Nurses are responsible for providing quality care to the patients, however; if their work environment is not optimal then they will not be able to perform their duties well. This problem was also noticed by Robert Wood Foundation Committee (RWFC) and they developed a detailed report on it called “Future of Nursing” which paved way for numerous advancements that helped the Nursing profession. The report included some recommendations that would allow major improvements to be made for the nurses and these recommendations catered to different stakeholders. However; there was some challenges that have come in the way of implementing these recommendations (The Future of Nursing, 2011). This paper will analyze the report, key recommendations, and the application of these recommendations to the state of New York.
Robert Wood Foundation Committee Work and IOM Report
Nursing is a profession that requires the nurses to deliver their best all times, however; it is also a profession that is full of challenges that obstruct the performance of the nurses. It can be extremely frustrating for the nurses when they cannot perform to their full potential due to different problems arising in their work environment. These challenges not only affect the nurses but also the stakeholders of the healthcare system. One such stakeholder was Robert Wood whose job involved working with medical and health care. So in 2008, he decided to take matters into his own hands and collaborated with IOM through his foundation to take an in-depth look into the nursing profession. He examined a number of nurses against the work demand in the healthcare system. It was also observed whether the nurses had the required education or not. He analyzed the work environment to assess if it was affecting the morale of the nurses and whether they had adequate support from their superiors or not. After the report was compiled, several recommendations were given to improve different areas of the nursing profession so that the nurses may thrive.
Key Recommendations
There were several recommendations included in the report but not all can be discussed in this paper, however; these recommendations can be categorized and explained under four main recommendations.
Nursing Practice
Acquiring a license was a hindrance for many potential and existing nurses even though they have the required experience and skills, they were prevented from practicing. Some of the policies need to be changed so that these nurses are not denied the right to practice (Altman et al., 2016). The freedom to practice and support should be ensured for the nurses so that their training does not go wasted. This is a very important and vital right of the nurses as it would allow them to provide quality care to their patients. It will also help in dealing with nurses’ short-staffing.
Nursing Education
The second recommendation plays into the first recommendation as access to quality education and training is a basic right of the nurses as well as a proof of their competence. They should be trained extensively to be able to take on diverse cases and respond to emergencies. However; the reason that many nurses cannot apply for further training is nurse shortage which makes it difficult for the nurses to study further.
Nursing Leadership
Nurses should be allowed to become competent enough that they can assume leadership roles alongside the physician. This would help them in changing the future of healthcare and provide helpful insight regarding policies that may be causing hindrance in the performance of the nurses. In healthcare, nurses have always been seen as subordinate and their opinions have not been heard properly. This should change as nurses are the ones that provide care to the patients and their opinions should have equal value as any other medical professional.
Nursing Workforce
The first three key messages focus on improving the nursing profession through reforming old policies and providing better education and support. To make these changes, there is a need to have relevant data that would allow for understanding the gaps in the different areas of this profession, however; the existing workforce data is inadequate as there are many inconsistencies and lack of data in certain areas. This lack of data is the main reason behind the challenges that are coming in the way of implementing these recommendations (Busca et al., 2021).
State-Based Action Coalitions and Their Help in Advancing Goals from IOM Report
An action coalition is an act that involves stakeholders as partners so that they may try to mobilize the government and related sectors into collective action for change. The state-based coalition involves inter-state partnership and it is active in every state of the United States. The Action Coalition is helping in achieving the goals of the IOM Report so that a better nursing environment can be created. This coalition includes nearly 2,000 organizations that are working towards different goals that will make the United States to become a more advanced country. As of 2021, more than $110 million have been raised that is planned to be utilized in making the American communities healthier through the means of nursing.
State Action Coalition Initiatives Advancing Nursing Profession
New York is also one of the states that are involved in the state-based action coalition and are working towards a better nursing environment. New York has taken several initiatives in this effort; two of which are explained below.
Increased Access to Nurse Provided Care
Governor Kathy Hochul approved the state budget on 9th April 2022 containing a provision that would allow the residents of the state access to better healthcare. This meant that these residents would have access to nurse-provided care in primary healthcare. This is a big achievement as New York ranks fourth in the most populated states of America and it is also the twenty-fourth state to recognize the full practice authority of the nurse practitioners (Quinn & McCallion, 2022).
Building Healthier Communities
The nurses of New York have mobilized to increase awareness about health for this reason they became the part of New York State Fair. They educated people about healthy lifestyles and also about nursing as a profession. This was to promote nursing as a potential career to the youth that had not decided on their future yet or were already considering nursing but needed more guidance. These efforts will help in increasing the capacity of nurses and overcome short-staffing (Gold, 2016).
Barriers to Advancement and Conclusion
While there have been many advancements and improvements in the nursing profession in New York, there are still some barriers that prove to be a nuisance for the nurse practitioners. There have been many instances where the nurse practitioners have faced obstacles regarding their practice like attempts to reduce their benefits, lack of resources, and short-staffing (Sheridan Gonzalez, 2022). It is shameful that the people that provide quality care to their patients have to struggle to have access to quality of life. Wood provided America with the solutions to make the nursing profession better and this report first came out in 2008 but these problems outlined in the report still exist. It is not too much to ask for a better working environment for those who are providing quality healthcare to the people of this nation.
References
Altman, S. H., Butler, A. S., Shern, L., Committee for Assessing Progress on Implementing the Recommendations of theInstitute of Medicine Report The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, A. H., Medicine, I. of, & National Academies of Sciences, E. (2016). Removing Barriers to Practice and Care. In Assessing Progress on the Institute of Medicine Report The Future of Nursing. National Academies Press (US). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK350160/
Busca, E., Savatteri, A., Calafato, T. L., Mazzoleni, B., Barisone, M., & Dal Molin, A. (2021). Barriers and facilitators to the implementation of nurse’s role in primary care settings: An integrative review. BMC Nursing, 20(1), 171. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-021-00696-y
Gold, J. (2016, September 16). New York Nurses Go to the Fair. Campaign for Action. https://campaignforaction.org/new-york-state-action-coalition-goes-fair/
Institute of Medicine (US) Committee on the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Initiative on the Future of Nursing, at the Institute of Medicine. (2011). The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health. National Academies Press (US). http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK209880/
Quinn, W., & McCallion, A. (2022, April 15). New York Increases Access to Nurse-Provided Care. Campaign for Action. https://campaignforaction.org/new-york-increases-access-to-nurse-provided-care/
SHERIDAN-GONZALEZ, J. (2022, April). The challenges we face. New York State Nurses Association. https://www.nysna.org/challenges-we-face
