Initiative on the Future of Nursing

Nursing at a critical juncture: Time for change

A new report outlines a road map for nursing in the 21st century. The role of nurses will grow in the coming decades as more people are covered by health insurance, the report says, but there are significant challenges to making it happen and doing it right.

The recommendations of the report by the National Academy of Sciences' Institute of Medicine and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation will be discussed at a symposium on Oct. 14 at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Nursing.

Here are some highlights:

• There are more than 3 million nurses in the U.S. And they will be taking on new responsibilities with changes in the health care system as a result of the Obama administration’s new health care law. It will mean coverage for millions of Americans and expanded work for the health care field. Nurses will be at the forefront of these changes.
• In 10 years, 80 percent of nurses should have bachelor's degrees. Twice as many nurses should get PhDs, and all nurses should do residencies, the sort of practical training that new doctors do, the report recommends.
• But that’s not all. The report calls for the elimination of regulations and institutional limits on what nurses are allowed to do, including so-call "scope of practice" rules that define what sorts of care about they can and can't provide.

This report is a rich resource of integrated information. It is instructive on how nurses can effectively deliver quality health care and be prepared to meet the demands of a reformed health care system. Implementing this report’s recommendations will offer greater access, higher quality and more cost-effective care to the American public.

-Afaf I. Meleis, Dean University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing

Read more about the Initiative on the Future of Nursing


Afaf I. Meleis, PhD, DrPS(hon), FAAN
Margaret Bond Simon Dean of Nursing
Professor of Nursing and Sociology
University of Pennsylvania
School of Nursing
Claire M. Fagin Hall
http://www.nursing.upenn.edu/