What Does the Future of Nursing Hold for 2020–2030?
The National Academy of Medicine’s (NAM’s), formerly known as the Institutes of Medicine, 2010 Future of Nursing report was touted as a significant shift in the nursing profession. The report provided four important milestones for the field (http://www.nationalacademies.org/hmd/Reports/2010/The-Future-of-Nursing-Leading-Change-Advancing-Health.aspx) to achieve by 2020:
- Nurses should practice to the full extent of their education and training
- A blueprint should be developed for improving nurse education
- Opportunities must exist for nurses to assume leadership positions
- Data collection must improve for policymaking and workforce planning
Chaired by former President Clinton Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala (D-FL)—who is a current U.S. congressional representative—the Future of Nursing report set significant goals for the decade after its release. Although some gains have been made in the nursing profession, many would agree that the report’s goals have not yet been fully achieved.
In 2019, NAM met and extended the vision for the profession of nursing into 2030 (http://www.nationalacademies.org/hmd/Activities/Workforce/futureofnursing2030.aspx), actively seeking to implement the final goals to ensure more Americans have increased access to quality health care and reduced disparities. According to the NAM announcement, “The committee will examine the lessons learned from the Future of Nursing Campaign for Action as well as the current state of science and technology to inform their assessment of the capacity of the profession to meet the anticipated health and social care demands from 2020 to 2030.”
Nurses are key to improving public health and safety throughout the country. Working within their communities, institutions, and with policymakers at all levels of government, nurses can make a huge impact on the care patients receive. Learn more about how nurses lend their voices to the advocacy effort (https://voice.ons.org/advocacy/get-involved)—on behalf of their patients and their profession.