The Future of Nursing Charts a Path to Achieve Health Equity 

June 11, 2021 by Alec Stone MA, MPA, Former ONS Director of Government Affairs and Advocacy

Society in 2021 has been challenged by an economic crisis and the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. Today, nurses must have an arsenal of tools and knowledge—and the ability to adapt in unpredictable circumstances—to assist patients seeking health care. 

To guide the future of nursing practice, an expert committee from the National Academy of Medicine (https://nam.edu/)updated the Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health (https://nam.edu/publications/the-future-of-nursing-2020-2030/)’s original endorsements to include key factors, such as the role of nurses in response to emergencies that arise from natural and manmade disasters and the impact on health equity. 

The committee examined lessons learned from the Future of Nursing Campaign for Action (https://campaignforaction.org/) and the current state of science and technology to form its assessment of the profession’s capacity to meet the anticipated health and social care demands from 2020–2030, including the:

With critical changes taking place around us, nurses must keep their education at the forefront while marching toward health equity. ONS members can access additional resources on the educational standards of oncology (https://www.ons.org/standards-and-reports/standards-oncology-nursing-education) as they look to the future of the profession and health care.


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