The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health

Introduction

Nursing practice as an extremely complex professional endeavor requires much information to consider in order to provide quality care and ensure professionalism. The modern variety of scholarly literature on the matter makes it rather challenging to outline some of the most valuable information points for future professionals. However, nowadays, there exists a number of scholarly reports outlining some of the most important messages found in terms of academic research. A prime example of such a report is the Institute of Medicine’s (IOM, 2011) publication on the future implications of nursing. The following paper is aimed at analyzing some of the most significant aspects of the report.

Messages Summary

One of the distinct accomplishments of the report is the description of the four key messages outlined in order to successfully transform the modern patterns of nursing in terms of healthcare, education, and leadership. Thus, according to IOM (2011), the messages are as follows:

• Nurses should practice to a maximum extent in terms of education and professional training;
• Nurses should obtain the desired level of education quality through the enhanced training systems developed according to the nursing sphere requirements;
• Nurses should participate in the healthcare redesigning process on the same level with practitioners and other health professionals;
• Efficient workforce planning and policy implementation shall require proper data collection and systematization.

All the aforementioned messages are significant to the nursing practice due to their intentions in terms of revolutionizing the overall patterns of healthcare. Indeed, when obtaining better access to evidence-based data and education resources, nurses would be able to become professionals and change the quality level when providing care. Moreover, as one of the messages presupposes the nurses’ participation in the process of healthcare modernization, nurses have the chance to change their perception in the healthcare community and bring it to the next level.

Influence of the Report

As far as nursing is considered, it is crucial to understand that over the years, the scope of nursing responsibility and professional intervention has become rather vague due to constant modifications and lack of proper agenda. Thus, with the publications of such reports as the IOM’s 2011 publication, nurses acquire a better understanding of their role and opportunities in the workplace. When speaking of this report, it becomes evident that the authors made sure to outline education and nurses’ active participation in the healthcare formation as the pillars of potential success (IOM, 2011).

When reflecting on previously discussed messages, it may be outlined that the authors of the report are interested in providing nurses with more responsibility and competence in the future. For example, when speaking of BSN nurses, they are entitled to obtain more authority in terms of patient care and nursing education in general, which eventually provides them with the opportunity to introduce changes to the overall perception of nursing in the future.

Importance of Nurses’ Involvement in Education and Practice

It has been well-established over the years that nursing plays one of the most important roles in terms of communication with patients and ensuring quality interventions. Hence, as far as aging and extremely diverse populations are concerned, it is necessary to realize that these groups require specific attention in the context of healthcare. According to the IOM (2011) report, one of the most desired outcomes in terms of healthcare transformation is the creation of affordable care for all patients, especially when it comes to the elderly population. Thus, one of the ways to make it happen is to make sure that medical intervention is performed in a timely manner and ensures rapid recovery and shorter patient stay. Since nurses are the ones who are professionally educated to interact with patients of diverse backgrounds and social groups, the evolution of their role and education would increase the level of care efficiency and quality.

The Significance of Professional Development

The notion of continuous learning has always been relevant to the concept of healthcare. Hence, according to the report, the idea of professional development and lifelong learning is beneficial for the diverse population care because of the opportunity to make the process of care more affordable and efficient (IOM, 2011). The process of continuous education is especially relevant in terms of potential cooperation with health professionals and physicians. The nurses’ ability to communicate with the diverse population, when combined with evidence-based knowledge and proper training, results in significant improvements in healthcare outcomes.

Nurses’ Efficient Assistance

Since the report is focused on the model of future healthcare, it is necessary to dwell on the role of nurses in the outlined scenario. According to the report, the emphasis in terms of future healthcare should be placed on prevention rather than acute treatment (IOM, 2011). Thus, nursing assistance plays one of the most outstanding roles, as such responsibilities as care management, patient education, and public health intervention are aimed at reducing healthcare risks instead of dealing with acute care (IOM, 2011). Proper training and education of nurses on the matter of preventive healthcare model would help them assist patients in the early stages of intervention in order to prevent dramatic outcomes.

Conclusion

The notion of nursing remains one of the most complex aspects of quality healthcare assurance. Thus, in an attempt to systematize the nurses’ role in the setting, the report of the Institute of Medicine was discussed. The content analysis has demonstrated that some of the key contributions to efficient nursing, such as training, education, and collaboration, would change the overall perception of quality healthcare in the future.

Reference

Institute of Medicine [IOM]. (2011). The future of nursing: Leading change, advancing health. Washington, D.C.: National Academies Press.