NRS 430 Assignment Professional Development of Nursing Professionals
The nursing profession makes up the largest segment of the healthcare system. The profession has been continuously changing and evolving over the years to meet the increasing consumer demand, while at the same time improve the quality of care provided. On the other hand, nursing professional development is used to refer to the process of improving the quality of service delivery through continuous education and training. Through professional development, nurses can advance their careers and remain updated on the latest technology, techniques, and different ways of practice (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, & Institute of Medicine, 2010). This paper will focus on discussing the Institution of Medicine’s (IOM) report that was published in 2010, and its impact on nursing practice.
Review the Institute of Medicine’s 2010 report “The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health.” Write a 750‐1,000 word paper discussing the influence of the IOM report on nursing practice. Include the following:
- Summarize the four messages outlined in the IOM report and explain why these are significant to nursing practice.
- Discuss the direct influence the IOM report has on nursing education and nursing leadership. Describe the benefits and opportunities for BSN‐prepared nurses.
- Explain why it is important that a nurse’s role and education evolve to meet the needs of an aging and increasingly diverse population.
- Discuss the significance of professional development, or lifelong learning, and its relevance in caring for diverse populations across the life span and within the health‐illness continuum.
- Discuss how nurses can assist in effectively managing patient care within an evolving health care system.
Nurses play a significant role in the attainment of health equity and overall wellness of the population, especially as the American healthcare system reforms and improves access to quality care for millions of its citizens. According to the National Academy of Medicine report, “The Future of Nursing 2020-2030: Charting a Path to Achieve Health Equity,” nurses can help reform the health system and ensure that populations and individuals attain health equity by offering care based on evidence and informed by existing policies (Hassmiller, 2021). The purpose of this paper is to review the report by the National Academy of Medicine and its impact on the professional development of nurses and the achievement of health equity.
Recommendations of the NAM Report & Significance of Health Equity
At the core of the NAM report is the attainment of health equity through systems that educate, pay, and employ nurses to permanently remove any barriers to health care, value the contribution of nurses, prepare them to address health equity, and encourage the development of a diverse nursing professional workforce (Sumpter et al., 2022). The report asserts that attaining health equity requires addressing barriers and ensuring that all people have opportunities to be healthy and happy. Health equity involves removing all the obstacles like prejudice and limited resource allocation that influence or lead to disparities. The report recommends that every person should get healthcare services to attain their maximum health and perform better and nurses play a critical role in helping individuals and populations achieve health equity.
Health equity implies that people should get the same opportunities and have sufficient resources in accessing healthcare services despite their diverse backgrounds or who they are. Furthermore, health equity ensures that each person is healthier and more successful, leading to healthy and productive communities with reduced prevalence of certain diseases, especially chronic conditions like diabetes and hypertension (Sumpter et al., 2022). The report notes that the nursing workforce should not only be strengthened but also diversified to adequately improve health and represent the individuals and organizations it serves (Hassmiller, 2021). Through the support of stakeholders, nurses can enhance their competencies, knowledge, and skills to attain the expected positive outcomes.
Social Determinants of Health and Impact on Health Equity
Despite the critical role that health plays, certain factors still influence one’s access to quality healthcare services and outcomes. Social determinants of health (SDOH) are environmental conditions in which individuals live, learn work, play, and age that impact a host of health, functioning, and the quality of life as well as risks. The social determinants of health can either be positive or negative aspects of these conditions. These include education, health systems and services, income and wealth, the physical environment, and neighborhood and public safety. Others entail employment status and social environment that include institutions and policies. These SDOHs have a critical effect on access to health care and attainment of health equity.
