The nursing profession has over three million members making it the largest division among all the health care divisions in the nation. Nurses are alw12ays on the front line in the provision of services to patients. They play an important role in ensuring patients are given maximum care. The role they play makes them key players in the achievement of the goals that were set in the Affordable Care Act back in 2010. The act is the largest legislation since 1965 when Medicare programs were created ( Aiken, 2011) . There are many barriers which stand in the way of nurses in their pursuit of the effective response to the changes in health care. The department of health care has evolved significantly with the introduction of new technology and roles. It is important that nurses are on the level with the changes which have occurred so that they are in a position to provide their services adequately.
Due to the need for advancement in the nursing sector, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) together with The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) came together to come up with an initiative in 2008. The two-year initiative was launched so as to identify ways through which the nursing profession could be transformed. After much assessment, the IOM produced a report of recommendations to the industry. The report indicated how nursing should be in the future years to come. The report held that nurses should be allowed to put into practice all that they have been trained to do. It also insisted that nurses had to be allowed to reach higher levels of education. For them to do so, the school system had to experience some changes as asserted by Dossey (2012) . There was also a proposition that nurses should be treated as full partners just like physicians when it comes to redesigning of health care. IOM also insisted that a lot of research should be carried out before coming up with policies. The research had to be well funded to achieve best results.
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In the nursing profession, there are many ways in which you can expand your knowledge on the field. These pathways are capable of enabling you to acquire an entry level license. With the license, you can practice nursing as an RN. You can take a diploma program that is hospital based, a baccalaureate degree or an associate’s degree. Professionals have often debated about the minimum level of education that a nurse should hold to practice nursing. The Institute of Medicine has stated it clearly and believes that the word has spread to every part of the nation. However, nurses should not stick to the minimum requirement since there is a need to keep up with the changes that occur in the healthcare system. The IOM recommends that all nurses at the entry level should have a baccalaureate degree so that there is a strong foundation for the care provided by nurses. The requirement is to ensure that the profession is reformed Dossey, et al . 2012).
The need for raising the level of education for nurses was because the required competencies had expanded. Nurses must possess public health knowledge as well as geriatrics and leadership skills. Nurses also need to acquire knowledge on the health policy, practice based on evidence and research. The nurses are also required to master the usage of the complex technology used in nursing care. They also had to make vital decisions for patients with certain conditions. The sophistication in the nursing job was increasing rapidly, thereby, raising the need for advancement. Higher Knowledge would also help them to be more useful by making the correct analysis. They also needed to be able to work better with other professionals in the same industry, who hold as high as master’s degrees.
The report produced by the Institute of Medicine also stated that nurses had a great potential of being on the wheel of innovative strategies. If nurses are trained more, they can be very innovative, making strides in improvement of health care. Nurses can lead fundamental researchers that could lead to advancement. The IOM observed that the potential that nurses have is not being fully utilized. There is a necessity to tap into that potential so as to make a better healthcare system. The barriers that were preventing nurses from reaching their full potential included policy and regulatory barriers, the fragmentation that existed in the healthcare system, high turnover rates, a tough school to practice transition and a workforce that was aging. High turnover leads to wastage of good relent and expertise that could have helped in development. Health care organizations should give nurses a better chance of expanding their leadership skills and leadership capacity.
In general, the health care in the in the United States can be tremendously improved if nurses are given a chance to contribute fully. They have the capability of playing an important role in the transformation. However, they cannot improve the healthcare system on their own; other players like the professional associations, the government and healthcare organizations need to contribute. According to Melnyk, et al., (2012), the i nvolvement of all the bodies in this transformation is the only way to attain victory. The task does not lie on the shoulders of nurses alone. All institutions need to work together and play their part to ensure patients receive seamless and affordable healthcare. Once the health services are accessible to everyone, the health of the population will be tremendously improved. All it takes is the cooperation of all the parties involved.
References
Aiken, L. H. (2011). Nurses for the future. New England Journal of Medicine , 364 (3), 196-198.
Dossey, B. M., Certificate, C. D. I. N. C., Keegan, L., & Co-Director International Nurse Coach Association. (2012). Holistic nursing . Jones & Bartlett Publishers.
Melnyk, B. M., Fineout-Overholt, E., Gallagher-Ford, L., & Kaplan, L. (2012). The state of evidence-based practice in the US nurses: Critical implications for nurse leaders and educators. Journal of Nursing Administration , 42 (9), 410-417.
