The Affordable Care Act of 2010 (ACA) Legislation offers great opportunities for nurses. It demands health professionals to establish a system that will be patient-centered. The law is asking for a health system that will focus on treatment of chronic conditions such as obesity and hypertension, primary care coordination, transitional care, prevention and wellness care, and many more aspects that would provide a better health care system. Also, it included the need for long-term care for increasing baby boomers. ACA acknowledges the extension of attention to both insured and uninsured ethnic minority groups that may have problems getting transportation to the necessary healthcare facilities due to socioeconomically factors. By their proximity to patients and their knowledge of care processes to work with other health professionals, nurses are expected to spearhead the future of healthcare by leading and providing service to their environment. …show more content…
They are rarely viewed as equal partners in multidisciplinary healthcare teams. However, with one recent report by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Institute of Medicare showed that nurses are making differences in building a health care system that will meet the “safety, quality, patient-centered, accessible and affordable care” (Institute of Medicine, 2010). For nurses to meet these demands, they have to practice to the full extent of their knowledge and training to change the way in which care is provided by working in partnership with other healthcare professionals. Nurses must receive higher levels of education and training to be able to meet the healthcare demands to achieve these goals. Such training opportunities can branch from license vocational nurse diplomas to associate’s and bachelor’s degrees, to even master’s and Ph.D.