Peer 1

The Institute of Medicine (IOM) nursing reports from 2010 to 2016 are the summarized findings of the IOM committee that examined changes in the field of nursing since the publishing of “The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health” (Shalala et al., 2011). The summarized findings found in our class reading assignments outline recommendations and provide an essential path for the individuals involved to implement the changes outlined in these works. Some of the direct “take away” from the IOM nursing reports align with the nursing scope of practice. They identify that nurses should practice to the full extent of their education and training, achieve higher levels of education through an improved educational system, gain rights as full partners with physicians and other health care professionals and require effective workforce planning and policy making through better data collection and an improved information infrastructure.

Throughout my career, I will directly be addressing these main points as I work to achieve and work with full practice autonomy. I recently moved from Maryland, which is one of 28 states that allow nurse practitioners full practice authority to treat and prescribe without formal oversight (Weiland, 2015). This report calls all advanced practice nurses to practice to their full extent, meaning we should implement all necessary and appropriate interventions within our scope of practice as defined by the American Nurses Association. In Maryland, this is an expected outcome in my daily practice where I use my full power to treat patients for the optimal health outcomes. Another area I will strongly indulge in is the necessity for continuing education. As a health care professional, we take on the role of a lifetime learner as we continue to learn best practices and evidence-based practice updates that form as time goes on. Health care is an everchanging field and staying up to date on your education and health understandings can be the difference between patient outcomes. We have a professional duty to our patients to learn everything we possibly can to make the best decisions when developing a plan of care for our patients who expect nothing but competent care. Overall, these nursing reports do a phenomenal job of outlining how nurses in advanced roles can best prepare themselves to provide optimal patient care and how to protect the health of the community through policies and best practices.

References:

Shalala, D., Bolton, L. B., Bleich, M. R., Brennan, T. A., Campbell, R. E., & Devlin, L. (2011). The future of nursing: Leading change, advancing health. Washington DC: The National Academy Press. doi: 10.2956.

Weiland, S. A. (2015). Understanding nurse practitioner autonomy. Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, 27(2), 95-104.

Peer 2

Describe how you will utilize and implement the IOM Nursing Reports from 2010 and 2016 in your role as an Advanced Practice Nurse.

In 2008, The Institute of Medicine (IOM) along with The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) comprised a report that would made recommendations for an action-oriented blueprint for the future of nursing. This was in response to a need to assess and transform the nursing profession. Nurses have an important role in transforming our current health care system (IOM, 2010). The IOM nursing reports have several recommendations that will propel us into the future of nursing.  

There are eight total recommendations and it is important for all advanced practice nurses to focus on the recommendations to provide better practices. There is a lot of focus on education for nurses. IOM states that nurses should have lifelong continuing education, the number of nurses with a DNP should double by 2020, and the number of nurses with a baccalaureate degree should be increased to 80% by 2020 (IOM, 2010). I will have my master’s degree as an advanced practice nurse and depending on the setting of my practice, I will encourage other registered nurses to complete continuing education courses as well as pursue a higher degree in nursing. I, myself, plan to obtain a doctorate of nursing in 2020 if not before that time. Continuing education will help prepare nurses to lead change in advancing health and providing positive patient outcomes, another recommendation of IOM. It is my plan to participate in any continuing education course that is pertinent to my patients and specialty.

            According to the IOM (2010), implementing nurse residency programs will be extremely helpful to nursing. This not only applies to new graduate nurses but nurses going from one position to another. As a nurse practitioner, I will make myself available to participate in these residency programs. If there is a nurse advancing from a staff nurse position to nurse practitioner, I will volunteer to be a mentor or preceptor to them just as I have with nursing students. I currently work at a teaching facility and recently a nursing residency program was implemented. Many advanced practice nurses function in helping this program succeed by teaching and mentoring. Nurse residency programs improve nurses’ work experiences, increase retention of new nurses, and show financial return for organizations investing in nurses as resources. Residency evaluations show increases in leadership and communication skills and decreases in stress and turnover (Kosman, 2011).

            Collaborating with an interdisciplinary team is also a recommendation of the IOM. As a nurse practitioner it will be my duty to collaborate with others so that my patient receives adequate care. The patient should be treated holistically so if there is a service that I can not provide, it would be wise of me to collaborate with other people so that the patient gets the best care possible. Collaboration could include working with other physicians, physical therapists, occupational therapists, case managers, or social workers. 

            As a nurse practitioner, with my knowledge and experience, I should be able to practice to the full extent of my education. Working in Georgia, I will be aware of what my scope of practice allows me to do in this state. If there is something outside of my scope of practice, I will be sure to refer my patient to someone more appropriate. Along with my contributions, congress and legislative members should be diligent in allocating funds to research and appropriate technology as well as making sure that nurse practitioners get proper insurance reimbursements.

With recommendations from the IOM, nurses should be able to provide effective and efficient care. Patients will receive the best care because the nurses will be up to date on current evidence based practices.

References

Institute of Medicine of the National Academies. (2010). The Future of Nursing Leading Change, Advancing Health, Report Recommendations. Retrieved from https://myclasses.southuniversity.edu/content/enforced/16337-2360697/media/transcripts/Future%20of%20Nursing%202010%20Recommendations.pdf?_&d2lSessionVal=Zo3eS3GHNjkvUMYMbPaQtri9Y

Kosman, S. (2011). Nurse Residencies: Building a Better Future for Patients and Nurses. Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Retrieved from https://www.rwjf.org/en/culture-of-health/2011/10/nurse-residencies-building-a-better-future-for-patients-and-nurses.html