The IOM report contains four key points. The first point insists that nurses should practice according to the full coverage of their training and education. Some obstacles that do not allow nurses to use their full potential include difficult transitions from different nursing schools to practice, policy, historical, and regulatory barriers, and a sophisticated healthcare system. The second message states that nurses should focus on achieving better training and education levels through improved education models that encourage academic progression ( IOM and RWJF, 2011) . Better academic progression will allow nurses to provide better services. The third message argues that nurses must be equal partners with all health professionals when redesigning the health care system in the country. Nurses should take responsibility for their impact on patient health while working collaboratively with other health professionals. The fourth message explains that an effective policy formulation and workforce planning needs improved data collection and robust information infrastructure. The paper will discuss the role of IOM and RWJF in the report, the importance of the IOM report, and the role of state-based action coalitions in achieving the objective of the report.
Work of RWJF Committee and IOM
The RWJF approached the IOM in 2008 regarding a partnership that will evaluate and address the need for transforming and improving the nursing profession. The RWJF and IOM recognized that the nursing profession was facing many challenges when fulfilling America's health care requirements and the promise of a better healthcare system. Therefore, they established a two-year initiative that was titled ‘Future of Nursing.' The main objective of the initiative was the committee that would prepare a report containing recommendations and proposals for a better and robust future of nursing such as the necessary modifications in institutional and public policies at the local, national, and state levels ( Institute of Medicine (US) and Committee on the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Initiative on the Future of Nursing, 2011) . The report also served as the baseline for the extensive implementation stage that would be supervised by RWJF.
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The committee examined the potential of nurses to address the needs of a public health system and reformed healthcare. Furthermore, the committee developed a series of bold national recommendations that addressed the capacity of the healthcare's nursing education system and the provision of various nursing services in shortage environments. The report would also provide innovative techniques for solving the nursing shortage in the US. It also evaluated the significance of attracting and retaining qualified nurses in different care settings. It also re-conceptualized the role of nursing in the healthcare workforce, technology, societal challenges, and the nursing shortage ( Young et al., 2015) . It also examined innovative solutions regarding to health professional education and professional care delivery by focusing on the delivery of services and nursing. The committee also proposed ways of redesigning nursing education, improving the potential of nursing schools, and expanding its faculties to ensure they produce proper numbers of well-prepared nurses who will address the future and current demands of the US healthcare system.
Importance of the IOM Report to Nursing Workforce Development, Nursing Practice, and Nursing Education
The information contained in the report will assist the health care system to identify areas where the healthcare needs are falling short and where they are being met. It also illustrates the various overlaps in tasks and responsibilities among primary care providers. Such information is essential in assessing and planning for the current and future nursing workforce ( Grossman & Valiga, 2016) . It will also assist the nursing workforce to be more effective while guiding and suggesting necessary changes to nursing education and practice. The IOM ‘Future of Nursing’ report provided eight recommendations as a blueprint to achieve the goals mentioned in the four key messages.
Also, the report proposed that leadership be accepted as a core competency in the nursing profession by implementing it in the nursing curriculum. Ultimately, nurses will be able to identify inefficiencies and problems, propose strategies for improvement, evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed strategies, and redesign the strategies when needed. The report also acknowledged that the nursing core competencies have greatly increased over the past four decades to include change management, public health, teamwork, geriatric, and leadership among other concepts ( Grossman & Valiga, 2016) . Moreover, nurses are required to use more complex technologies, care for more complex patients, and synthesize information from different sources. Hence, the report pointed out a need for a better-structured education that will offer simple and direct progression to higher degrees. The report also highlighted how the healthcare systems will assist nurses in their transition from nursing schools to nursing practice.
The Role of State-Based Coalitions
The role of the ‘Campaign for Action’ is to implement the eight recommendations of the IOM report at the state, local, and regional levels ( Young et al., 2015) . It assists in building a healthier country, state by state. The California Action Coalitions acts as a significant driving force that aims to transform the healthcare through better nursing care. California has many initiates under the campaign but the paper will only discuss two initiatives.
Initiative One
One of the nurses is aiming to improve the lives of young adults and teenagers experiencing mood disorders. Melissa Pinto's research focuses on mood disorders in young adults and adolescents. She specializes in the area of young adult and adolescent behavioral health, adolescent health risk behaviors, psychosocial barriers in adolescent mental health treatment, and self-management. She aims to contribute to improving the mental health of underserved populations and adolescents through leadership, science, and education (Campaign for Action, 2018). Mental health is not only underfunded in practice but also in research. By addressing the emerging needs of mental health, Pinto seeks to lead new initiatives and influence change at the population level. The research will improve the lives of many young adults and adolescents at risk from mental health problems.
Initiative Two
Gloria McNeal is bringing health to neighborhoods that are in need. Due to her experience as a child, McNeal was motivated to become a nurse to help neighborhoods in need. She initially used vans to coax people to receive help. Eventually, she found an affordable way of assisting neighborhoods in need by approaching community institutions to find partners. She reached out to the Salvation Army, local churches, and community centers to arrange nurse-managed clinics at the identified locations on different days. Nurses could either show up physically at the clinics or interact remotely with patients through telehealth channels (Campaign for Action, 2018). McNeal hopes that her model will assist patients to have healthier lives. she believes that her initiative will demonstrate that cost savings can be achieved through telehealth, community organizations, and diverse healthcare teams.
Conclusion
The paper discusses the role of IOM and RWJF in the report, the importance of the IOM report, and the role of state-based action coalitions in achieving the objective of the report. As the American population changes and increases, there is a need for a larger and better-prepared nursing workforce and healthcare professionals. The IOM report is an essential initiative that will address the broader demands of the US healthcare system by utilizing all the experiences, skills, knowledge, and talents of nurses. Ultimately, they will improve the US healthcare system.
References
Campaign for Action. (2018). California Action Coalition. https://campaignforaction.org/state/california/
Grossman, S., & Valiga, T. M. (2016). The new leadership challenge: Creating the future of nursing . FA Davis.
Institute of Medicine (US). Committee on the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Initiative on the Future of Nursing. (2011). The future of nursing: Leading change, advancing health . Washington, DC: National Academies Press.
Young, J., Landstrom, G., Rosenberger, S., Guidroz, A. M., & Albu, A. (2015). Leading Nursing Into the Future: Development of a Strategic Nursing Platform on a System Level. Nursing administration quarterly , 39 (3), 239-246.
