"The Future of Nursing": Implications for the Nursing Profession

¶ … Antecedents and Importance of the IOM Report, "Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health" In an era of widespread nursing shortages, identifying opportunities to improve nurse practice, nursing education and nursing workforce development has assumed new importance and relevance.

To this end, this paper provides a discussion concerning the work of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) Committee Initiative on the Future of Nursing and the Institute of Medicine research that led to the Institute of Medicine (IOM) report, "Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health." A discussion concerning the importance of the IOM "Future of Nursing" report related to nursing practice, nursing education and nursing workforce development is followed by an evaluation of the role of state-based action coalitions and how they advance goals of the Future of Nursing: Campaign for Action.

In addition, a summary of two initiatives that have been spearheaded by the Oklahoma Action Coalition and analysis of what ways these initiatives advance the nursing profession is followed by an examination of the barriers to advancement that currently exist and ways that these barriers can be overcome. Finally, a summary of the research and important findings concerning these issues are provided in the conclusion.

Discussion concerning the work of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Committee Initiative on the Future of Nursing and the Institute of Medicine research that led to the IOM report, "Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health" This report, "Future of Nursing," was a collaborative effort between the IOM and RWJF that was initiated in 2008 in response to a growing recognition that the nursing profession required a current assessment and fundamental transformation in response to changes in healthcare legislation and practice requirements (The future of nursing, 2010).

The Future of Nursing report provided several key findings, including the need for continuing education for nurses and partnerships with allied health care professionals (McNeal, 2012). The importance of the IOM "Future of Nursing" report related to nursing practice, nursing education and nursing workforce development The "Future of Nursing" report identified a number of trends that have affected nursing practice that will require nursing professionals to become better educated and trained in the future.

One of the most significant trends in this regard is the rapidly aging population, and the elderly segment of the population (i.e., 65 years and older) will account for almost 20% of the population in the United States by 2030 (The future of nursing, 2010).

In addition, the IOM report highlighted the changes in healthcare needs that have taken place in recent years, with chronic conditions such as arthritis, hypertension, diabetes and cardiovascular disease representing the most pressing health care issues facing the American population today, a situation that will be further exacerbated as the population continues to age (The future of nursing, 2010). As a result, the manner in which nurses are educated must be changed in order to respond to these changes in the health care dynamic (The future of nursing, 2010).

Some of the competencies that have been identified as important for nursing development are broad-based and include leadership, health policy, system improvement, research and evidence-based practice, and teamwork and collaboration, as well as competency in specific content areas such as community and public health and geriatrics (The future of nursing, 2010). Moreover, nurses are increasingly being required to coordinate care among multidisciplinary teams and work with innovative technologies that can improve the quality of patient care (The future of nursing, 2010).

The role of state-based action coalitions and how do they advance goals of the Future of Nursing: Campaign for Action Although the challenges that are facing the nursing profession are nationwide in scope, the Future of Nursing Web site emphasizes that state-based action coalitions are the primary means by which the Campaign for Action are undertaken at local and state levels, as well as being instrumental in developing the comprehensive network of practitioners that is needed to improve health care today (Action coalitions, 2015).

Summary of two initiatives spearheaded by the California Action Coalition The two main initiatives spearheaded by the California Action Coalition that are intended to advance the nursing profession are: (a) conducting a series of statewide "town hall" events that to educate the public concerning the purpose and goals of the Action Coalition and to encourage volunteerism; and (b) publishing lessons learned for other states since California was among the first five pilot states to host Action Coalitions (Dickow, 2015).

These are valuable initiatives because some barriers to advancement that remain firmly in place include most especially a lack of public awareness concerning the changes.