Professional Development of Nursing Professionals
The institute of medicine (IOM) in “The future of nursing: a leading change, advancing health” report of 2010 called for the need to reform the profession of nursing (Shalala. & Bolton, 2020). The report acknowledged the distinguished roles the nurses play in the delivery of healthcare services. Besides, the IOM report has a vision to expand the duties of nurses in the future and the need for transforming various aspects of nursing education, practice, and leadership to accommodate nurses’ duties. In the report, it is acknowledged that nurses occupy a central position in healthcare delivery, thus making their responsibilities indispensable to the health care system. The IOM outlined four key recommendations to guide the transformation and expansion as summarized in the following section.
- Summary of the Four Messages Outlined in the IOM Report
According to the IOM report of 2010, nurses play a central role as team members and leaders in the health care team. Therefore, to expand their roles, nurses need to practice to the full scope of their professional training and education. Moreover, nurses need to continued higher education (Shalala. & Bolton, 2020). The IOM also recommends that nurses should partner with other healthcare professionals within the health team. Lastly, the IOM recommends that nurses require effective workforce planning and policymaking to help transform the health care delivery system. The IOM submission is essential to nursing practice because it acknowledges nurses as the foundation of any health care delivery system. Thus, nurses must be well prepared to deliver patient-centered, safe, and high-quality nursing care (Shalala. & Bolton, 2020). Nurses should further communicate appropriately and collaborate with physicians and other health care practitioners to deliver efficient, equitable, and effective patient care. Similarly, nurses should assume leadership roles and implement policies to reform health care to promote quality care.
- The Direct Influence the IOM Report Has on Nursing Education and Nursing Leadership.
The IOM report directly influences nursing education and leadership. The evolving health care system likewise needs a transformation in education and leadership training. Because the nurse's roles are expanding, there is the need to have a proportionate enhancement in education and training to ensure the safety of care delivered (Salmond & Echevarria, 2017). Besides, various opportunities for BSN-prepared nurses exist. For instance, there are three distinct pathways to become a Registered Nurse (Shalala. & Bolton, 2020). These pathways of becoming a registered nurse include acquiring an Associate Degree in Nursing, a diploma in nursing, or Baccalaureate Degree in Nursing. Irrespective of the educational route one takes, the nurse must finally pass the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN), administered by the National Council of States Board of Nursing. Only after passing pass, the exam is when one can be granted the license to practice by the individual state board (Shalala. & Bolton, 2020). However, graduates from any of the three programs are given the responsibility to care for patients and ensure their well-being after being licensed to practice. The current complex climate of the healthcare system requires more and more advanced skills to help in managing complex situations that are not included in the typical ADN or diploma training programs. (Nightingale.edu, 2018).
- Why a Nurse's Role and Education Should Evolve to Meet the Needs of an Aging Patient
Due to the expanded roles of nurses as envisioned by the IOM report, acquiring a BSN is certainly a necessity. BSN prepared nurses are equipped with superior critical thinking and research abilities that will improve evidence-based practice and efficient collaboration with the interdisciplinary health care team, which is imperative for the expanded roles of nurses as anticipated by IOM (Green, 218). Moreover, IOM acknowledges that BSN, compared to other educational pathways, introduces “the nurse” to a wider range of competencies in health policy, finance, leadership, and quality improvement.
Moreover, with the surge in diverse populations and the percentage of older people, it is critical for nurses' roles and nursing education to evolve to meet the needs of these age groups that continue to rise (White, Burns, & Conlon, 2018). In the contemporary world, individuals live longer than ever before, and the baby boomers are aging very (Salmond & Echevarria, 2017). Statistics also indicate that the number of older adults is expected to grow exponentially over the coming decades (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), 2019). This increase in the number of older adults increases the demand for nursing care because this population faces multiple health care needs as they age.
Subsequently, with the aging and diverse population, it is anticipated that there will be an increase in the cases of chronic conditions and illnesses (White, Burns, & Conlon, 2018). Even though in today’s world, individuals are living longer, it does not necessarily imply they are living healthily. The aging population experiences a significant deterioration of physical and mental capacities. As a result, more nurses need to obtain additional education to prepare them to render high-quality nursing care to make older adults to live independently and self-manage multiple chronic illnesses as long as possible.
Nursing Professional Development and Why It's Important
- The Significance of Professional Development, or Lifelong Learning
The development of the nursing profession should not be restricted to education; but rather, it should also incorporate professional practice and be continuous. The IOM report of 2010 stresses that the nursing profession is quickly evolving in complexities and the technologies involved (Green, 218). Therefore, developing an expectation and culture of lifelong learning for nurses is recommended (Hanson, 2018). Additionally, with the nursing profession's current dynamics, nurses are required to always update their knowledge through learning new skills and pursue a broad range of interests through intellectual development and expansion. In this case, a first degree may not provide the nurse with enough expertise and knowledge required for their whole nursing career. So, lifelong learning is not an option, but a necessity required all nurses to remain relevant and continue providing safe and effective nursing care (Hanson, 2018).
- How Nurses Can Assist in Effectively Managing Patient Care within an Evolving Health Care System
Nurses can effectively help manage patient care within an evolving healthcare system because they occupy a frontline position in the care of patients, making their roles indispensable with an evolving health care system. As the delivery of care continues to change rapidly with increased patients’ expectations and radical technological advancements, nurses should brace up to the advancements' pace (Salmond & Echevarria, 2017). Nurses are tasked with the most important duties of patient care. Therefore, nurses are expected to help in the effective management of the patient. Achieving his role requires nurses to pursue higher education and adequately collaborate with the interdisciplinary team of the health care team. It is vital to note that failed nursing care represents a failed health care system and that shorter hospital stays reflect the ability of nurses to affect efficiency and quality patient care.
In conclusion, nurses play a vital role as far as the productiveness of any health care delivery system is concerned. As a result, the higher academic pursuit by nurses to increase their proficiency in critical nursing judgment and evidence-based practice. Besides, nurses must always practice to the full scope of their educational achievements and keep pace with the changing health care system. The nurse also needs to partner with other health care practitioners, effectively plan, and implement policies that aim at fostering high quality and efficient nursing care for patients
References
Grady, P. A., & Gough, L. L. (2015). Nursing science: Claiming the future. Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 47(6), 512-521. Retrieved from https://sigmapubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jnu.12170
Green, S. Z. (218). Advancing Professional Standards. Grand Canyon University.
Hanson, D. (2018). The value of lifelong learning throughout a healthcare career. Retrieved from
Nightingale.edu (2018). ADN vs BSN in patient care and safety situation: Do Nurses’ education improves Patients’ outcome? Retrieved from https://nightingale.edu/blog/adn-vs-bsn-patient-outcomes/
Salmond, S. W., & Echevarria, M. (2017). Healthcare transformation and changing roles for nursing. Orthopedic nursing, 36(1), 12. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5266427/
Shalala, D. E. & Bolton, L. B. (2020).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. National Academies Press.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), (2019). Occupational outlook handbook: Registered
White, M. S., Burns, C., & Conlon, H. A. (2018). The impact of an aging population in the workplace. Workplace health & safety, 66(10), 493-498. Retrieved from https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2165079917752191