Income as a social determinant of health (SDOH) is a critical aspect as many people lack access to health equity and opportunities due to a lack of or limited resources. Before the enactment of the ACA in 2010, over 16% of Americans, especially from low-income households and racial minority groups, did not have medical or health insurance. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA 2010) ensured that over 25 million Americans get health insurance (Hassmiller, 2021). A core reason for this population lacking health insurance was income level as many could not afford to pay the required premiums. Again, studies are categorical that individuals from low-income families and communities are more likely to postpone visiting their physicians due to the cost involved (Yearby, 2020). Again, individuals who have no health insurance are more likely to present in the emergency department due to their health condition and without resources. The implication is that such populations and individuals cannot attain healthy well-being because of the associated disparities and lack of health equity.
Role of Nurses in Improving Health Equity & Impacting Social Needs
Nurses have a critical role in enhancing health equity and influencing social needs among different populations, especially the underserved and uninsured. Health inequities entail systematic differences in opportunities aimed at attaining optimal health and lead to unfair and unnecessary differences in outcomes. These inequities disproportionately affect people of color, the LGBTQ community, and those living with disabilities as well as individuals with low incomes and those in rural settings. Imperatively, as core healthcare providers, nurses ensure that these groups and populations have equal access to affordable and quality care like others without any barriers (Wei et al., 2020). Nurses do this by improving access through expanded scope of practice, specializing in certain areas of care provision, through advocacy initiatives, and working collaboratively within and outside the healthcare system with policymakers to implement reforms and changes in the sector. Nurses interact with patients and identify the inherent barriers and implement evidence-based practice (EBP) interventions to overcome these obstacles.
Nurses impact social needs among these individuals as they identify nonmedical and acute resource aspects that impact these individuals and groups and hinder their access to healthcare. Nurses can impact social needs by identifying their SDOH at the population level and proposing certain governmental interventions to promote the wellness and health of the individuals and the population (Sumpter et al., 2022). For instance, nurses can collaborate with other stakeholders to improve and emphasize increased investment in health promotion activities and primary care to prevent diseases, particularly chronic conditions.
Significance of Self-Care to Reduce Nursing Burnout
Nurses require self-care as a core part of improving their performance and dealing with fatigue and burnout associated with increased workload based on the rise in care demands due to the continuous reforms in healthcare. Self-care for nurses involves the promotion of one’s health; from physical to psychological, social, spiritual, and emotional to improve the overall functionality of the body (Martínez et al., 2021). Self-care is preventive for nurses as it allows them to take care of themselves with compassion and healthy coping initiatives which makes them better positioned and equipped to offer quality patient care.
Self-care is critical because of the substantial risk of workplace stress and strain leading to burnout among nurses as witnessed at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. A huge number of nurses reported feeling down, depressed, and sad as well as fatigued. As such, through self-care, nurses can pay closer attention to their health; from mental to physical, and develop or implement initiatives that counter the situation. Self-care is therapeutic as it lowers stress and replenishes a nurse’s ability to offer compassion and empathy and helps in improving overall quality of care. It also promotes patient safety as it reduces the chances of medication and medical errors (Wei et al., 2020). Evidence-based strategies available for nurses to enhance their physical and spiritual self-care include engaging in work out and joining a yoga class and meditation. Further, nurses can enhance their spiritual self-care by engaging in their faith and even volunteering in some programs in their communities or the workplace. Through these activities, they can replenish and improve their overall performance and functioning.
Conclusion
The NAM report on the future of nursing paves the way for nurses to enhance their capacity and ability to offer quality care by addressing inherent barriers that limit access to care. Health equity is essential for the nation to attain overall wellness and healthy living for its population. Furthermore, nurses should ensure that they attain self-care to replenish their functionality and deliver quality care to diverse patients and health populations.
References
Hassmiller, S. B. (2021). The Future of nursing 2020-2030. AJN The American Journal of
Nursing, 121(5), 7. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.outlook.2022.05.013
Sumpter, D., Blodgett, N., Beard, K., & Howard, V. (2022). Transforming nursing education in
response to the Future of Nursing 2020–2030 report. Nursing Outlook, 70(6), S20-S31. DOI: 10.1016/j.outlook.2022.02.007.
