Recent changes to the healthcare system have called for a variety of transformations, spanning across the different aspects of health care practice. In the recent past, the nursing profession has been sidelined from major decisions regarding health care, leading to a limitation to the extent to which nurses can stimulate changes in healthcare. The Affordable Care Act is the second largest overhaul of the healthcare system in the United States since Medicare and Medicaid. The increasing need to align health needs of the American citizens with the transformations brought about by the implementation of the Act has led to recognition of the numerous benefits that nurses can bring to the health care system. The IOM report was a response to the need for assessment of nursing to this effect. The IOM report recommendations have had significant impacts on nursing education, nursing practice, and nursing leadership
Impact of IOM Report on Nursing Education
One of IOM’s key messages is to allow nurses to advance their education through seamless transition from one education level to another (The National Academies, 2011). Evidence suggests that nurses who have acquired higher levels of education are more likely to delivery high quality care services. This recommendation requires that the education system is improved so as to accommodate nurses who want to further their education. This implies that organizations have to offer a supportive environment for the nurses to advance their education. In addition, the education system must adjust to accommodate the demand for advanced learning for the nurses.
Fitzpatrick (2010) suggests the education system must place more emphasis on public health education and primary care. This demand for highly learned nurses will require that academic institutions offering nursing programs expand their capacities, as more nurses will be joining the programs in a bid to meet the IOM recommendation. There is also need to increase teaching faculty to support the efficient learning in these institutions. The expansion of academic institutions to allow more nurses to join and advance their education should not deviate from academic ethics (The National Academies, 2011).
Impact of IOM Report on Nursing Practice, particularly Primary Care
The IOM report also recommended allowing nurses to practice to the full extent of their competencies and training by addressing barriers presented by scope of practice laws (The National Academies, 2011). Currently, laws related to the nursing scope of practice limits nurses ability to perform certain clinical activities such as medication prescription. As a result, the nurses fail to fully participate in the ongoing health care transformation activities. There is need, therefore, for the responsible agencies and legislators to address this issue by instituting laws that reduce this limitation. Lifting the barriers presented by laws on nursing scope of practice will have several impacts on nursing practice and in primary care, especially in the improvement of the quality of care delivered to patients.
Impact of IOM Report on Nursing Leadership Roles
IOM’s also recommended the inclusion of nurses as partners to other health care professionals such as physicians if the nurses are to fully participate in redesigning and transforming healthcare in the United States (IOM & RWJF, 2011). Nurses have always been considered assistants to physicians, rather than partners who can work together to enhance delivery of care services. This has denied nurses the opportunity to even acquire leadership skills and/or positions in their places of work. Leadership skills are crucial in delivering high quality care services to the patients.
The IOM report recommends that nurses be considered equal partners to other care providers, and this has had effects on the roles of nurses as leaders (IOM & RWJF, 2011). More opportunities and positions for leadership roles have emerged as a result. A nurse can exercise their leadership skills almost in all the positions of practice. Even bedside nurses now have an opportunity to pursue leadership roles. Partnership with physicians and other healthcare professionals gives the nurses an opportunity to garner more knowledge and skills, which consequently contribute to the skills needed to perform as leaders. The requirement to continually advance education also contributes to acquisition of necessary skills and knowledge needed to become effective leaders.
Conclusion
It is evident from the analysis of the IOM report that the recommendations have had, and are still impacting different aspects of the health care system, including education, practice, and the roles of nurses as leaders. Nurses have an opportunity to advance their education, which calls for changes to the education system to accommodate the new demand for education programs in nursing. Changes in laws that govern the nursing scope of practice enable the nurses to work without limitations. As a result, primary care and other care settings that are largely served by nurses will experience improved patient outcomes due to enhanced access to quality health care services. Nurses also have broader range of leadership roles in which they can engage with the aim of transforming healthcare in conjunction with other healthcare professionals.
References
Fitzpatrick, J. J. (2010). The future of nursing: Leading change, advancing health. Nursing
Education Perspectives, 31(6), 347-348.
on the Future of Nursing. (2011). The future of nursing: Leading change, advancing health. Washington, DC: National Academies Press.
The National Academies Press. (2011). Key messages of the report. Retrieved from
https://www.nap.edu/read/12956/chapter/5
