«Professional Development of Nursing Professionals» - Free Essay Paper

The practice of the nurses consists of a number of tasks ranging from the disease prevention to the coordination of care. However, the nurses may reach the high efficiency of the care only when the continuum of their practice matches the needs of the U.S. nation that include cultural, race, and gender peculiarities. Thus, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) in the report entitled “The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health” concentrated on the study of problematic aspects that the nurses may face. This paper outlines the influence of the analyzed report on the transformation of leadership, practice, and education, and studies the recommendations provided by the IOM’s commission to improve the nursing.

Transforming Practice

According to the study of IOM, the nurse has a great opportunity to implement innovative strategies with the aim to enhance the system of health care. However, the number of regulatory, historical, and political obstacles reduces their ability to product extended transformations. Other obstacles include the high rate of turnover among nurses, fragmentation of the healthcare system, and the problem of transition from school to practice (Peggy, 2010). The impact of the report is based on the support of the position that the advanced practice nurses need to get an opportunity to fully extend their training and education. Thus, the IOM committee supports the development of the Medicare initiative with the purpose of including the compensation of the service provided by the nurse, which is a constituent part of their practice (The Future of Nursing, 2010). A significant factor of improvement is also the limitation of funding for the education of nurses thanks to the projects that were passed by the Model Nursing Administrative Rules and National Council of State Boards of Nursing Model Nursing Practice Act. They increased the rates of the Medicaid reimbursement for the physicians of the primary care. The significant aspect requires a third man payer to reimburse directly to the nurses who work under the state law practice. The commission also focuses on making the insurers participate in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program with the aim to provide compensation for the services of nurses who are included in their coverage under the appropriate state law (The Future of Nursing, 2010).

Transforming Education

An improved educational system is necessary for ensuring the quality, safe, and patient-oriented care across all spheres especially such as public care and primary care. The commission emphasized the shortage of nurses working as primary care providers. The report proves that the solution to the problem is an increase in the number of workforce with the baccalaureate degree (Garner, 2013). The impact of the IOM report is reflected in the recommendations to raise the percentage of nurses with the baccalaureate degree by 80 percent. The goal should be achieved until 2020 (Garner, 2013). An increase in the number of workers with the doctoral degree in schools of nursing with the help of public funders, university trustees, and academic administrations by 2020 is another important mission (Peggy, 2010). Thus, the health care organizations, public and private funders as well as nursing associations have to expand the educational capabilities for nurses. The main aim here is to manage the collaboration process with other participants of the health care program and professional physicians that will significantly improve the health system (Garner, 2013). It is important to provide the nurses with an opportunity to spread the successful practice. Directing the work of the appropriate institution towards the support of the lifelong learning opportunities with the aim of improving the competence of every employee is important as well (Garner, 2013).

Transforming Leadership

Strong leadership skills developed in nurses are crucial factor in the reorganization of the health care system. A leader should act as a partner who is working with the physicians and other health care professionals and contributes effectively to the high-quality care (Garner, 2011). The committee associates the leadership with better patient outcomes, greater satisfaction of the staff, and reduction of medical errors. Previously, the nurses carried out the tasks delegated by the physicians (Adeniran, 2013). The commission recommends changing this system and starting an effective collaboration that will provide the nurses with an opportunity to be strategic thinkers and act independently. Being a full partner requires leadership skills and high competency (Garner, 2011). In addition to the implementation of the training for the leadership improvement, the IOM appeals to adopt the mentorship programs to accomplish the transformation. Thus, the health care institutions should support leadership positions across all levels. A responsible specialist of the governmental health care committee has to control whether leadership positions are accessible and occupied by the nurses (Adeniran, 2013).

The examination of the Institute of Medicine report called “The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health” shows that the key messages of the document are the improvement of nurses’ training, enhancement of the level of their education, and support of the partnership between nurses and physicians as leaders. The report has a great impact on all three aspects because of the implementation of effective recommendations that help to raise the quality of the health care. Furthermore, it contributes to the transformation of previously applied strategies involving responsible organizations and government.