The way forward for nursing…can we cut through the bureaucracy and make it a reality?

In 2008, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) and the Institute of Medicine (IOM) launched an initiative to look at where the nursing occupation is and where it should go. Their goal was to supply recommendations for an “action-oriented” plan for the longer term of nursing. The group checked out nurses’ education levels, nurse roles and where they work. This week, RWJF and IOM released recommendations on how the nursing occupation must transform to higher meet the health needs of individuals across the country.

The 4 key messages are:

1. Nurses should practice to the complete extent of their education and training.

2. Nurses should achieve higher levels of education and training through an improved education system that promotes smooth learning progression.

3. Nurses must be full partners of physicians and other health care professionals in redesigning health care within the United States.

4. Effective employment planning and policymaking require higher data collection and data infrastructure.

As I read the summary of the report, it occurred to me that its recommendations appeared to make common sense. The evidence clearly shows that each one of these items are true. It might be interesting to see if we will get past the “politics of bureaucracy” and make these recommendations a reality. What do you think that?

Author: Anne Dabrow Woods, MSN, RN, CRNP, ANP-B