Progress on The Future of Nursing

I originally published this article on The Barton Blog.

It was mid-October 2010, and I was in my final year of nursing school. I distinctly remember arriving to class and my professor looked like she was about to burst with excitement. “Did you all see the Institution of Medicine’s report?” she said, grinning widely.

I thought, “No, I was studying last night for this huge critical care exam I’m about to take.” A few students murmured to each other while my professor passed out copies of the report brief. As I skimmed through the pages, I began to understand the gravity of what I was holding. This paper was the beginning of something huge for my profession.

In 2008, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) launched a two-year project to assess the largest healthcare profession: nursing. Their investigation led to the 2010 publication of a landmark report titled “The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health.” Within this paper, the IOM and RWJF created an action-oriented blueprint for the future of my profession, including three powerful messages:

1. Nurses should practice to the full extent of their education.
2. Nurses should achieve higher levels of education through an improved education system that promotes seamless academic progression.
3. Nurses should be full partners with physicians in redesigning healthcare in the United States.

Shortly after this publication, the RWJF teamed up with the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) to create the Campaign for Action. This initiative aimed to mobilize state coalitions to implement the IOM’s recommendations. Their success has been remarkable: Today the Campaign includes 51 state Action Coalitions composed of diverse groups of healthcare providers, consumer advocates, policy makers, and business, academic, and philanthropic leaders.
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Just recently, in December 2015, the IOM and RWJF reconvened to evaluate the progress made since the original publication of “The Future of Nursing.” They held a public webinar, and they published a second report titled “Assessing Progress on the IOM Report The Future of Nursing.” This paper highlights the original key messages, evaluates the progress of the Campaign for Action, and provides recommendations for continued success.

Continue reading the rest of my article on The Barton Blog and check out their open nurse practitioner jobs too.