IOM Report In Nursing

Institute of Medicine Report

In 2010, a report from the Institute of Medicine (IOM) called on the nursing profession to assume a greater role in the changing health care system. This report listed four key points on the future of nursing including: 1) nurses should practice to the full extent of their education and training; 2) nurses should achieve higher levels of training through an improved education system that promotes seamless academic progression; 3) nurses should be full partners, with physicians and other health professionals, in redesigning health care in the United States; 4) effective workforce planning and policy making require better data collection and an improved information infrastructure (Institute of Medicine, 2011). This paper will focus on the first two key points.

Nurses should practice to the full extent of their education and training

Some of these barriers include but are not limited to the regulations placed on APRNs from state to state, “fragmentation of care, inconsistent reimbursement, frequent staff member turnover, and demographic challenges (e.g., aging nursing workforce, lack of diversity in nursing)” (Kunic & Jackson, 2013, p. 238). There are also political and regulatory barriers for APRNs that have been identified by the IOM report. These include the resistance of medical organizations supporting expanded APRN scope of practice; the resistance of state legislators in introducing bills to expand the APRN scope of practice; lack of public awareness in the abilities, training and education of APRNs; and a state to state lack of standardized education, certification, and licensure requirements for APRNs (Institute of Medicine,