Implementation of the IOM Future of Nursing Report

Discussion on Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Committee Initiative and Institute of Medicine (IOM) that led to "Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health."

The work of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Committee Initiative in collaboration with the Institute of Medicine (IOM) was inspired by the possibility of empowering the nursing fraternity to be leaders and partners in the healthcare goals aimed at enhancing the care delivery and the system as a whole. Nurses are considered as the largest component and vital part of the healthcare workforce. By 2011 the nurses' figure stood at a whopping 3 million making up the single largest workforce segment in healthcare. Additionally, nurses are considered as the group that spends the most time in the delivery of patient care. It was in that breadth that the work of the committee was targeted at the special segment considering the fact that they possess valuable insights and special capabilities that when integrated with other health professionals can improve the standards of healthcare in terms of quality and safety. The committee formed following the collaboration of RWJF and IOM was tasked with carrying out a major study and come up with a report that would inform the nurses' service delivery ([G1] Institute of Medicine, 2011).

The committee focused on examining the capacity of the nursing workforce in meeting the demands of healthcare and the public health systems following reforms. It was tasked with developing a number of national recommendations which includes the delivery of nursing services in the current environment which faces shortages in terms of capacity when it comes to the education system of the nurses (Institute of Medicine, 2011). The committee was tasked with developing an agenda for action which covers changes in the institutional and public policies across all levels of national, state and local areas. It would then develop recommendations that [G2] [G3] would meet a number of system changes which may include innovative ways of meeting the nursing shortages in the country (Institute of Medicine, 2011).[G4] 

Some of primary areas of focus that the committees were tasked with, included the identification of critical nurses roles in the design and implementation of efficient healthcare system in recreating the role of nurses in the context of the whole workforce, shortage, issues within the community and the present and future technology ([G5] NAS, 2018). Another focus area is in the expansion of the nursing facility, raising the capacity of the nursing training schools, and redesigning the nurses training to ensure that it was able to produce the right number of well-trained nurses to meet the present and future healthcare needs. It was also to check innovative solutions associated with the delivery of care and training. Lastly, the focus was also on the attraction and retention of well-trained nurses in a host of care setting and areas ([G6] [G7] [G8] [G9] [G10] NAS, 2018).[G11] [G12] [G13] 

Importance of the IOM “Future of Nursing” Report in Relation to Nursing Practice, Education, and Workforce Development[G14] 

The IOM report which was developed in collaboration with RWJF brought out a number of critical points, it highlighted some of the main areas of intervention and the pinpointed on areas that needed intervention in the healthcare system in regard to the nursing issues. They included issue such as nurses should be able to practice to the full extent of their training and education (Institute of Medicine, 2011). The report was able to highlight the challenges that limit nurses from achieving their full potential, such policy-related barriers, the regulatory frameworks that end up inhibiting their activities. Another critical issue that came out of the report is that nurses should be able to get the chance of gaining higher levels of education and training through changes made in the education system that gives opportunity and promotes advancement in [G15] education (Institute of Medicine, 2011). To meet this goal, major changes will be required in the US healthcare and other related practice environments. Such improvement will lead to sustainable training solutions that would also meet the needs of the future nurses.  [G16] 

The other primary point that came out of the report was that nurses needed to be integrated into the healthcare system as full partners working alongside the physicians, allied health personnel, and a host of other professionals in the field (Institute of Medicine, 2011). A critical area of nurses' intervention is in working alongside the other professionals in redesigning the healthcare system in the country. The report pointed to more involvement of the nurses in decision-making processes, they need to take up leadership positions and be a part of the policymakers. The final area of focus of the report was in ensuring that there were effective workforce planning and policy-making which will call for better data collection and information strategies ([G17] [G18] [G19] Institute of Medicine, 2011). To achieve the transformation needed in the healthcare setting and the practice environment will call for finding a balance in skills and perspectives among the healthcare personnel. The report was able to pinpoint the challenges that made it hard for the goal to be achieved, it pointed to issues such as the lack of data on the number of the currently employed professionals, roles and activities performed and others.[G20] 

Role of State-Based Action Coalitions in Advancing Goals of the Future of Nursing: Campaign for Action

The primary roles of the States based action coalition across various states is in campaigning across all levels, that includes the local, regional, and state level. The campaigns help advocate for the development of healthier communities through the help of nurses, and it [G21] achieves that goal in the states by involving various stakeholder groups various sectors in education, business, and health organizations (Campaign for Action, n.d).

Some of the strategies that have been spearheaded in the State of Arizona include the development of an inter-profession workforce that will help in the collection of data, creation of a task force that will guide the development of a sustainable model of healthcare, together with its dissemination, and subsequent management (Campaign for Action, n.d b). The second strategy is the development of the Healthcare Workforce Center which will be launched through a test by carrying out a pilot survey for the primary care providers. Overall, the project will boost the development of the nursing workforce through mentorship programs for the nurses and also the nursing students drawn from various backgrounds (Campaign for Action, n.d b). Lack of leadership skills and lack of proper training with little exposure to the work environment is a concern in Arizona. However, nursing advocates can intervene through providing assistance with the help of other stakeholders. For example, one approach has been suggested and that can be applied by the State of Arizona will be to pair the students with some mentors while carrying out community health rotations, the mentors, in turn, are able to nurture leadership skills.[G22] [G23] [G24]