Discussion: Nurses as Leaders in Health Care Reform

As health care delivery in the United States continues to evolve,either through mandates, improved technologies and training, or otherdrivers, nurses remain at the forefront in facilitating the success ofnew initiatives. In 2010, the Institute of Medicine formed a committeeof experts to address the following question: “What roles can nursingassume to address the increasing demand for safe, high-quality, andeffective health care services?” In the final report of the committee, The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health, the authors stated:

This report offers recommendations that collectively serve as a blueprint to (1) ensure that nurses can practice to the full extent of their education and training, (2) improve nursing education, (3) provide opportunities for nurses to assume leadership positions and to serve as full partners in health care redesign and improvement efforts, and (4) improve data collection for workforce planning and policy making. (p. 10)

For this Discussion, you will focus on the research recommendationspresented by the committee concerning the role of nurses as leaders. Thecommittee members believe that answers to these research questions areneeded to advance the profession of nursing and to further expand theirrole in health care reform and improvement.

To prepare:

• Review Chapter 7 in The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Healthreport provided in the Learning Resources. Focus on the information inBox 7.3, “Research Priorities for Transforming Nursing Leadership.”
• Select one of the research priorities listed in Box 7.3 that is ofparticular interest to you and applicable to your career interests.Consider the benefits and challenges of researching and addressing thispriority in nursing.
• Using the Walden library, identify two to three current articlesthat address your selected research priority. Consider the current stateof research efforts on this priority.
• Reflect on how the research findings for your area of priorityimpact nurses as leaders in organizations and health care reform. Why isresearch on this priority important? Post a description of the priority you selected and thebenefits and challenges of further researching this area. Provide anoverview of the articles you found (using appropriate APA citations)relating to this priority, and highlight any key findings. Explain howcontinued research in this area could strengthen the ability of nursesto lead in both individual organizations and as advocates of health carereform. USE THE FOLLOWING HEADINGS:Nurses as Leaders in Healthcare Reform (Main heading)PriorityHealth Issue Selected, Benefitsand Challenges of Researching this Area, Overviewof Outside Articles with Key Findings, HowContinued Research in this Area could Strength Nurses to Lead