While focusing on the contemporary developments in the healthcare industry and looking for the best doctors to improve physical well-being, people forget about the essential role of nurses. These professionals are important agents in healthcare since they are the ones who care for the patients, create appropriate treatment plans, and provide emotional support to them and their relatives. Therefore, in October 2010, the Institute of Medicine released The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health report in order to deliver a detailed analysis of the nursing workforce and provide recommendations for its practice. The following paper will discuss this document and explain the crucial role of nursing specialists.
The IOM report provides its readers with four main ideas that should become a framework for positive changes in the healthcare industry. The first message states that nurses have to operate to the full extent of their training and knowledge (“The Institute of Medicine’s ‘Future of Nursing” report,” n.d.). This idea is significant because many barriers prevent nurses from providing the most appropriate care; therefore, they should be diminished. The second message points out the importance of high-quality nursing education through an advanced educational system that encourages progression (“The Institute of Medicine’s ‘Future of Nursing” report,” n.d.). In addition, the document states that nurses should be full partners with physicians and other professionals to make collaborative decisions and identify problems effectively (“The Institute of Medicine’s ‘Future of Nursing” report,” n.d.). The last idea of the report is that an improved workforce requires better data collection and information infrastructure (“The Institute of Medicine’s ‘Future of Nursing” report,” n.d.). It can be stated that these four recommendations are significant because if implemented, they have improved the operations of nursing and brought positive change to the healthcare industry.
The IOM report has a direct impact on nursing education and leadership. One of the documents’ main ideas is to deliver the best education to future professionals. Thus, it promoted an understanding of the importance of advanced academic knowledge that is provided to these specialists for the effective treatment of patients. Furthermore, by discussing the nursing workforce and highlighting its critical role, the document influences developing nursing leadership. Professionals and nurses themselves realize that they have to be involved in the healthcare process to the fullest to achieve the best results. The IOM report also affects the opportunities and benefits for BSN-prepared nurses. BSN, which is Bachelor of Science in Nursing, requires students to complete a four-year educational program (“What is the difference between an RN and a BSN?” n.d.). During this time, the report can give future professionals a possibility to extend their knowledge, benefiting their practice and work effectiveness.
All the recommendations provided by the document aim at advancing nursing operations; however, a clear explanation of why it should happen has to be provided. Nurses should be able to satisfy the needs of all patients despite their age and diversity. This is because individuals of different age groups, cultures, and religions have completely different preferences and opinions about their health. Thus, to provide them with appropriate treatment nurses need to adapt to the differences and find a personal connection with each person. Nursing education and training have to evolve so that specialists understand that patients need an individual approach instead of being treated strictly according to the protocol.
Throughout their practice, nurses should also engage in lifelong learning and professional development. Since the healthcare industry continually goes through changes and advancements, nursing specialists should be informed about the innovations and learn to implement them in their practice. In case they will not be up-to-date with the processes that happen in the industry, they will not be able to develop appropriate treatment programs, satisfy diverse patients, and deliver emotional support to them. For this reason, professional development and lifelong learning are extremely significant for nurses because they allow them to work according to the most recent policies, regulations, and innovations.
In general, nurses are essential agents in managing patient care within an evolving healthcare system. For instance, Iddrisu et al. (2018) mentioned that nursing specialists working in surgical environments are highly engaged in the procedure of understanding and responding to challenges and unexpected difficulties. Professionals’ knowledge and experience allow them to always be ready to make quick decisions and organize appropriate care (Iddrisu et al. 2018). Consequently, it can be stated that without nurses it would almost be impossible to solve problems quickly without putting the life of a specific patient at risk.
To summarize, it is clear that the nursing workforce plays an important role in delivering appropriate treatment to the patients, helping doctors and physicians, and providing emotional support to sick individuals and their families. For this reason, the IOM report was developed to contribute to the advancement of nursing operations and encourage specialists to promote positive change in the industry. Therefore, the presented paper discussed the IOM Future of Nursing report, explained its key messages and their importance, and talked about the significance of nurses and their professional development.
References
Iddrisu, S. M., Hutchinson, A. F., Sungkar, Y., & Considine, J. (2018). Nurses’ role in recognising and responding to clinical deterioration in surgical patients. Journal of clinical nursing, 27(9-10), 1920-1930. Web.
The Institute of Medicine’s “Future of Nursing” report: Key messages. (n.d.). Web.
What is the difference between an RN and a BSN? (n.d.). Web.