Introduction
The ever increasing demand for quality healthcare services has pushed scientists and other stakeholders to identify solutions to healthcare problems. Nursing forms an integral part of healthcare since it is a supportive department and without it doctors and other specialists will be stranded. Even though, nurses have less training, skills and experiences compared to doctors they nonetheless perform key duties that enable health facilities to run smoothly (Institute of Medicine 2011). Various states and nongovernmental organisations are conducting research to establish the best ways to improve nursing. The committee of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Initiative is one of the leading research institutions advancing the needs of nurses.
Link between the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Initiative and the IOM Report
This initiative was formed to address key issues involving nurses and how their welfare can be improved. The United States of America has faced enormous challenges in providing quality and affordable healthcare services to its citizens (Longes 2010). To date, this continues to be a serious challenge despite investing resources in the field to cater for the financial and manpower needs. The last four decades have seen Americans formulating and implementing various policies to safeguard nurses’ interests and provide quality services.
In 2008, this initiative got a significant boost due to the formation of a committee to report on the challenges that hindered nurses from delivering quality services to the population. This foundation got a privilege and worked with the Institute of Medicine (IOM) to conduct research and report on the problems facing nurses (Mason 2011). In addition, this body was mandated to propose solutions to some of the challenges that hindered the realisation of healthcare goals. Various bodies were assigned different roles that were aimed at promoting nurses’ welfare and ensure patients accessed affordable and quality health services.
However, the demand for quality services had surpassed and challenged the government and this had necessitated the need to strategise on how to respond quickly to the challenges at hand (Mason 2011). The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation committee was responsible for ensuring Americans got health insurance covers, offered proper healthcare to the aged and transformed nursing to meet the demands of the American population (Mason 2011). Therefore, this foundation in collaboration with the Institute of Medicine was mandated to conduct a research and propose recommendations that would transform nursing.
Importance of the Institute of the Institute of Medicine Report
The report presented to the Department of Health (DOH) regarding the future of nursing offered a variety of proposals that would transform nursing and ensure the American population enjoys quality services. This report focused on the need to address challenges that faced nurses and also provided quality services to the population (Institute of Medicine 2011). This report addressed four main issues that were deemed necessary to transform this profession.
First, the report highlighted the need to reconstruct nursing and ensure the role of nurses was conceptualised according to the contexts and needs of the population. This involved the use of modern technology in nursing that eased monitoring of patients’ developments and tracking their records. This involved increasing the number of nurses and addressing significant nursing and healthcare challenges.
Secondly, the committee discovered there were very few institutions offering nursing careers and this accounted for inadequate number of nurses in health facilities (Mason 2011). The report proposed that the government and other well wishers establish many training institutions that would offer quality training. These facilities were to be equipped with modern technology and curriculums that would address current and future challenges.
Thirdly, the report appreciated the role nurses play in handling various challenges (Longes 2010). However, they needed solutions that would address the ever changing demands in the society. The committee observed that equipping nurses with innovative answers for problems facing their service delivery would be an effective way of transforming the profession.
Lastly, the report addressed the need to keep all staff working in various healthcare services. There was a lot of career switch from nursing to other professions due to lack of incentives that would motivate nurses (Institute of Medicine 2011). Therefore, this committee highlighted the need to motivate and encourage nurses to avoid switching professions. This was also an effective way of ensuring the number of nurses in various hospitals does not decrease in the future.
The Intent of the Future of Nursing: Campaign for Action
This is a countrywide initiative started by the AARP group in line with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation that encouraged people to champion for reforms in nursing. The main role of this campaign was mobilisation of stakeholders in all states to demand quick action against the challenges experienced by nurses and patients.
This coalition committee was keen on tracking the implementation of the above recommendations since they were the only available solutions. Nursing had become one of the less preferred professions with less enrollments compared to other courses (Longes 2010). Consequently, people were experiencing serious health complications arising from lack of insurance health covers, poor facilities and lack of staff morale. However, there were other healthcare transformational policies formed many years ago but which were now gathering dust in shelves and office cabinets. This committee was determined to push for the implementation of these recommendations to transform nursing to greater heights.
The Rationale for State Based Action Coalitions
The committee formed to report on the challenges of nursing did not stop at the presentation stage. They moved forward and ensured people demanded immediate implementation of the proposal (Barton 2009). The committee adopted a state based action that ensured stakeholders in each state joined hands and demanded their rights. This was because states owned and managed their healthcare services and thus were better placed to transform them. Secondly, the challenges facing these states differed depending on the state and its population (Barton 2009). Therefore, it was necessary to ensure each state acts with respect to its demands and systems of governance.
State Based Action Coalition
Californians developed several initiatives to ensure their push for action is respected. This was done through proposals that would benefit not only nurses but also patients and the entire state. First, they demanded the scrapping of professional barriers that limited the number of qualified nurses from practice despite the ever soaring demand for more nurses in various healthcare facilities. This initiative was meant to ensure that qualified nurses were recruited into nursing without unnecessary restrictions.
Secondly, the coalition advocated for residency plans that would ensure many nurses were absorbed into community based healthcare plans and opportunities (Institute of Medicine 2011). This would increase contacts between nurses and patients and also reduce the distance and time wasted in attending to patients. This state is sure that if these recommendations are carried out nurses will have adequate time and freedom to attend to their patients.
References
Barton, P. (2009). Understanding the U.S. Health Services System. Chicago: Health Administration Press.
Institute of Medicine. (2011).The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health. Washington: National Academies Press.
Longes, B. (2010). Health Policymaking in the United States. Chicago: Health Administration Press.
Mason, D. (2011). The Nursing Profession: Development, Challenges, and Opportunities. Public Health and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Anthology. New Jersey: Jossey-Bass.