The Future Of Nursing Report

Background

The 2010 Institute of Medicine (IOM) Report- The Future of Nursing described the role that nurses have in the current and future US health care environment (IOM, 2011). This report was completed at a time when the Affordable Care Act had been passed and a new emphasis was being put on interdisciplinary healthcare teams, care coordination, value-based payment systems, and preventative care (IOM, 2011). Nursing is the largest profession in health care and with an aging baby boomer populace, the expanded role of nurses will be critical in meeting the growing healthcare burdens (Sisko et al., 2014).

The Future of Nursing report provided recommendations for nursing education, expanded roles, increasing nursing in leadership positions,

The primary barrier to nurses being able to practice at their full potential is the states varied legislation (Fairman, Rowe, Hassmiller, & Shalala, 2011). The IOM (2011) report suggests that state scope of practice regulations should model the National Council of State Boards of Nursing Model Nursing Practice act and Administrative rules to provide legal authority to practice to the accomplished level of training. The IOM (2011) report also requested a review of states laws to identify potentially anticompetitive effects that do not protect the health and safety of the public. The new recommendations are to build a common ground with interdisciplinary groups and to include a diverse coalition for the Future of Nursing: Campaign for action (IOM,

The recommendations called for increased opportunities for nurses to be leaders, manager, and executives in the various settings that they are employed. In addition, there was a push for more interdisciplinary collaboration during training as well as in the various levels of professional interactions (IOM, 2011). In practice these recommendations suggest more diverse performance measures, pooling of interdisciplinary funds, organizations supporting nurses in leadership, and encouraging nurses to work with information technology and medical device developers and manufacturers on new products.

The recently developed Doctorate of Nursing Practice program encourages the development of practice competencies including translating and disseminating research into practice, active involvement in health policy issues related to practice, and incorporating healthy promotion and disease prevention (Moran, Burson, & Conrad, 2014). These important leadership functions will prepare nurses for the new roles encouraged by the IOM. By facilitating these changes the report anticipates improvements across the healthcare system from a less acknowledged but important