on the path towards the IOM’s vision of the nursing profession. To achieve the desired impact of nurses, it is vital to establish a standardized and constantly updating a set of competencies that will be expected from nurses and trained through continuous training courses. The health of each generation is affected by factors that can be specific and require a distinct approach and knowledge, and the relevance of care settings fluctuates with it (Institute of Medicine, 2010). Lifelong learning gives a unique perspective on changes that occur within a population over time, which provides nurses with essential experience that prepares them for challenges ahead (Rekha, 2020). New illnesses will continue to emerge, and well-trained nurses are one of the most valuable tools to alleviate such issues from growing.
The progress continues to bring new technologies into the lives of humans. Knowledge regarding their health also continues to accumulate, constantly expanding this field of study. Nurse can bestow the benefits of this progress onto their patients by non-stop training to ensure that the most efficient methods of treatment are implemented in a timely manner. A multitude of factors that affect people’s daily lives impacts the healthcare system as well, drawing a link between lifestyles within a population and its average health. This shifting landscape demands high levels of flexibility from healthcare workers, making their assistance and critical analysis skills invaluable in the treatment of patients across settings.
Conclusion
In conclusion, this report by the Institute of Medicine served as a long-overdue push towards critical reforms in the U.S. healthcare system. The four key objectives outlined by the document aim to optimize education and expand the scope of practice for nurses in order to become more suitable for the needs of modern society. The need to increase the number of nurses with higher education remains relevant, and the courses must be continuously adjusted to ensure that students gain all the knowledge to become efficient workers. The role of a nurse evolves alongside the healthcare system itself, as the support that these employees provide is invaluable.
References
Institute of Medicine. (2010). The future of nursing: Leading change, advancing health. National Academies Press.
Palatnik, A. (2016). The future of nursing: Leading change, advancing health…how are we doing?Nursing Critical Care, 11(3), 4.
Rekha, S. G. (2020). The future of nursing: Leading change, advancing health.IP Journal of Paediatrics and Nursing Science, 3(3), 60-63.