Martínez, N., Connelly, C. D., Pérez, A., & Calero, P. (2021). Self-care: A concept analysis.
International Journal of nursing sciences, 8(4), 418-425.
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijnss.2021.08.007
Wei, H., Kifner, H., Dawes, M. E., Wei, T. L., & Boyd, J. M. (2020). Self-care strategies to
combat burnout among pediatric critical care nurses and physicians. Critical Care Nurse, 40(2), 44-53. DOI: 10.4037/ccn2020621.
Yearby, R. (2020). Structural racism and health disparities: Reconfiguring the social
determinants of health framework to include the root cause. Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics, 48(3), 518-526. DOI: 10.1177/1073110520958876.
IOM Summary of Four Messages and Significance to Nursing Practice Top of Form
The IOM 2010 report, acknowledges the fact that the United States has all it takes to advance the healthcare system by providing quality services which are seamless and relies on evidence, leading to improved care outcome. Four messages are put across in this report, which includes, (a) ensuring that nurses exploit their full educational and training potential when providing care services, (b) advancing nursing education and training by improving the education system, (c) preparing nurses to become full partners with other healthcare professionals hence having the opportunity in redesigning and improving the current healthcare system; and lastly, (d) improving the process of data collection which is essential in better planning and policy making (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, & Institute of Medicine, 2010).
This report helps in revolutionizing nursing practice in several aspects. For instance, allowing nurses to exploit their full potentials helps in broadening the current limiting nurses’ scope of practice, hence the healthcare system can reap full benefits as a result of nursing training knowledge and skills inpatient care. Consequently, improving nursing education will help in attracting more students to take interest in the nursing profession, increasing overall the number of nurses in the United States (Kearney, 2019). Graduates will also yearn for more educations which will in turn increase the number of nursing specialists, improving the quality of care provision. The full partnership will help in enhancing teamwork in the healthcare system, while an improved data collection process will help in saving time and enhance the efficiency of patient care.
Influence of IOM on Education, Leadership, Benefits, and Opportunities for BSN-Prepared Nurses
With the aging American population, the healthcare system is likely to face a high shortage of qualified nurses in the future. Consequently, the need to hire more nurses has been acknowledged over the years. However, this has not been able to take place due to the few numbers of professional nursing instructors. As such, the IOM reports the advancement of the education system, which will increase the number of bachelors of science in nursing (BSN) graduates. BSN graduates are more responsible, with better supervisory roles, hence making good leaders revolutionize the healthcare system. (Whitehead, Dittman, & McNulty, 2017) They will even enjoy several benefits such as more job opportunities and higher salaries. Lastly, BSN will also create room for achieving a higher level of education and professionalism at masters and doctoral levels, which are required for nurses to serve as primary healthcare providers, researchers, and nurse faculty.
Importance of the Evolution of the Education and Role of the Nurse to Meet the Needs of an Aging and Diverse Population
Advanced aging and the diverse American population require a high level of expertise in patient care. Most of the aged patients suffer from chronic illnesses which require high-quality skills and knowledge for better care outcome. Consequently, the diverse population requires nurses with adequate knowledge and skills, such as better communication and a better understanding of different cultural norms and beliefs. As such, registered nurses, and nursing associates do not have the necessary qualifications in providing better care services for this population (Kearney, 2019). Hence the need for better education to increase the number of BSN who have the right competencies and qualifications to take care of this delicate population. Further educational advancement also gives room for specialist nurses who are needed to take care of patients with critical illnesses.
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Significance of Professional Development, Lifelong Learning, in Relation to Diverse Populations Across the Life Span and Health-Illness Continuum
The nursing profession is very challenging due to the continuous changes in information and ways of providing care. To keep up with the changes, there is a need to adopt a lifelong learning attitude for better professional development and improve the quality of care provided. Consequently, nurses encounter patients from different cultural backgrounds, different age groups, and diverse illnesses (Whitehead, Dittman, & McNulty, 2017). As such it becomes very hard to take care of such patients while relying primarily on the education that was gained before in graduate school. However, lifelong learning will help in keeping up with the3 current information and technology required in taking care of this diverse population.
