Nursing and Current Trends in Healthcare in USA
The increasing complexity in America’s healthcare system has compelled the Institute of Medicine to give a road map to the future of nursing, by laying out specific recommendations to ensure that service delivery in all healthcare facilities meet the demands of a competitive and versatile society. One particularly pressing issue is technology, which has had a huge impact across all borders of the economic divide(IOM, 2010). It is therefore a requirement that various organizations step up their expertise, both in form of skills enhancement, and by implementation of new innovations. This paper provides an analysis of the some of the recommendations, and gives a prospectus of the same field of practice, based on the current state of affairs.
The baccalaureate degree is an educational program meant to steer learning among people aged between 3-19 years(Ramendra, Sonya & Gwen, 2011). As most community health workers have just finished their basic levels of education, this recommendation by IOM is a very ambitious one that would need a great deal of training. As such, tutors and instructors will be needed, thus providing an opportunity for me to use my current knowledge to contribute to the achievement of better efficiency in healthcare. In addition, Recommendation number five comes as a relief to me, as it promises to provide a rare opportunity for me to develop my career and educational level. With my current undergraduate program, it would be fulfilling to utilize the resources that would be availed by IOM to further my education, and become part of an extensive and progressive program aimed at improving the state of nursing.
Lastly, lifelong learning as proposed in the sixth recommendation would a very important element in the move towards improving service delivery in healthcare facilities. One of the greatest obstacles to implementation of new ideas such as technological innovation that affect the mode of operations in organizations is employees’ unwillingness to embrace change(Ramendra, Sonya & Gwen, 2011). This is propagated by individuals’ natural low propensity to accept planned change. Engaging in lifelong learning would serve to facilitate this acceptance, and communicate the benefits of improved services to older nurses(Ramendra, Sonya & Gwen, 2011). I would also use this opportunity to develop my career, and perhaps based on my educational level, would actively take part in the training program as a facilitator.
As a nurse with an undergraduate degree, I would be very marketable in the job market that is faced with an alarming shortage of medical practitioners. Furthermore, increasing my current level of education to, say, doctorate level, would be a huge boost in my career, as I will not only be proficient in my work as a nurse to the patients, but also in offering training and skills enhancement to other nurses to help in making the IOM’s recommendations a reality. Thus, higher level of learning would position me as an ably qualified nurse, with ability and expertise to participate in the policy making process, and coming up with new suggestions and innovations to further better the state of service delivery in the healthcare sector. More importantly, with the realization that the future of nursing relies on improved technology, a higher level of education would position me as a point man in the design, organization and implementation of these new strategies across the facilities in which I will be working.
References
Institute of Medicine (2010). The future of nursing: Leading change, advancing health. Report recommendations. Retrieved from http://www.iom.edu/~/media/Files/Report%20Files/2010/The-Future-of-Nursing/Future%20of%20Nursing%202010%20Recommendations.pdf.
Ramendra, T., Sonya H.Y., H., & Gwen, F. (2011). Innovation in healthcare: Issues and future trends. Journal Of Business Research,65(1), 562-569.