DiversityNursing Blog

“Nurses serve in a variety of professional leadership positions, from administrators and unit managers to chief nursing officers and hospital board members. Today, the challenges of leading in an increasingly complex health care environment are great; therefore, nurses need to take every opportunity to develop and hone their leadership qualities and skills. The question for every nurse—no matter the stage of her or his education or career—is: Are you the best leader you can be?” writes Sue Hassmiller, senior adviser for nursing at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and director of the Future of Nursing: Campaign for Action, and Julie Truelove, student at the University of Virginia School of Nursing, in an article in the January 2014 issue of the American Journal of Nursing.

The article, “Are You the Best Leader You Can Be?,” discusses the Institute of Medicine’s recommendations on nursing leadership in the 2010 report, The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health. The recommendations call on the health care system to “prepare and enable nurses to lead change to advance health,” by developing leadership programs and providing increased opportunities to lead. The article features a table of nurse leadership programs for nursing students and professional nurses as well as a nursing leadership resource list.

Table: Leadership at Every Level -  Click here to view the full table. 

“Nurses with strong leadership and management skills are better prepared to serve individuals and their families and the community, and to collaborate with colleagues,” the authors write. Regardless of where you are in your career, “a leadership program is a step toward becoming the best leader you can be.”  Read the full article here.

Source: CampaignforAction.org 

Despite “measurable progress” in the three years since the release of the Institute of Medicine’s landmark report on the future of nursing, more work remains “to fully realize the potential of qualified nurses to improve health and provide care to people who need it.”

That assessment is part of a commentary by Harvey V. Fineberg, MD, PhD, president of the IOM, and Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, MD, MBA, president and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, on the aftermath of the report.

“The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health” was released Oct. 5, 2010, by the IOM with the support of RWJF. It provided a blueprint for transforming the nursing profession to “respond effectively to rapidly changing healthcare settings and an evolving healthcare system,” according to a report brief.

The key recommendations: allow nurses to practice to the full scope of their education and training, provide opportunities for nurses to serve as healthcare leaders and increase the proportion of nurses with a BSN to 80% by 2020. Following the report, RWJF and AARP formed the Campaign for Action to implement the report’s recommendations at the state level. 

Regarding scope of practice for advanced practice registered nurses, Fineberg and Lavizzo-Mourey wrote that 43 state action coalitions have prioritized initiatives to remove scope-of-practice regulations that prevent APRNs from delivering care to the full extent of their education and training. Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland , Nevada, North Dakota, Oregon and Rhode Island have removed barriers to APRN practice and care, and 15 states introduced bills this year to remove physician supervision requirements that can hinder APRN care.

Regarding education and training, the proportion of employed nurses with a BSN or higher degree was 49% in 2010 and 50% in 2011. “Progress is likely to accelerate in the years to come,” Fineberg and Lavizzo-Mourey wrote, “because between 2011 and 2012 along there was a 22.2% increase in enrollment in RN-to-BSN programs and a 3.5% increase in enrollment in entry-level BSN programs.” The authors also noted a recent increase in the number of students enrolled in nursing doctorate programs. Of the 51 action coalitions, 48 have worked to enable seamless academic progression in nursing.

The authors noted that the influence of the campaign has paid off with a $200 million Medicare initiative to support the training of APRNs at hospital systems in Arizona, Illinois, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Texas.

Regarding nurse leadership, Fineberg and Lavizzo-Mourey wrote, the “Campaign for Action has tapped established and emerging nurse leaders across the nation and is working to provide them with opportunities for networking, skills development and mentoring. A key strategy is to advocate for more nurses to serve on hospital boards.” 

Full commentary: http://bit.ly/176XyZs

Campaign for Action: http://www.rwjf.org/en/topics/rwjf-topic-areas/nursing/action-coalitions.html

“Future of Nursing” report: www.iom.edu/Reports/2010/The-Future-of-Nursing-Leading-Change-Advancing-Health.aspx

Graduate Nurse Education Demonstration: http://innovation.cms.gov/initiatives/gne/. 

Source: Nurse.com