The Future of Nursing - Term Paper Example

?Nursing The Future of Nursing Introduction This study is a discussion of the future trend and developments in the field of nursing. It particularly investigates the impacts of IOM report about advanced nursing, on the practice of nursing, education and the leadership role of nurses. From the analysis of the recent studies, the future of nursing depends on innovation, leadership or administration and on further studies of various fields. The subject of this study is however confined within the scope of education, leadership and the practice of nursing services. Transformation of Nursing Education The IOM report recommends higher levels of education achievement in order to improve the quality of education received from nurses. It compels the medical sector to promote health education and innovation. The future health requires education to enable the health service professionals to rethink and develop stronger visions characterized by actions. Education facilitates necessary change in the services and the styles of management. Because the needs of patients change, there is need to conduct research and perform duties using innovative techniques (Wiener, Frieman and Brown, 2007). Nursing enables nurses to introduce new techniques discovered out of research. Even though presently there is no limit to the minimum education a nurse should have, the future nursing will probably insist a certain minimum qualification. The minimum education aims at increasing the staff members’ competence to offer quality services in the future and to transform the system of thinking of the nurses. Improvement in nursing education will assist in the process of eradicating ignorance and the risks of unethical and unprofessional services. The solution and the risk mitigation strategy for this possibility are to develop a team of educated workforce. The report argues that effective education model and improved system of education will prepare the future nurses to be able to manage leadership responsibilities. The US government is committed to supporting education geared towards the development of teams of nurses focused on improved quality and reliable outcomes. For the future healthcare to realize the value of nursing profession, then the IOM report argues that there is no substitute to educating nurses. In fact, even the report recommends that even the already registered APRN nurses have to acquire advanced professional studies to improve their training skills. Transformation of Nursing Practice The IOM (2001) gives important report to the transformation of the future nursing as it recommends the need for nursing practice in the healthcare institutions in the US. The demand for practicing nurses is about 10 percent. This implies that the US government has taken initiative to train nurses for the future heal care services. The focus on practicing has transformed the nursing operations to a high level of competence and confidence. The need to practice however faced challenges when the registration of APRN nurses. There is an ongoing negotiation for the ban to be lifted so that Advanced Nurses may continue with their practicing. This is very essential during the discovery of the new healthcare systems focused on the well-being of patients. The competence of nurses to meet the needs of patients is supported by their scientific knowledge and their unlimited abilities to adapt to the changes in the Medicare systems (Shell, 2002). The practicing has developed a reliable number of highly skilled nurses who are able to provide advanced services that could otherwise remain to be the responsibilities of professional physicians. It is not logical to engage highly trained physicians even though they have broader and special training than the APRN nurses. The IOM (2001) recommends that because the future need for more cost effective systems of health services, there should be opportunity for practicing nurses to take roles that are more responsible in the operation of the modern healthcare system. They are not only competent in the delivery of healthcare services, but also in the processes of making strategic decision to transform the healthcare institutions. The report appreciates the contribution of APRN nurses, arguing that they do not work like professional physician substitutes. They perform a wide spectrum of functions including the promotion of healthcare, conducting advanced diagnosis and controlling diseases and disabilities among patients. As they do all these, the APRNs also incorporate other tasks such as community services, nutrition and various therapies. Transformation of Nurse’s Role as a Leader The future of nursing profession exceeds the regular practices of treatment and diagnosis. As the IOM report recommends for the transformative approach in the healthcare management, the management and administration of the healthcare institutions is the function of not only the executive administration teams. It recommends a spread of responsibilities to the nurses, and gives them the power to make decisions. With the expansion of healthcare institutions and increased responsibilities, it becomes practically impossible for the administrators to manage every role effectively. The nurses are the largest percentage of healthcare workforce and can lead better because they are in contact with the largest segment of the institutions. In fact, nurses work in the forefront of the in taking care of patient They are able to make the health institutions implement the affordable healthcare act in the USA. The IOM report exposes certain issues, which hinder nurses from responding promptly to the leadership roles and decisions to change the dynamic healthcare systems. The hindering factors have to be eradicated to enable nurses to initiate the transformation of advance healthcare practice. The leadership roles will also assist nurses to exhaust their training and education experience. The IOM requires nurses to become partners, work together with professional physicians and restructure the US health care system. They can form a reliable workforce for formulation of policies and in the making of strategic decisions. As the US realizes the need and the opportunity to change the system and services in the health care institutions, nurses are able to play vital responsibilities in the process of implementing the transformation. The key recommendation about leadership is that nurses should work with stakeholders to ensure that they provide unlimited high quality healthcare services and at the same time, participate in the decisions that change the working environment in the institutions. Indeed, nurses have strong influence on the outcome of the future healthcare services. References Institute of Medicine (2001). "Crossing the Quality Chasm: A New Health System for the 21st Century". The National Academies Press. Shell, E. (2002). "On the Cutting Edge". The Hungry Gene: The Inside Story of the Obesity Industry. Atlantic Monthly Press. Wiener, J. M., Frieman, M. P. and Brown, D. (2007). "Nursing Home Care Quality: Twenty Years After the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1987" (pdf). Kaiser Family Foundation. pp. 4-7. Read More