The inception of IOM report “Future of Nursing” by RWJF initiative committee
The United States health care system is a disjointed sector, raising substantial barriers to the provision of quality care at an affordable price. This comes from a disconnect between public and private services, between providers and patients, between what patients need and how the health-service providers are trained, between the health needs of the nation and the services that are offered, and between those with insurance and those without. In 2010, Congress passed and the President signed into law comprehensive health care legislation. With the enactment of these laws, collectively referred to in this report as the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the need to improve the health care system is becoming increasingly evident as challenges related to both the quality and costs of care persist. The report by this committee of Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) outlines how the nursing profession can be transformed to exploit these opportunities and contribute to building a health care system that will meet the demand for safe, quality, patient-centered, accessible, and affordable care.
Consequently, RWJF identified key messages and recommendations that would bring radical improvement to the healthcare;
• Nurses should practice to the full extent of their education and training.
• Nurses should achieve higher levels of education and training through an improved education system that promotes seamless academic progression.
• Nurses should be full partners, with physicians and other health care professionals, in redesigning health care in the United States.
• Effective workforce planning and policy making require better data collection and an improved information infrastructure.
The Committee on The RWJF Initiative on the Future of Nursing, at the Institute of Medicine (IOM) in 2010 developed a vision for a transformed health care system, with recognition of the demands and limitations of the current health care system. The committee gives a framework of how the American population to promote wellness, disease-prevention and provide compassionate healthcare for their entire lifespan. The report also identifies the challenges faced by the medical practitioners and the recommendations to be made (IOM report, The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health, 2010).
Importance of IOM “future of nursing” report on nursing workforce
The report recommended the creation and expansion of opportunities for nurses to lead and diffuse collabora¬tive improvement efforts for a patient-based service provision. It advised the introduction and improvement of nursing education programs and associations to provide entrepreneurial pro¬fessional development enabling nurses to initiate programs and businesses that contribute to improved health care. It also advocated the implementation of nurse residence policy after their com¬pletion of a pre-licensure or advanced practice degree program or after transition into new clinical practice. Moreover, the report advised The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, working in collaboration with the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission, The U.S. Secretary of Education, to increase the proportion of nurses with a bachelor’s degree to 80 percent and double the number of nurses with a doctorate by 2020.
Intent of the future of nursing campaign for action
The Future of Nursing: Campaign for Action is an initiative that addresses the increased demands for care by utilizing all the skills, talents, knowledge and experience of nurses. The sole purpose of the Campaign for Action is to guide implementation of the recommendations of the IOM landmark report whose key recommendations have been identified before.
Rationale of Campaign for Action
The strategies of the Campaign to achieve its goal according to The Future of Nursing Campaign for Action are as follows:
• Collaborate with a broad array of stakeholders.
• Activate on local, state and national levels.
• Communicate the call to action.
• Monitor results to ensure accountability.
State-based action coalition and its initiatives
California’s Regional Action Coalition (RAC) for the Initiative on the Future of Nursing (IFN). According to The Center to Champion Nursing in America report, the charge of the California RAC is:
 Engage a diverse group of stakeholders to develop a blue print for implementation of the recommendations as outlined in the IFN Report.
 Develop state-prioritized recommendations that maximize the capacity of the California nursing workforce to meet the demands of our evolving health care system that is responsive to the needs and priorities of the populations we serve.
 Promote changes throughout healthcare delivery systems that emulate the state-specific recommendations for IFN implementation.
 Provide leadership in changes to public and institutional policies at the local, state and national levels that draws on nurses’ expertise to improve the health of communities.
 Build visibility and engagement of the IFN with the community at large.
 Develop a strategic plan for securing funding and on-going support of the implementation of the California RAC recommendations.
References
The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health, Committee on the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Initiative on the Future of Nursing, at the Institute of Medicine; Institute of Medicine, 2010.
The Future of Nursing Campaign for Action. Retrieved on 21 September 2013 from http://thefutureofnursing.org/
The Center to Champion Nursing in America. Retrieved on 21 September 2013 from http://championnursing.org
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