Future of nursing

[cougarnurse]

From the Colombus Dispatch. Any thoughts or comments? http://blog.dispatch.com/health/2010...s_should.shtml

A majority of nurses should have bachelor’s degrees by 2020, nurse practitioners should be able to practice without a physician’s supervision and insurance companies should pay nurse practitioners directly and fairly for services.

These are some of the recommendations in a report released today by the Institute of Medicine on the future of nursing in the United States.

There are almost 3 million nurses making it the largest health care profession in the nation. They need a voice in changing health care, committee members said.

“Nursing needs to be full participants with medicine and other health care (providers) to lead the change,” said Donna Shalala, University of Miami president and chairman of the committee that wrote the report.

Currently, about 50 percent of nurses have bachelor's degrees, many have associate's degrees or diplomas, according to the committee.

Nurse practitioners have master's degrees and do many of the same things doctors do in treating things such as sinus infections and strep throat, and treating people with multiple chronic conditions.

There are 15 states where nurse practitioners can practice without a physician, but Ohio is not one of those.

The report also calls on state lawmakers to force health insurance companies often pay nurse practitioners closer to what they pay doctors for the same service.

To read the report, click here.

[Ricu]

Interesting times we live in.

[suebird3]

Haven't 'the powers that be' been saying that a BSN was supposed to be the entry level for nursing YEARS ago?

[Ricu]

Yeah, the "powers that be" have been saying much AND making a lot of noise too. I can only speak in favor of higher education but in the many years I've been in the trench, I've encountered a lot of nurses who are not BSN educated or higher, but whose integrity and clinical judgement I would put up against ANY other nurse. That these professionals are considererd ill prepared is a slap against their character. Likewise, I've worked with a lot of "better prepared" RNs who are lost at the bedside. So much for scholastic achievement. Obviously there is a middle road somewhere that we would do well to find.

R