Implementation of IOM Report to Nursing

Introduction

The American healthcare system is experiencing a myriad of challenges ranging from increased demand for services and decreased supply of health care practitioner. These challenges informed the Institute of Medicine and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to come up with the IOM report. The report is founded on the beliefs that the challenges experienced in the healthcare sector cannot be solved without solving the challenges experienced in the nursing profession. This is because the nursing profession forms a significant part of the healthcare system with nursing making up the bulk of the healthcare workforce. This paper examines the implication of the IOM report to nursing practice, education and workforce development. The paper also analyzes the role played by the Campaign for Action in facilitating the implementation of the report.

The IOM Report

The IOM future of nursing report has a significant implication on nursing practice. The report argues for the expansion of the nursing practice to enable nurses’ exercise their knowledge and training in the delivery of care. It was noted that there is a gap in the delivery of primary care to patients (Brassard, 2011). At the same, registered nurses have the right qualification and training to provide primary health service. However, their contribution toward filling the gap in primary health services is undermined by scope of practice laws and other barriers. The report recommended for the removal of scope-of-practice barrier for nurses. This recommendation could see nurses play a more central role in the provision of healthcare services to patients.

The IOM report also has a significant implication of the education of nurses. The report advocates an increase in the numbers of nurses with bachelor’s degree by the year 2020. This recommendation is anchored on the belief that nurses need to take up leadership and advanced roles in the delivery of care (Elwell, 2014). Consequently, they need the right education and training in order to take up additional roles and practice to the full level of their abilities. The committee also noted that the healthcare setting is rapidly changing. Consumers are demanding better services while existing trends call for specialized skills among healthcare providers. Increasing the level of education among nurses will prepare them for these changes. The report seeks to facilitate the seamless transition of nurses through the various education levels.

The IOM report also urges the development of better workforce planning and policy that facilitate the development of nurses. It calls for the creation of systems that facilitate improved collection of data and analysis of data (Hinkle, 2012). Improvement in the workforce planning system will enable healthcare organizations to develop effective and comprehensive employees’ development models. These models will play a central part in transforming the nursing practice and education. The report recommends that healthcare organizations should increase investment in information system and technology and create a culture of using data to drive key human resource decisions. It also calls for the engagement of members in the planning and implementation of organizational strategies.

Campaign for Action

Campaign for Action (COA) for is an initiative that was established to facilitate the implementation of the recommendation made in the IOM report. This initiative seeks to bring together different stakeholders so as to facilitate the implementation of the report. COA focuses on utilizing evidence-based practices to facilitate the realization of the recommendation made in the report (Arizona Campaign for Action, 2014). COA initiative is led by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, which also played a central role in the development of the IOM report. The chief intent of the COA is to push for the implementation of activities and actions at the state level that will lead to the realization of the IOM report.

Various campaigns have been established by the Arizona COA to facilitate the implementation of the report in the state of Arizona. The first initiative entails the establishment of a scholarship fund for nurses who would like to advance their education. The Arizona COA noted that one of the factors that bar nurses from increasing the education level is the lack of finances. The scholarship is meant to assist nurses to overcome the financial barriers that are associated with pursuing advanced educational courses (Arizona Campaign for Action, 2014). The COA established partnership with the Arizona state government and other healthcare players to establish a $1 million scholarship fund for the state. The COA noted that the fund was only the beginning as it set to grow in the future.

The second initiative taken by the COA entailed revising the state curricula for nursing education. The COA together with its partners noted that the state nursing curriculum need to encompass activities and strategies that will prepare nurses to take up advance role in the provision of health care (Arizona Campaign for Action, 2014). They also noted that the curriculum needs to include strategy that will facilitate the development of leadership skills among nurses. The Arizona COA worked together with other stakeholders to create a new curriculum for nurses. The new curriculum is deemed to be more comprehensive and response to the needs of the modern healthcare setting.

The COA has also established an initiative that seeks to improve the diversity of the nursing workforce within the state. The COA noted that while ethnic and racial minority groups accounts for 30% of the nation’s population, these groups only make-up 15% of the nursing population (Arizona Campaign for Action, 2014). This pattern limits the ability of the workforce to respond to the diverse healthcare needs of the nation. The COA and its partners established a diversity steering committee to spearhead the task of making the Arizona nursing workforce more inclusive.

The Arizona COA also has an initiative that seeks to promote interprofessional collaboration among healthcare practitioners. The IOM report recommended the inclusion of nurses in the healthcare team. This recommendation implies that nurses need to be treated as equal while interacting with other healthcare professionals. The COA noted that the interprofessional collaboration is vital to the realization of success in leadership, education, and practice. The COA has identified models that facilitate collaboration among healthcare professionals such as rewarding employees who embrace collaboration.

Conclusion

The IOM report made more than a few recommendations that are set to transform the nursing profession and the entire healthcare system. However, the effectiveness of these recommendations in achieving the desired targets will largely dependent on how these recommendations are actualized. The COA was established to promote the implementation of the report at the state level. The initiative recognized that for the implementation process to be effective, they must be executed at the grass-root level. The Arizona COA has already set in motion a number of initiatives that entail revising the curriculum, establishing a scholarship fund and promoting diversity in the nursing workforce.

References

Arizona Campaign for Action (2014). Fostering interprofessional collaboration. Retrieved from http://campaignforaction.org/campaign-progress/fostering-interprofessional-collaboration

Brassard, A. (2011). Eliminating barriers to APRN care. Available from http://cion.org/sites/default/files/RemovingBarriers-HospitalPrivileges.pdf

Elwell, J. (2014). The eradication of scope-of-practice barriers for APRNs in New York. Retrieved from http://c.ymcdn.com/sites/www.thenpa.org/resource/resmgr/Headline_News/EliminationofPracticeBarrier.pdf

Hinkle, J. (2012). Integrating the IOM report into the Strategic Plan of American Association of Neuroscience Nurses. Retrieved from http://www.aann.org/uploads/IOM_Future_of_Nursing_FINAL.pdf

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