IOM report influence on nursing practice Health, Medicine Essay

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A comprehensive health care legislation in 2010 was passed by the Congress in which the President has signed into law. The Affordable Care Act or ACA is a collective term referring to laws including Health Care and Education Affordability Reconciliation Act and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. With the regulation of such laws, the U.S. health care system was transformed to better provide high-quality healthcare, more accessible and affordable as well as safer. The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health is a two-year initiative that was launched in 2008 by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) along with the Institute of Medicine in order to evaluate and change the nursing practice.
In this initiative, an established committee was entrusted to deliver a report that consists of recommendations for a blueprint of the future nursing profession. This blueprint is action-oriented which involves transformations of various institutional and public policies at local, state, and national levels. The deliberation ended up formulating four key messages that serve as a foundation for the recommendations in the report. These key messages connote a better health care system for the U.S. population through improved delivery of care by nurses (Shalala, et al., 2011).
The key messages include the practice of nursing should be maximized in accordance with what they have learned theoretically and in their training. The first key message is concerned with the opportunity for nurses to practice their profession at full extent. This is crucial since there are barriers that limit the ability of nurses. The scope of practice of nursing mostly depends on the regulations set by the state. Some state laws are up to date with the evolution of the health care system while other state laws lag behind. As a result, a registered nurse wouldn’t be able to practice his/her profession to the full extent due to the political decisions of the state (Shalala, et al., 2011).
As part of career growth, nurses should also pursue further studies and training through a better and leveled-up education system that facilitates academic advancement. The second key message depicts the importance of pursuing a higher degree for nurses. The roles and responsibilities of nurses are complex as they involve making critical decisions for patients while manipulating an ever-evolving life-saving technology. Coordination of care and collaboration with other health professionals is vital in the nursing practice. To meet this need, nurses must pursue a higher level of education (Shalala, et al., 2011).
Moreover, nurses should contribute to a multidisciplinary health care team consisting of other physicians and allied health professionals in redesigning an improved health care system in the United States. The importance of the third key message lies with the significance of nursing leadership is as partners with other health professionals. A nurse should possess strong leadership skills to be used i...