The Work of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Committee Initiative Comprehensive Nursing Paper Sample

The Work of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Committee Initiative Comprehensive Nursing Paper Sample

The IOM Report and State-Based Action Coalitions

The Committee on the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Initiative (RWJFI) on the Future of Nursing at the Institute of Medicine (IOM) established a goal for a revolutionized healthcare system in its report while acknowledging the needs and limits of the existing system healthcare system. This article examines and explores the impact of the IOM report and the associated state-based action alliances on the current nursing profession, academia, and workforce development and how they promote the profession’s goals.(The Work of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Committee Initiative Comprehensive Nursing Paper Sample)

The Work of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Committee Initiative

The RWJFI constituted a team of professionals from healthcare, academia, business, and policy (IOM, 2011). The committee held workshops to gather enough information regarding its task. Besides, the committee piloted public forums to discuss the trajectory of the nursing profession, focusing on acute care, emphasizing nursing education, primary care, public and community health, emphasis on community health and long-term care.(The Work of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Committee Initiative Comprehensive Nursing Paper Sample)

The committee conducted several field visits following every public forum to understand nurses’ plight in academia and health facilities. Equally, the committee collated personal information and public input during the project inquisition. Lastly, the committee carried out literature reviews and wrote research papers on the subject matter. (The Work of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Committee Initiative Comprehensive Nursing Paper Sample) 

Key Messages of the IOM Report

The RWJFI committee, in collaboration with the IOM, developed four important messages to guide the transformation of the nursing practice. First, the committee established that nurses should practices extensively within their professional scope (IOM, 2011). Second, the committee argued that nurses could lead pioneering strategies to elevate the healthcare system. In this regard, the committee argues that barriers, including historical, regulatory, and policies, should be uplifted to hasten the transformation of the nursing profession.  As a result, the Medicare program currently covers APRNs. The APRNs are equally permitted to carry out patient admissions assessments.(The Work of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Committee Initiative Comprehensive Nursing Paper Sample)

Secondly, the committee established that nurses should be provided with effective and advanced education and training (IOM, 2011). The committee argued that for the nursing profession to have an effective transformation, profound changes in nursing education are necessary. The recommendation has pushed private and public institutions to collaborate and fund advanced research in healthcare besides supporting nurses’ initiative in developing and adopting novel, patient-centered care.(The Work of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Committee Initiative Comprehensive Nursing Paper Sample)

Thirdly, the committee recommended that nurses collaborate with physicians and other health personnel to transform healthcare systems (IOM, 2011). The committee argued that effective leadership is crucial for this partnership to guarantee accountability on care quality. Through this recommendation, allied healthcare organizations, including the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and other philanthropic entities, collectively and collaboratively fund the establishment and maintenance of nurses’ residency programs.(The Work of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Committee Initiative Comprehensive Nursing Paper Sample)

Lastly, the committee opined that effective planning and policy established on the nursing workforce would require appropriate data acquisition and development of information systems (IOM, 2011). The committee argued that many skills are needed to transform the nursing profession, which was already railing from the lack of a reliable existing and needed nursing workforce. Nursing schools have adopted this recommendation by establishing interprofessional collaborations in training nursing students.(The Work of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Committee Initiative Comprehensive Nursing Paper Sample)

The role of state-based action coalitions.

State-based action coalitions were established by launched to help nurses and other medical practitioners achieve the IOM goals. Business partners and nurses lead these coalitions’ drive for changes at every level of governance by charging for healthy communities and healthcare transformation (Campaign for Action, n.d-a). These coalitions, carrier campaign initiatives at the local, regional and national levels.(The Work of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Committee Initiative Comprehensive Nursing Paper Sample)

Arizona State’s Initiatives.

Like other states, the Arizona action coalition work with other stakeholders to transform nursing within the state. Arizona State’s action coalition initiatives focus on diversity and data. The alliance has created a comprehensive system for gathering medical workforce data from various roles and promoting awareness and use of the established health database resources (Campaign for Action, n.d-b). As a result, the alliance has improved resource awareness, broken down organizational and agency barriers throughout Arizona, connecting the state workforce institutes and resources around the country.(The Work of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Committee Initiative Comprehensive Nursing Paper Sample)

In regards to diversity initiative, the Arizona coalition, through its diversity council, has facilitated collaboration among the Black Nurses Association, National Association of Hispanic Nurses (NAHN), and the Philippine Nurses Association (Campaign for Action, n.d-b). Equally, the coalition has an established mentorship program for its nursing students.  (The Work of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Committee Initiative Comprehensive Nursing Paper Sample)

Barriers to Advancing IOM Report.

The most significant barrier to the IOM report is state legislation. The major areas of concern in states where the IOM proposals have faced opposition are challenged by medical APRN oversight requirements instead of nursing licensing boards (Altman et al., 2016). Such states also have a legal restriction on clinical oversight, nurse-physician collaborations, and increased APRN scope. (The Work of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Committee Initiative Comprehensive Nursing Paper Sample) 

Furthermore, a section of physicians and medical groups has expressed opposition to the extension of the scope of practice of APRNs (Altman et al., 2016). Nurses, according to opinion shapers, are not seen as major policymakers or revenue creators. Therefore, nurses should be properly educated and should be included in decision-making with other healthcare professionals. (The Work of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Committee Initiative Comprehensive Nursing Paper Sample)

Conclusion

The IOM report provided crucial recommendations for advancing nursing practice for the benefit of people and the government. With these recommendations, nurses would practice to the full level of their training and education. Equally, the recommendations would see improvement in nursing education standards to encourage innovation and effective nursing practices. Despite the barriers, the US and associated partners at the local and national levels continue to play significant roles in implementing the recommendations.(The Work of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Committee Initiative Comprehensive Nursing Paper Sample)

References

Altman, S. H., Butler, A. S., & Shern, L. (Eds.). (2016). Assessing Progress on the Institute of Medicine report The Future of Nursing(The Work of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Committee Initiative Comprehensive Nursing Paper Sample). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK350160/

Campaign for Action. (n.d-a). State Action Coalition. Retrieved 3 July 2021(The Work of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Committee Initiative Comprehensive Nursing Paper Sample), from https://campaignforaction.org/our-network/state-action-coalitions/

Campaign for Action. (n.d-b). Arizona State Implementation Program. Retrieved 3 July 2021(The Work of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Committee Initiative Comprehensive Nursing Paper Sample), from https://campaignforaction.org/sip-state/arizona/

Institute of Medicine (IOM) (2011). The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health. National Academies Press (US). (The Work of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Committee Initiative Comprehensive Nursing Paper Sample)https://doi.org/10.17226/12956.