Effectiveness of Nurses Managing Patient Care Within an Evolving Health Care System
In the current healthcare system, nurses play a new role in care coordination from numerous providers, managing caseloads of individuals with intense healthcare needs, and helping patients transition to other healthcare settings or into their homes. Additionally, the evolving healthcare system has allowed nurses to work as “health coaches” with effective results both in illness prevention and health promotion (Famure et al., 2020). Lastly, new paths have been established for nurses in emerging fields such as informatics, telehealth, scientists, leaders, and genetics and genomics, which have improved the quality and efficiency of healthcare provision.
References
Top of Form
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation., & Institute of Medicine (U.S.). (2010). The future of nursing: Leading change, advancing health. Washington, D.C: National Academies Press. https://nationalrncm.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/12956.pdf
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Top of Form
Famure, O., Batoy, B., Minkovich, M., Liyanage, I., & Kim, S. J. (October 08, 2020). Evaluation of a professional development course on research methods for healthcare professionals. Healthcare Management Forum. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0840470420960173
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Top of Form
Whitehead, D. K., Dittman, P., & McNulty, D. (2017). Leadership and the advanced practice nurse: The future of a changing health-care environment.
Top of Form
Kearney, N. R. (2019). Advancing Your Career: Concepts of Professional Nursing. Philadelphia: F.A. Davis Company.
People inhabit different socioeconomic backgrounds with varying resources, values, and cultures. These variations prompt considerable health-related differences, including access to care, people’s perception of health, and health promotion activities. Since variations in resources and geographical locations are the primary cause of health disparities, interventions to reduce them should be intensified at the local and national levels. Nurses should also embrace their role as health equity promoters and ensure all populations get the deserved healthcare services. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the significance of health equity in the National Academy of Medicine 2021 report, the impacts of social determinants of health, nurses’ role in equity promotion, and the significance of self-care.
The Significance of Healthy Equity in the National Academy of Medicine 2021 Report
Nurses play a pivotal role in advancing health by combining skills, expertise, and passion. Addressing health inequities to improve people’s health is among the highly stressed nurses’ roles. The National Academy of Medicine 2021 report explores nurses’ work in reducing health disparities and promoting equity into 2030 (National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, 2023). Other focus areas include nurses’ role in cost reduction and technology utilization to achieve the best possible care for patients and populations. To achieve these goals, the current healthcare system should educate, remunerate and employ adequate nurses to remove barriers to care, diversify the workforce, and empower nurses to address health equity issues (Wakefield et al., 2021). As the report underlines, achieving health equity ensures all populations live the healthiest life possible irrespective of where they live, income levels, and race, among other factors. In collaboration with the government and partners, the healthcare system should also prepare the next generation of nurses to promote health equity and ensure all populations receive quality healthcare services. A suitable way of achieving this goal is to revamp nursing education to ensure nurses understand all the social and environmental factors that cause disparities, how to collaborate with colleagues to address health equity issues, and care provision to diverse populations.
Social Determinants of Health
Social determinants of health (SDOH) significantly influence health outcomes across populations. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2022) described SDOH as the conditions where people are born, live, and work and other wider systems that shape daily life. Largely, SDOH are the nonmedical factors influencing population health outcomes. They include education, healthcare access and quality, social and community contexts, access to nutritious foods and safe housing. Economic and social policies are among the wider forces impacting people’s health. Regarding their impacts on health equity, access to healthy foods increases health disparities in the affected communities. People’s geographical locations, cultural norms, and income levels affect access to healthy foods. Lack of access to healthy foods implies poor nutrition, increasing the risk of obesity and diabetes (Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, 2023). Life expectancy also reduces in populations with poor access to healthy foods.
