Key Message 2: Nurses Should Achieve Higher Levels of Education and Training through an Improved Education System That Promotes Seamless Academic Progression
Key Message, #2 of the IOM report establishes recommendations that influence the development and transformation of nursing education and training. The recommendation suggested that nursing education and training be changed and improved to meet the changing US health care systems (“Committee on the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation & Initiative on the Future of Nursing and the Institute of Medicine,” 2011). It also recommends changes in the education and training system to support the production of nursing skills to meet current and future healthcare needs and deliver quality and safe patient-centered care at all levels of the healthcare system. In line with the key messages, nurses are expected to engage in continuous academic progression to achieve higher education levels to qualify as Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs) and engage in independent practice (Phoenix & Chapman, 2020).
Key Message 3: Nurses Should Be Full Partners With Physicians and Other Health Professionals in Redesigning Health Care in the United States
The Key Message #3 influences the advancement of leadership in nursing. It establishes the need to recognize nurses as full partners in health care and essential system transformation elements. The recommendations in the message seek to expand on the opportunities for nurses to be leaders within healthcare systems. As the US healthcare system is transforming, nurses are viewed as potential drivers of change (Green, 2019).
Key Message 4: Effective Workforce Planning and Policy Making Require Better Data Collection and an Improved Information Infrastructure
Key Message #4 proposes approaches that help develop nursing workforce development and the advancement of the goals of the nursing profession. The key message identifies the need to use data and empirical evidence to support the transformation of the nursing profession to support the transformed healthcare system. This means utilizing workforce data, population data, patient data, disease data, and intervention data to assist with nursing workforce planning and the implementation of related policies.
State-Based Action Coalitions and Their Role in Advancing IOM Report Goals
State action coalitions are nationally initiated multi-stakeholder partnerships available in every state across the US with a focus on improving health care. State Action Coalitions play an integral part in the advancement and achievement of the IOM report across the US in various ways. Firstly, the State-Based Action Coalitions mobilize government and private sector partnerships to support collective action. The partnerships promote public health conversations and educate at the local level. They also encourage the involvement of the public in the transformation of the healthcare system to meet social and health needs. The partnerships aided by the State-Based Action Coalitions help identify local health needs, help improve public and private investment in health care, and promote practitioner education. They also identify intersectional discrimination in health care and support the systemic healthcare reforms to address structural inequalities and health disparities. State-based Action Coalitions are also led by nurses, further expanding nurses’ opportunities in health leadership as per the key messages of the IOM report.
New York Action Coalition Initiatives Advancing Nursing Profession
The New York State Action Coalition (NYSAC) has a mission and vision focused on facilitating and providing informed leadership to implement the recommendations of the IOM report across New York. The NYSAC intends to reduce the cost of care and improve the experiences of New Yorkers within the healthcare system. The NYSAC is focused on removing the barriers to the scope of practice for nurses to enable advanced practice nurses (APNs) to gain practice authority and practice to the full potential of their training and education. Another initiative of the NYSAC is focused on increasing the diversity in the nursing workforce to meet the diverse demands of the diverse population of New York and the United States. The NYSAC has influenced the health budget of New York and has seen an increase in funding to support health access provided by nurses. The NYSAC’s action campaign has also resulted in the employment of nurses in leadership positions, such as in the New York State Board for Nursing, for instance, Dr. Kenya Beard, the current board’s chairperson.
Barriers to Nursing Advancement in New York
New York is among the states in the US currently facing various barriers to advancing the nursing profession across the state. One major barrier is the current shortage of qualified nurse educators