NRS 440 Topic 1 Assignment: Future of Nursing
NRS 440 Topic 1 Assignment: Future of Nursing
NRS 440 T1 Assignment Future of Nursing
Nursing remains a core component of promoting health and improving outcomes for millions of Americans because of the role that nurses play in care provision. Nurses lead change and advance health since they form the largest portion of healthcare workers (HCWs). The report, “The Future of Nursing 2020-2030: Charting a Path to Achieve Health Equity” by the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine advances that nurses are at a pivotal point of the intersection in healthcare to enhance quality outcomes and reduce disparities through increased care provision and access (NASEM, 2021). The purpose of this paper is to discuss the influence of nurses leading change and advancing health, and state-based action coalitions on nursing practice, nursing education, workforce development, and their continuation in advancing the goals of the profession.
Work of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) carried out a comprehensive study on the nursing profession and its role in helping the U.S. healthcare sector attain health equity in the population. The report, The Future of Nursing 2020-2030: Charting a Path to Achieve Health Equity” explores the position of nurses in developing the profession and preparing nurses to help individuals and communities (NASEM, 2021). NASEM through a committee of experts reviewed literature, heard from various stakeholders, and deliberated during several meetings and sessions. The committee also reviewed the previous roadmap: The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health by the Institute of Medicine in 2010 to develop a new approach to helping the nursing profession deliver quality care for millions of Americans.
Before developing and presenting the report, the NASEM (2021) committee conducted studies investigating the interactions between social determinants of health (SDOH) and health outcomes. The revelation shows that SDOH is the main cause of health inequity. Therefore, the report helps nurses address these issues. The committee also assessed the readiness of nursing faculty to address health disparities and realized that the profession was not well-prepared for the future, hence published the report to prepare nurses to care for diverse populations. The report offers a roadmap for the nursing profession to promote health equity, mainly through nursing education, practice, and research.
Trends in Nursing Workforce and Education and Nursing Roles
Nurses form the largest share of the healthcare workforce and are a critical component of care delivery. As the healthcare needs within the population evolve and increase, the nursing workforce also changes to meet these needs emanating from the increased prevalence of chronic diseases due to an aging population and a rising prevalence of mental health cases. A core trend in the nursing workforce is the increased demand for nursing care to address the population’s health needs (Tsimane & Downing, 2020). The healthcare system can only meet healthcare demands through more nurses and improved access to quality care. The second trend is specialization as nurses, especially advanced practice nurses, specialize in certain areas to enhance access to quality care for patients (Kleinpell et al., 2022). The third trend in the nursing workforce is diversity and inclusion based on the rising demand for culturally sensitive care provision for various populations and patients. The current nursing workforce is diverse with nurses from all ethnic and racial backgrounds. This trend ensures that nurses understand different patient needs and develop patient-centered care plans.
Trends in nursing education focus on equipping nurses with current and relevant skills to handle patients and health populations from diverse settings. Nursing education equips nurses with the competencies and skills to engage patients from diverse cultural settings (Potter et al., 2021). Imperatively, the trends in nursing education include increased specialization through advanced nursing education, cultural competence skills development, and holistic care provision. Further, nurses are at the forefront of research to improve knowledge and competencies aimed at offering quality care.
Nurses are a core part of leading healthcare changes as they interact and engage with patients to improve care provision. Nurses lead change in the healthcare system by advocating policies to improve patient care and the nursing profession. They also lead research to determine evidence-based practice (EBP) approaches to improve the quality of care and propose policy interventions to improve the performance of the health system (Azar, 2021). They also engage in leadership to improve health equity and promote policies to address systematic inequalities and disparities. They are patient advocates because of their special relationships with them.
State-based Action Coalitions
State-based action coalitions play an important role in advancing the goals of the NASEM report. Established under the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, these coalitions drive changes through working with nurses. These coalitions involve various stakeholders whose interest is to improve healthcare through nursing practice. Action coalitions promote health equity in communities through improved access and quality of care (Campaign for Action, n.d). These coalitions advocate, educate, and partner with all stakeholders to increase access to healthcare and promote better interventions for all providers. They also increase awareness of nursing courses to improve nursing workforce diversity. Therefore, they advance the goals of the report by NASEM through nurses to reduce disparities and inequities in healthcare settings.
i). Initiatives of Alabama Action Coalition
The Alabama Action Coalition focuses on creating a culture of health by serving as the driving force in healthcare transformation using nurses. The coalition recognizes the important work underway in the state and focuses on long-term sustainable change. The coalition activities are illustrated through its achievements like highlighting the nursing profession and the importance of diversity in over 40 high schools, reaching more than 3,000 students. The coalition has also developed a curriculum for RN mobility designed to encourage 4-year institutions to implement it (Alabama Action Coalition, n.d.). The proposed curriculum eliminates the varied requirements for each institution for nursing students. The coalition also conducts public health awareness campaigns that include observing Health Literacy Month, oral care campaigns, and advocacy efforts to remove nurse restrictions.