Role of the Nurse in Improving Health Equity and Impacting Social Needs
Nurses can use their position and influence to improve health equity and effectively address people’s multidimensional needs. In agreement with Oruche and Zapolski (2020), nurses can reduce health disparities by being increasingly committed to diversity, inclusion and breaking down barriers to health. In this case, they should ensure health resources are fairly distributed according to people’s diverse needs and that all patients are assisted to achieve their full health potential. The other critical nurse’s role is advocacy, which entails protecting patients’ rights and acting as their voice (Nsiah et al., 2019). While serving this role, nurses ensure no one faces discrimination when seeking care and that all patients can comfortably and safely interact with healthcare professionals. Importantly, nurses should partner with political and health stakeholders to advance health in the communities through education, screening, and other health-related activities. Such activities enable people to understand their health and social needs, advocate for them, and seek timely interventions to live healthily and productively.
Significance of Self-Care for Nursing Burnout and Strategies for Personal and Spiritual Health
Nurse burnout is prevalent in current settings and impedes nurses’ ability to provide high-quality care. Practicing self-care is crucial for nurses to reduce stress, increase their energy levels, and be better positioned to provide compassionate care (Kaple, 2023; Nilsson, 2022). Self-care ensures that nurses are optimally physically, mentally, and emotionally. Self-care strategies include regulating shift schedules, avoiding a high workload, building healthy relationships with co-workers, and exercising. Mindfulness and practicing spirituality are also highly recommended for nurses experiencing or at risk of burnout. To maintain personal and spiritual health, nurses should embrace mindfulness, meditative walking, and religious practices, such as prayers and reading religious books (Nilsson, 2022). These interventions provide nurses with the much-needed psychophysical balance and wellness to practice in stressful conditions. They also improve coping, which reduces job dissatisfaction, anxiety, and fatigue.
Conclusion
Nurses work in diverse settings and encounter patients with varying needs. Irrespective of these differences, nurses must strive to provide timely and satisfactory care as professionally mandated. The endeavor to promote health equity should be universal among nurses to ensure all populations can achieve the best possible care. Besides, nurses should practice self-care through meditation, exercises, mindfulness, and spirituality. Self-care enables them to cope with nurse burnout hence high productivity and job satisfaction.
References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022). Social determinants of health at CDC. https://www.cdc.gov/about/sdoh/index.html#:~:text=Social%20determinants%20of%20health%20(SDOH,the%20conditions%20of%20daily%20life.
Kaple, T. (2023). Top tips for nurses on dealing with burnout. NurseJournal. https://nursejournal.org/resources/tips-for-avoiding-nurse-burnout/
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2023). The future of nursing 2020-2030. https://www.nationalacademies.org/our-work/the-future-of-nursing-2020-2030
Nilsson, H. (2022). Spiritual self-care management for nursing professionals: A holistic approach. Journal of Holistic Nursing: Official Journal of the American Holistic Nurses’ Association, 40(1), 64–73. https://doi.org/10.1177/08980101211034341
Nsiah, C., Siakwa, M., & Ninnoni, J. P. K. (2019). Registered Nurses’ description of patient advocacy in the clinical setting. Nursing Open, 6(3), 1124–1132. https://doi.org/10.1002/nop2.307
Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. (2023). Social determinants of health. https://health.gov/healthypeople/priority-areas/social-determinants-health
Oruche, U. M., & Zapolski, T. C. (2020). The role of nurses in eliminating health disparities and achieving health equity. Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 58(12), 2-4. https://doi.org/10.3928/02793695-20201112-01
Wakefield, M., Williams, D. R., & Le Menestrel, S. (2021). The future of nursing 2020-2030: Charting a path to achieve health equity. Nursing Outlook, (70)6, S1-S9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.outlook.2022.05.013