Reflection †IOM Future of Nursing Essay

Knowledge can give nurses greater power to take action and lack of knowledge can leave nurses powerless to provide safe or effective care ( Innocent, 2011). During this difficult economic time many recruiters prefer to hire experienced nurse with knowledge. To gain knowledge one must have education. Education makes a difference in how we perceive things, provides in depth study of nursing research, leadership, management, and helps understand social, cultural, political and economic issues that affect patients and influence care. According to the IOM report in Recommendation 4: to increase the proportion of nurses with a BSN to 80% by 2020. Increasing the level of education, increases not only knowledge but gives in depth study of other fields in nursing and research. Earning a BSN degree will make one more confident to deliver safe and quality care. Research has shown the importance of baccalaureate education in relation to patient outcomes. Nurses need to educate themselves because they are the ones who provide almost all direct patient care in the hospitals and other areas. IOM report is a wakeup call to nurses who just have their diploma or associate degree to enroll into the BSN program. Having a BSN degree is preferred in much hospital as an entry level standard. Therefore completing BSN gives more opportunities for leadership and management job, helps provide quality care and improve patient safety, and helps the nurses participate in research projects. Another recommendation put forth by the IOM is Recommendation 5: Double the number of nurses with doctorate degree by 2020. Healthcare needs more nurses with doctorates to educate nurses, lead change and advance health care in America. A higher degree of clinical skill and knowledge enhances the leadership skills and keep with the pace of  the growing demands in healthcare. Nurses need to get their doctorate which gives them more autonomy, money and power. Have a doctorate degree, helps build up on what you already know and use the clinical skill learned in research, create and bring about change for the better in the lives of the patients. There are more jobs open for a doctorate in nursing in the field of research, labs, universities, administrative positions in the hospitals and insurance company. Ensure lifelong learning as per IOM recommendation 6: Ensure learning to keep up with the demand of the changes in technology, and gain competencies needed to deliver care of diverse populations. Lifelong learning contributes to the development of knowledge and skill in nursing. A focus on continuous learning is necessary to remain current on trends, practices, and the newest treatments in the field of nursing(Wetters, 2011). Increasing education gives every nurse the confidence to compete in the job market. Knowledge and skills learned can be enhanced through education and lifelong learning experience to keep up with the pace of the growing needs of the healthcare industry. Every nurse should engage in a learning process to keep up with the challenges of this century. Nurses have given a wide scope of practice and one should take advantage of that to enhance oneself to better job where one can help train the new generation of nurses. Education will always be an assess in today’s job market as well as in the future. Every nurse should encourage and support one another to higher learning. Reference Innocent, K. (2011. January). Knowledge, A Power Source for Nurses. Nursing center. Retrieved on April, 13 from http://www.nursingcenter.com/Blog/post/2011/01/14/Knowledge-A-Power-Source-for-Nurses.aspx http://www.thefutureofnursing.org/recommendation/detail/recommendation-6 Wetters, K. (2011, January). Culture of Lifelong learning in Nursing. Fostering a culture of curiosity. Retrieved on April 13, 2013 from http://www.rightathome.net/foxvalley/blog/culture-of-lifelong-learning-in-nursing-joliet-illinois/