The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) has made major contributions to the development of the nursing profession. Over the years, the institution has proposed ideas that have improved nursing practice, education, and leadership. Recently, the NASEM committee released a report addressing nurses’ role in improving health equity. This essay aims to assess the NASEM report and discuss the work performed by the NASEM committee that led to the development of the report, the trends in nursing and evolving nursing roles, the roles played by state-based action coalitions in implementing the report, nursing initiatives that address health equity, and challenges limiting the advancement of nursing. The NASEM report prepares nurses to take action in addressing systemic racism in schools, organizations, and associations since it provides recommendations for promoting diversity and inclusion in nursing practice.

The Work of the NASEM Committee

The NASEM committee proposed and developed the future of nursing 2020-2030 report. Before developing the report, the committee conducted studies investigating the relationship between social determinants of health (SDOH) and health (NASEM, 2021). The studies revealed that SDOH was the cause of health inequity in the nation. Therefore, they developed the NASEM report to aid nurses to solve social factors affecting health. The committee also conducted site investigations to assess the readiness of the nursing faculty to address health disparities in the nation. They discovered that the nursing workforce was not prepared for the future; hence, they established the report to prepare nurses to care for diverse populations. In addition, the committee organized meetings with healthcare stakeholders and the public to discuss nursing-related issues (NASEM, 2021). These initiatives enabled the committee to identify areas that need to be improved in nursing to promote health equality.

Trends in the Nursing Workforce and the Roles of Nurses

Nurses are the dominant healthcare providers in the country. They provide treatment and preventive care in healthcare settings, communities, and other diverse settings. As healthcare evolves, the nursing workforce also changes to meet the health needs of populations. A major trend in nursing is the increased demand for nurses to address population health needs (Ljungbeck & Sjögren Forss, 2017). Healthcare needs are increasing over time because of the growing population of aged adults requiring a lot of care. For healthcare systems to meet the healthcare demands of the population, they need enough nurses. As a result, there is a need to expand the nursing workforce to increase access to quality care services. Nursing education systems are admitting more students to pursue nursing courses to increase the nursing workforce (Ljungbeck & Sjögren Forss, 2017). Another trending issue in the nursing workforce is diversity and inclusion (Whitney, 018). There were few minority groups in the nursing workforce in the past years. Also, some communities were not represented in the nursing workforce. The current nursing workforce is diverse, with nurses from all ethnic and racial communities. Increased diversity in the nursing workforce enables nurses to provide culturally complete healthcare services to people (Goode & Landefeld, 2018). Nursing education equips nurses with the skills to engage with patients from diverse cultural backgrounds. It also trains nurses to incorporate cultural beliefs in care plans to improve patient satisfaction.

Nurses are change leaders in healthcare settings, communities, associations, and organizations. They lead changes in healthcare systems by advocating for policies to improve patient care and the nursing profession (Hassmiller, 2021). Nurses also engage in decision-making. They propose and implement ideas to improve the performance of the healthcare system. Furthermore, nurses engage in leadership by improving health equity (Murray, 2019). They serve all populations regardless of ethnicity or race to ensure everyone has access to care. They also promote policies that address racism and discrimination. The other role of nurses is to represent patients and nurses in panels and political offices to address their needs and call for action. They also address systemic barriers in communities to improve the health of populations.

State-based Action Coalitions

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation formed action coalitions to drive changes locally by working through nursing. They work with communities, organizations, and healthcare stakeholders to improve nursing practice and healthcare delivery in their respective states. Action coalitions promote health equity in communities. They ensure all communities have access to quality medical care (C