IOM Issues Recommendations for Transforming Nursing
Practice

If you were going to dream big, what changes would you make to your profession, as a practicing nurse?
In November of 2010, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) issued a special report titled “The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health.” It’s an in-depth look at the role nurses should play in a changing healthcare system, as the new legislative reforms are phased in over the next decade. And it definitely “dreams big” in terms of expanding the scope of the nursing profession, stating that:
A number of barriers prevent nurses from being able to respond effectively to rapidly changing health care settings and an evolving health care system. These barriers need to be overcome to ensure that nurses are well-positioned to lead change and advance health.

Three points about nursing leadership
The committee that authored the report developed four key messages that form the basis for the discussion and recommendations presented within it. The first three deal directly with nursing practice, and these are as follows:
• Nurses should practice to the full extent of their education and training.
• Nurses should achieve higher levels of education and training, through an improved education system that promotes seamless academic progression.
• Nurses should be full partners with physicians and other health professionals, in redesigning health care in the United States.

So how does the IOM’s vision for the future affect you, as a practicing nurse, nurse manager, or nursing student? To help you decipher all this, I’m going to summarize what the report has to say about each of these key messages, in a series of four articles.
Here, let’s look at key message number one:
Nurses should practice to the full extent of their education and training.

A summary of the issue
The IOM report