Assignment Instructions
Review "The Future of Nursing 2020-2030: Charting a Path to Achieve Health Equity," and explore the "Campaign for Action: State Action Coalition" website, both located in the topic Resources. In a 1,000-1,250-word paper, discuss the influence "The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health" and state-based action coalitions have had on nursing practice, nursing education, and nursing workforce development, and how they continue to advance the goals for the nursing profession.
Include the following:
- Describe the work of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine that led to the report, "The Future of Nursing 2020-2030: Charting a Path to Achieve Health Equity."
- Explain the trend occurring in the nursing workforce and how nursing education is adapting to meet the evolving needs of the profession. What is the role of the nurse in leading change?
- Discuss the role of state-based action coalitions. Explain how these coalitions help advance the goals specified in the National Academy of Sciences report, "The Future of Nursing 2020-2030: Charting a Path to Achieve Health Equity."
- Research the initiatives on which your state's action coalition is working. Summarize two initiatives spearheaded by your state's action coalition. Discuss the ways these initiatives advance the nursing profession.
- Describe barriers to advancement that currently exist in your state and explain how nursing advocates in your state overcome these barriers.
Sample Answer
Introduction
The Future of Nursing Report; issued by the Institute of Medicine enhances the understanding of the different aspects of life, health equity, Social Determinants of Health (SDOH), and health outcomes. It will create a more diversified and strong nursing workforce that is prepared to provide care, promote the nurses' well-being and health, and address the system inequities that are fueled by health disparities. This paper will describe the work of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, the trends in the nursing workforce and how nursing education adapts to the evolving needs of the nursing profession, roles of the state-based action coalitions and how they advance the goals specified in the National Academy of Sciences report, initiatives by the state's action coalition and how they advance the nursing profession and barriers to nursing career advancement and how nursing advocates can overcome these barriers.
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and Future of Nursing Report
The National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine charted a path that reduces health disparities, creates a culture of health, and improves the health and well-being of the entire United States population. In formulating the recommendations, the committee considered the emerging evidence on the Covid-19 pandemic. It also examined the lessons learned from the Future of Nursing Campaign for Action and the state of technology and science that informs the assessment of the capacity of the nurses to meet their anticipated social and healthcare needs (National Academy of Nursing, n.d.). In an examination of the future and current challenges, the committee accounted for the dramatic changes in context and the changes in nursing education, clinical care, and nursing-community partnerships.
In formulating the recommendations, the committee considered the roles of nurses in addressing the social determinants of health and the collaborative practice models to address the challenges of creating a culture of health. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine was able to identify the facilitators and barriers to achieving a diverse workforce in terms of race, gender, and ethnicity. Other aspects that were examined by the committee in the formulation of the recommendation are the roles of nurses in advocacy, nurses need for training, the ability of nurses to serve as change agents, effective nursing practices to eliminate healthcare disparities, and the roles of nurses in responding to emergencies (National Academy of Nursing, n.d.).
Current Trends and Education
The trends in the nursing workforce that exhibit the evolution of the profession are technological advancements, leadership, and additional responsibilities. Technology is widely utilized in healthcare as tools such as the Electronic Health Records (EHR) are used to store patient records. Other devices such as smart beds, monitoring devices, mobile apps, and wearable devices have revolutionized the delivery of care services. Unlike before where nurses were perceived as helpers of the physicians, they are now occupying leadership positions. This is because the respect of the nursing profession is increasing and so do the leadership roles and expectations of nurses. The roles of nurses have revolutionized to conduct community health screening and provide preventative care and the shift towards in-home care has created opportunities for patients to receive education from the nurses (GlobalHealth, 2020). Additionally, the rise in the utilization of prescription drugs has made nurses to be coaches of the patients when it comes to providing guidelines on how to use the medication. Nursing education is essential in keeping nurses up-dated with the trends in healthcare. More education institutions are now providing specialized degrees and the training has become more complex and formal. Advanced education such as a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) has become a standard expectation of all nurses. Educational institutions have created a more effective way to attain BSN and MSN degrees through flexible schedules, online programs, and clinical placements. In leading change, nurses are the major implementers of change (GlobalHealth, 2020). They are leaders in improving work processes, creating integrated practice models, and working in collaboration with state legislators and policymakers to craft legislation that enables nurses to practice in their full capacity.
State-Based Action Coalitions and Their Help in Advancing Goals from National Academy of Sciences Report
The role of state-based coalitions is to introduce changes in the nursing practice at the local level. These coalitions fulfill their duties through funding by initiatives such as the State Implementation Program (SIP). The coalition advances the goals specified in the National Academy of Sciences report by fostering health equity through collaborative efforts at the State, National, and Community levels. Networking in state-based coalitions addresses challenges in healthcare and creates strategies for health promotion (Wakefield et al., 2021). Additionally, coalitions allow nurses to be leaders in change initiatives and collaborate with other organizations in achieving health equity.
State Action Coalition Initiatives Advancing Nursing Profession
The two initiatives by Colorado Action Coalition are the Nursing Workforce Diversity Program (NWD) and the Nurse Refresher Course. The NWD supports nursing students by providing them with both non-academic and non-academic support (Colorado Action Coalition, 2024). This initiative does so through mentorship programs, peer networking, financial support, and academic success courses. The nurse refresher courses are approved by the Board of Nursing in Colorado. These courses are usually provided online and they allow nurses to learn more about evidence-based practices, perfect their past nursing knowledge, and reactivate their expired licenses (Colorado Action Coalition, 2024). Additionally, the program enables non-clinical nurses to enhance their clinical decision-making skills.
Barriers to Advancement
Advancement of the nursing profession in Colorado is prevented by legislative restrictions that limit the scope of practice of nurses. This barrier can be eliminated through advocating for changes in the State laws. A shortage of nurses is experienced in Colorado due to the limited number of nursing educators. Elimination of this barrier can be through recruiting and retaining a significant number of nurse educators. Workplace issues such as high nurse burnout and long working hours contribute to a high nurse turnover. To eliminate this barrier, there is a need to advocate for policies that improve the nurses' working conditions. Lack of diversity is another barrier to advancing the nursing profession and can be eliminated through mentorship and scholarship programs that increase the population of underrepresented groups.
Conclusion
In the formulation of the Future of Nursing Report, the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine committee engaged in charting a path that eliminates health disparities and improves the health and well-being of the general population. Increased utilization of technology and emerging roles of nurses has increased the need for BSN and MSN education. In my State Colorado, the state-based coalitions introduce changes in the nursing practice that are essential in advancing the practice of nurses. There are various barriers that limit the advancement of the nursing profession in Colorado and they are; legislative restrictions, a shortage of nurses, high burnout levels, and poor working conditions.
References
Colorado Action Coalition. (2024). News Posts by: Colorado Action Coalition. Campaign for Action. https://campaignforaction.org/nurse-refresher-courses/
GlobalHealth. (2020). Recent Changes In Nursing Practice & Education. https://globalhealtheducation.com/article/recent-changes-nursing-practice-education#:~:text=As%20technology%20advances%20and%20complex,to%20create%20transformative%20healthcare%20leaders
National Academy of Nursing. (n.d.). The Future of Nursing 2020-2030: Charting a Path to Achieve Health Equity. National Academy of Medicine. https://nam.edu/publications/the-future-of-nursing-2020-2030/
Wakefield, M., Williams, D. R., & Le Menestrel, S. (2021). The future of nursing 2020-2030: Charting a path to achieve health equity. National Academy of Sciences. https://sadil.ws/bitstream/handle/123456789/781/The%20future%20of%20Nursing%202030.pdf?sequence=1