These initiatives advance the nursing profession as they ensure that nurses can enhance their competencies through higher education, advocate better care provision for patients, and have more Alabamans join the nursing profession to improve care delivery (Kleinpell et al., 2022). The initiatives are essential as they ensure that nurses integrate other stakeholders in the community to improve health outcomes. The initiative promotes the nursing profession by demonstrating its important role in care delivery across the care continuum.
Barriers to Advancement for Nurses in Alabama
Barriers to advancement in the nursing profession differ from one state to another. In Alabama, one of the core barriers is restricted practice authority as nurses, especially advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) cannot practice to full authority based on their education and training. The second barrier is limited diversity in the nursing workforce, and limited opportunities for advanced education (Iheduru‐Anderson, 2020). These barriers hinder nurses’ advancement in Alabama and quality of care. Nurse advocates through the state-based coalition and other stakeholders are making efforts to overcome these barriers using advocacy, education, and partnerships. For instance, they are advocating for policies to increase resource allocation and remove practice barriers like restricted practice authority (Dick et al., 2023). Modification of the nursing curriculum to embrace diversity and culturally competent care is also another critical effort by nurses to address these barriers.
Conclusion
The nursing profession is pivotal in addressing health disparities and attainment of quality care outcomes among patients and health populations. The NASEM report identifies the critical role of these providers and suggests ways that nurses and other stakeholders can enhance the attainment of health equity and reduction of health disparities. As such, state-based coalitions like the one in Alabama provide a platform for nurses and all interested stakeholders to address these challenges to enhance healthcare quality and access.
References
Azar, K. M. (2021). The evolving role of nurse leadership in the fight for health equity. Nurse
Leader, 19(6), 571-575. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34539261/
Alabama Action Coalition (n.d.). Working to create a Culture of Health in Alabama.
https://campaignforaction.org/state/alabama/
Campaign for Action (n.d.). State Action Coalitions.
https://campaignforaction.org/our-network/state-action-coalitions/
Dick, T. K., Loan, L. A., Ladner, K. A., Becker, D. J., Li, P., & Patrician, P. A. (2023).
Alabama’s Acute Care Registered Nurse Workforce Demand: A Descriptive Survey-Based Study. Journal of nursing regulation, 14(3), 33-43. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/S2155-8256(23)00111-4
Iheduru‐Anderson, K. (2020, November). Barriers to career advancement in the nursing
profession: Perceptions of Black nurses in the United States. Nursing Forum, 55(4):664-677. DOI: 10.1111/nuf.12483
Kleinpell, R., Myers, C. R., Likes, W., & Schorn, M. N. (2022). Breaking down institutional
barriers to advanced practice registered nurse practice. Nursing administration quarterly, 46(2), 137-143. DOI: 10.1097/NAQ.0000000000000518
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) (2021). The Future of
Nursing 2020-2030: Charting a Path to Achieve Health Equity. Washington, DC:
The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/25982
Potter, P. A., Perry, A. G., Stockert, P. A., & Hall, A. (2021). Fundamentals of nursing-e-book.
Elsevier health sciences.
Tsimane, T. A., & Downing, C. (2020). Transformative learning in nursing education: A concept
analysis. International journal of nursing sciences, 7(1), 91-98.
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijnss.2019.12.006.
Review “The Future of Nursing 2020-2030: Charting a Path to Achieve Health Equity” (chapters 1,3,7 & 9)and explore the “Campaign for Action: State Action Coalition.” 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.
Struggling to meet your deadline ?
Get assistance on
NRS 440 Topic 1 Assignment: Future of Nursing
done on time by medical experts. Don’t wait – ORDER NOW!
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 ALABAMA’s action coalition is working. Summarize two initiatives spearheaded by ALABAMA’s action coalition. Discuss the ways these initiatives advance the nursing profession.
Describe barriers to advancement that currently exist in ALABAMA and explain how nursing advocates in ALABAMA overcome these barriers.
Struggling to meet your deadline ?
Get assistance on
NRS 440 Topic 1 Assignment: Future of Nursing
done on time by medical experts. Don’t wait – ORDER NOW!