Implementation of the IOM Future of Nursing

Implementation of the IOM Future of Nursing Report
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Introduction
The future of nursing examines and evaluates how the roles, responsibilities and the education of nurses should be modified and improved so that it can effectively meet the high demand of care that is generated by the reforms in the health care sector. Additionally, it is also aimed at advancing refinement and enhancement of America’s complex health system. At about three million in number, nurses form the largest component of the healthcare workforce. Additionally, nurses spend most of their time providing care to patients and they, therefore, play an essential role in collaborating with other professionals in the health care sector in enhancing the safety and quality of care in the health sector. To ensure that nurses are well prepared for their careers, they should be provided with quality education to intensify and strengthen their training and skills. This paper examines and discusses the report on the future of nursing, its importance and will also evaluate the actions taken by the state of Illinois in advancing the nursing profession.
The United States has the chance of transforming and modifying its health care system to enhance its effectiveness and provide flawless, cost-effective and quality health services that are available to all individuals. To ensure that these objectives are attained, there is a need to remodel different aspects of the existing health care system. Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Committee Initiative on the Future of Nursing and the Institute of Medicine provided a report which was aimed at improving and streamlining the health care system. This report visualizes and pictures a health system that is easily accessible, affordable, provide quality care and that promotes wellness (Institute of Medicine, 2011). Additionally, the report emphasizes on inter-professional collaboration and a patient-centered health care system.
The report has examined and explained several issues that are important about the role of nurses in health care systems. First, the report emphasizes that nurses should be supported to practice fully education as well as their training. Nurses have a significant potential for leading innovative approaches for improving the health care systems. However, there exist many policies and regulatory obstacles that limit the potential and capabilities of the nurses to promote transformations in the health sector (Institute of Medicine, 2011). Other challenges that are encountered by the nurses include complications transitioning from college to practice, high turnover rates and health care fragmentation issues.
Most of these challenges are as a result of structural limitations in the health care system. The report also explains that the policies for scope-of-practice of nurses also vary significantly between states. Some states have welcomed the changes in the health sector, and they allow the nurses to attend to patients and also prescribe drugs without the supervision of a physician while other restrict the activities of their nurses (Institute of Medicine, 2011). To overcome these issues, the report recommends that the scope-of-practice challenges should be removed and this is possible ...