Professional Development of Nursing Professionals
Professional Development of Nursing Professionals In 2010 the Institute of Medicine (IOM) released a report indicating that nurses are a key component to the improvement of the healthcare transformation in the United States of America. The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health discussed the powerful impact of a highly educated and trained nurse in the medical profession by examining evidenced based research and relative trends. In the following essay we will discuss how these findings influence nursing education, primary care nursing practice, and the leadership roles nurses will inevitably be placed. When addressing how nursing practice will be affected, we will also discuss how the goals of the IOM will be met.
Impact on Nursing of the 2010 IOM Report
The Affordable Care Act of 2010 presented an interesting dilemma. According to the IOM panel, America will heavily rely on the expertise and compassionate care of advanced practice nurse’s to bridge the gap between the existing low number of primary care providers and the addition of thirty- two million people to the currently insured group of Americans. To connect this gap, it will be necessary to allow nurses to practice to their full potential by expanding their education and training.
Nursing Education The majority of nurses in the workforce today are educated at a community college level and do not hold a Bachelor’s Degree. However, the report findings indicate the need for these nurses to attain a Bachelor Degree. This push is mainly because studies have shown a ten percent increase in the proportion of nurses holding a bachelor’s degree was associated with a five percent decrease in probability of patient’s demise within thirty days of admission and the odds of failure to rescue (Aiken, 2003). The IOM’s goal is to increase this from fifty percent to an eighty percent by 2020. To meet this goal they call for “seamless academic progression” through integrated transitions between
Impact on Nursing of the 2010 IOM Report
The Affordable Care Act of 2010 presented an interesting dilemma. According to the IOM panel, America will heavily rely on the expertise and compassionate care of advanced practice nurse’s to bridge the gap between the existing low number of primary care providers and the addition of thirty- two million people to the currently insured group of Americans. To connect this gap, it will be necessary to allow nurses to practice to their full potential by expanding their education and training.
Nursing Education The majority of nurses in the workforce today are educated at a community college level and do not hold a Bachelor’s Degree. However, the report findings indicate the need for these nurses to attain a Bachelor Degree. This push is mainly because studies have shown a ten percent increase in the proportion of nurses holding a bachelor’s degree was associated with a five percent decrease in probability of patient’s demise within thirty days of admission and the odds of failure to rescue (Aiken, 2003). The IOM’s goal is to increase this from fifty percent to an eighty percent by 2020. To meet this goal they call for “seamless academic progression” through integrated transitions between
References: Aiken, L. H., et al. (2003). Educational Levels of Hospital Nurses and Surgical Mortality. Journal of the American Medical Association, 290(12), 1617-1623. Committee on the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Initiative on the Future of Nursing, at the Institute of Medicine. (2011). The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health. IOM, Pg. 97. Retrieved from http://books.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=12956 Institute of Medicine. (IOM). (2010, October 5). The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health-Report Briefing [Video]. Retrieved from http:// www.iom.edu/Reports/2010/The-Future-of-Nursing-Leading-change-Advancing- Health/Report-Release.aspx