The Institute of Medicine came up with various recommendations that have greatly impacted how nursing practitioners acquire education in the United States. This impact was especially based on their realization that a dire need existed for highly trained nurses who could deal with the diverse health needs of Americans who were faced with dramatically changing illnesses. It was, for instance, realized that the training nurses were obtaining in the 20th century was getting outdated and irrelevant. This realization was because, in the 21st century, patients’ needs and environments had become even more complex than they were earlier on. To achieve this, new measures to train nurses had to be sought, and as such the IOM report impacted greatly on nursing education.
One impact of the IOM report was its recommendation of an improved education system, which finally got to be implemented in some states across the United States (Dunphy & Winland, 2011). The nursing curricula were reexamined and updated to accommodate the patients’ irregularly alternating needs easily. The trainees also had to understand the role of science and technology in its use and application in the health provision exercise.
Another role the report played was its recommendation on the requirements for one to join the nursing profession in terms of academic qualifications, with nursing having three major possible educational pathways that are to say a degree, diploma, or associate degree in nursing, all of which finally can land one-self a career in nursing (Dunphy & Winland, 2011). However, with all these pathways, a deficiency in nursing providers was still noted, which led to the recommendation of enrollment and subsequent increase of baccalaureate degrees in nursing.
Additionally, the IOM recommended that public and private schools offering nursing courses seek to improve themselves so that the graduates they release from their institutions can perform their duties as practitioners, leaders, teachers, and researchers in the nursing field. Also, nurses’ learning process was recommended to be lifelong, not short-term and limited, as was the case in the 20th century.
Impact of the IOM Report on Nursing Practice
The IOM report has greatly impacted nursing as a profession, especially for primary care providers. High turnover rates have greatly negatively impacted the stability of primary care providers in the United States. As such, the IOM suggested that focus should be placed on handling the school-to-practice transition. There is also a need for the graduates to acquire practical skills outside the classrooms for better health provision, and the IOM report recommends nurse residency programs offer extra experience for graduates who have just left college or those who have shifted areas of operations. These residencies assist the graduates in learning skills for offering safe and high-quality services to patients.
Secondly, the report has been of value to the future of nursing in that it has been instrumental in changing the healthcare system. For instance, previously, nurses were regarded only as assistants, extenders, or substitutes to physicians, which therefore caused an under-utilization of the nurses’ skills and knowledge.
The inconsistency of state regulations on the scope of nurses’ roles and extent of work has also been narrowed, and there is some uniformity across the United States on what is within the scope of the nurses’ duties, thanks to the IOM report. Initially, state laws were restrictive to the nurses’ ability to provide some particular services, arguing from the legal point of view. Whereas some states noticed the quick changes affecting the roles of nurses and kept themselves updated, some states remained in the old days. This prompted many nursing organizations to reach a consensus on what standardization model could be used throughout the federal state, ensuring every nurse understood their roles (Dunphy & Winland, 2011). This also reduced the duplication of roles between physicians and nurses.
The Role of the IOM Report on the Nurse’s Role as a Leader
The IOM report recommended various steps that could be instrumental in improving the role of a nurse as a leader in their places of work as nurses. The report suggests that nurses should be prepared and enabled to proactively lead change in their workplaces. These changes could be achieved by aiming to achieve specific goals.
One of the goals was to educate the nurses to ensure they unceasingly grow professionally and personally by learning and proactively looking for all possible opportunities to advance their leadership skills. Secondly, nurses’ unions, organizations, and associations were encouraged to offer leadership growth, mentorships, and chances for every member to lead the associations occasionally. Lastly, a recommendation is made for all healthcare decision-makers to encourage often, facilitate, and involve nurses’ representation every time a decision needs to be made (Dunphy & Winland, 2011).
Conclusion
The role of the Institute of Medicine in the nursing profession right from educating the nurses, to their role as health care providers, and as leaders in their field of work is immeasurable. Therefore, it is safe to say that its recommendations are probably why the nursing profession is one of the most respected professions in the United States (Dunphy & Winland, 2011). This is because their recommendations, having been implemented have not only caused satisfaction to the nurses but also have improved healthcare provision to the ever-changing, diverse, and complex health conditions of a diverse population in the country.
References
Dunphy L. M., Winland-Brown J. E (2011): Primary care: The art and science of advanced practice nursing. F.A. Davis.ISBN9780803626478
