The Institute of Medicine explains in a report that the responsibilities and education of nurses should undergo a considerable change if the impending demands for care resulting from health care reform are to be met. The Institute of Medicine describes America’s healthcare as “an increasingly complex health system”.

Report authors wrote that nurses need to be completely engaged with other health care experts, they should also take on pioneering roles in redesigning care in America. This will require specialized training, for which residency programs should be created. The number of nurses attaining a Bachelor’s degree should reach 80% of all nursing staff within the next ten years. The report believes that the number of nurses who embark on a doctorate should double by 2020.

In order to make the best of nurses’ knowledge, skills and training, certain institutional and regulatory obstacles should be done away with.

Donna E. Shalala, president, University of Miami, Miami, and chair of the Committee (of authors who wrote the report), said:

The report’s recommendations provide a strong foundation for the development of a nursing work force whose members are well-educated and prepared to practice to the fullest extent of their training, meet the current and future needs of patients, and act as full partners in leading advances in the nation’s health care system.

Committee vice chair Linda Burnes Bolten, vice president for nursing, chief nursing officer, and director of nursing research, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, added:

Transforming the nursing profession is a crucial element to achieving the nation’s vision of an effective, affordable health care system that is accessible and responsive to all.

There are over 3 million nurses in the USA, the largest single section of health care personnel. Nursing, as a profession, represents employees who spend the most time delivering patient care. This patient exposure gives them unparalleled insight as well as unique abilities to contribute as partners with other professionals in improving the quality and safety of care as foreseen in the Affordable Care Act, the committee wrote.

Barriers and obstacles that hold nursing back, especially for APRNs (advanced practice registered nurses) should be removed by health care organizations, federal agencies and states.

APRNs’ capabilities will need to be sourced when millions of extra patients have access to health coverage through new legislation introduced this year, and demand for primary care rises.

APRNs are known to deliver high-quality and safe primary care, according to data from various organizations, such as the Veterans Health Administration, Geisinger Health System, and Kaiser Permanente.

“The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health”
The Institute of Medicine
The National Academies Press

Written by Christian Nordqvist