This paper examines the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Committee Initiative on the Future of Nursing and the Institute of Medicine (IOM) report, "Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health." It identifies the report's significance for nursing practice, nursing education, and workforce development, with particular attention to the six recommendation areas outlined by the IOM in 2010. The paper also discusses the role of state-based Action Coalitions in advancing the Campaign for Action's goals, and concludes with a summary of two New York State initiatives aimed at expanding nursing educational opportunities and increasing the proportion of nurses holding bachelor's and advanced degrees.
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Committee Initiative on the Future of Nursing and the Institute of Medicine (IOM) research that resulted in the report Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health have prompted a comprehensive reevaluation of the role of professional nurses in American society. They have also generated growing recognition of the importance of nurses' continually expanding role as part of a multidisciplinary healthcare team. This paper analyzes these initiatives to identify the significance of the IOM "Future of Nursing" report for nursing practice, nursing education, and nursing workforce development. It then discusses the role of state-based Action Coalitions in advancing the goals of the Future of Nursing: Campaign for Action, and concludes with a summary of two initiatives spearheaded by New York State to improve nursing educational opportunities.
In 2010, the IOM published the report The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health, which contained a series of recommendations intended to improve the nursing workforce's ability to meet an increasingly diverse patient population (Cipriano, 2016). The IOM's recommendations addressed six main areas: (a) improving access to care; (b) fostering interprofessional collaboration; (c) promoting nursing leadership; (d) transforming nursing education; (e) increasing diversity in nursing; and (f) collecting workforce data (Our story, 2016).
In response to the IOM's report, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation launched the first phase of a multi-year, $5.4 million initiative in 2012 (McNeal, 2012). The Future of Nursing initiative is intended to develop a more highly educated nursing workforce by 2020 through the provision of grants to state-level Action Coalitions and their partners in Hawaii, Massachusetts, Montana, California, New Mexico, North Carolina, New York, Washington State, and Texas (Trossman, 2015). Additional grants were subsequently awarded to these state Action Coalitions in 2014 in an effort to develop sustainable healthcare practices and promote diversity in the nursing workforce (Trossman, 2014). Today, state-level Action Coalitions are at work in all 50 states and the District of Columbia (State action coalitions, 2016).
In 2015, the IOM published an update assessing progress toward the recommendations outlined in the 2010 report (Cipriano, 2016). The update emphasized: "We agree progress has been made since the Future of Nursing report was issued in 2010; however, if we hope to achieve the vision of a patient-focused health care system, we must ensure the nation's 3.4 million registered nurses are able to fully contribute" (as cited in Cipriano, 2016, p. 4). The update also reported that the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Campaign for Action initiative had made substantial progress in implementing these recommendations, while identifying the need for additional effort in the areas of scope of practice, education, collaboration and leadership, diversity, and workforce data collection (Cipriano, 2016).
"Role of coalitions in advancing nursing goals nationally"
"NY strategies for expanding BSN and advanced degrees"
These nursing initiatives serve to advance the nursing profession broadly by encouraging nurses to obtain additional education, which can in turn improve the quality of healthcare services delivered. Resources, however, remain limited, and increasing costs continue to be a barrier for professional nurses seeking to expand their educational horizons. At the state level, nurses can serve as advocates for change by joining professional associations that lobby policymakers and governmental agencies on behalf of more accessible higher education programs for nurses.
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