Introduction
Nurses constitute the most numerous group of healthcare professionals. Taking into consideration the difficulties encountered by these specialists caused by insufficient education and participation in decision-making processes, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) in association with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation committee initiative on the Future on Nursing prepared a report in which they analyze the current issues in the sphere of nursing and suggest improvements for the future. The paper discusses the work of the committee initiative and the importance of IOM report for the future of nursing.
The Work of Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Committee Initiative on the Future of Nursing
It is impossible to overestimate the contribution of the efforts made by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) to the sphere of healthcare in general and nursing in particular. Realizing the need to make considerable changes in the healthcare system of the US, the RWJF analyzed the possible solutions of the acutest problems and offered the most effective methods for resolving these issues. The foundation pays special attention to the future of nursing as the largest element of the healthcare workforce (Institute of Medicine, 2011). The RWJF aims at strengthening of nurses’ positions so that they could become equal partners and leaders in enhancing the delivery of care.
In order to reach its noble aims, the RWJF made a significant contribution to defining the future perspectives of nursing by analyzing the following issues:
- increasing nursing capacity through enhancing nursing schools and remodeling nursing education, which will lead to a sufficient number of competent nurses capable of meeting the industry’s demand;
- reconceptualizing the functions of nurses and their roles within the framework of technology, workforce, and social issues;
- analyzing ingenious approaches associated with professional education and care delivery;
- engaging and preserving highly-skilled nurses within various healthcare environments such as acute and long-term care, public health, and ambulatory care (Institute of Medicine, 2011).
Therefore, the RWJF has provided the IOM with a number of effective initiatives the implementation of which will have a positive impact on the future of nursing. The suggestions made by the RWJF were taken into consideration when creating the IOM report dedicated to the future of nursing.
The Importance of IOM Report Related to Nursing Practice
The IOM report is highly significant for nursing practice since it incorporates a number of issues related to this sphere. First of all, the report contains a discussion of the fundamental transformation of the nursing profession (Institute of Medicine, 2011). Thus, such crucial aspects as changing practice, education, and leadership are analyzed. Secondly, authors examine the issue of meeting the need for the improved data on the healthcare workforce (Institute of Medicine, 2011). Thirdly, the IOM gives recommendations for reconceptualizing nurses’ roles as well as the system of education for these professionals (Institute of Medicine, 2011). A thorough analysis of these and other aspects makes the report highly significant for the present and future of nursing practice.
The Role of State-Based Action Coalitions
State-based action coalitions perform a significant function in the process of improving the healthcare opportunities for citizens and enriching the professionals’ knowledge. Each state’s coalition has a common goal: to improve healthcare opportunities and increase nurses’ involvement in policymaking. The motto of Florida Action Coalition is “providing leadership in advancing the nursing profession” to grant safe, high-quality health care to Floridians (“Florida Action Coalition,” n.d.). The coalition’s vision concerns not only patients but also nursing professionals. In particular, the improvements implemented by the coalition presuppose that the healthcare system should be adjusted so that nurses become important partners in reaching success (“Florida Action Coalition,” n.d.). Thus, state-based action coalitions strive to provide the best education and work conditions for nurses and to attain the highest level of patient satisfaction.
Florida State Action Coalition works hard to reach the state’s healthcare needs through implementing the recommendations for changes issued by the Institute of Medicine. Many volunteers are engaged in the Coalition’s work to resolve issues associated with the role of nurses in the healthcare system (“Florida Action Coalition,” n.d.). Florida State Action Coalition is a part of the Campaign for Action that helps nursing professionals to guide improvements in the healthcare system (“Welcome to the Florida Action Coalition!” 2018). The Coalition has successfully introduced a number of projects on the enhancement of board service, education, advocacy, diversity, and leadership. In order to increase the collaboration opportunities, a regional team model was created. The model aims at building partnerships with a variety of stakeholders focused on the improvement of environments and policies, which is expected to influence the lives of Floridians in a positive way.
Summary of Two Initiatives Arranged by Florida State Action Coalition
One of the major initiatives introduced by Florida State Action Coalition is the Board Service Initiative (Florida Center for Nursing, 2017). This project is aimed at providing access for subject matter experts to participate in policy-making processes. The significance of this initiative is considerable since there are many issues in the healthcare industry that do not receive sufficient attention from professionals. Thus, many important aspects such as education, training, and others do not receive enough consideration from experts (Tagliareni & Malone, 2014). Such a state of affairs is explained by the fact that as little as 4% of nurses are on hospital boards (Florida Center for Nursing, 2017). Also, nurses rarely serve in other crucial policy-making positions. Thus, the purpose of the Florida State Action Coalition’s initiative endeavors to increase the number of nursing leaders in policy-making processes in order to provide more productive healthcare decisions and reach the best patient outcomes.
Another important program of the Florida State Action Coalition is the Improve Quality and Safety of Patient Care Initiative (Florida Center for Nursing, 2017). This project aims at supporting the goals of the coalition focused on the enhancement of citizens’ health and well-being. The initiative incorporates the Florida Policy Intensive for Nurses project the purpose of which is to provide education for nurse leaders. As a result of the program, nurse leaders will become able to impact policy issues related to state or their communities. So far, the participants of the initiative have created a policy action plan incorporating a number of policy issues and increased the awareness of healthcare professionals about policy issues affecting Floridians.
Conclusion
The paper suggests an overview of the contribution made by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Institute of Medicine to the development of crucial improvements in the healthcare system and nursing profession. The role of state-based action coalitions is analyzed. Important initiatives introduced by Florida State Action Coalition are discussed. As a result of this analysis, it seems relevant to conclude that the RWJF and the IOM initiated a set of significant changes that will lead to the enhancement of nurses’ education and work conditions.
References
Florida Action Coalition. (n.d.). Web.
Florida Center for Nursing. (2017). 2017 annual report. Web.
Institute of Medicine. (2011). The future of nursing: Leading change, advancing health. Washington, D.C.: The National Academies Press.
Tagliareni, E., & Malone, B. L. (2014). Nursing education policy: The unending debate over entry into practice and the new debate over doctoral degrees. In D. J. Mason, J. K. Leavitt, & M. W. Chaffee (Eds.), Policy and politics in nursing and health care (6th ed.) (pp. 383-392). St. Louis, MO: Elsevier.
Welcome to the Florida Action Coalition! (2018). Web.