The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences.
This organization was designed to secure the services of prominent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters relating to the health of the public. “The Institute acts to be an adviser to the federal government and, upon its own initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and education” (Institute of Medicine [IOM], 2010, p. 5) In October 2010, The IOM (Institute of Medicine) released the report, The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health. This report examines the changing roles of nursing in healthcare, changes in nursing education and the changing roles as nurses as leaders This report was the culmination of two years of research by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) and focused on best nursing practices in the United States, as well as, anticipated changes in healthcare and the implication it will have on nursing. With changes in healthcare such as the Affordable Care Act of 2010 (ACA), nurses will be playing an ever increasing role in patient centered care as healthcare moves away from acute and specialty care, and focuses more on primary care. Today the top providers of primary care are physicians (287,000), nurse practitioners (83,000), and physician assistants (23,000) (Steinwald, 2008; HRSA, 2008). The demand for advanced practice registered nurses (APRN) is expected to increase dramatically to accommodate patients seeking primary care. The IOM suggests that to prepare for this increased demand for nurse practitioners “all health care professionals should practice to the full extent of their education and training so that more patients may benefit” (IOM, 2010, p. 96). This would include standardizing the scope of practice nationwide. Across the United States, scopes of practice vary widely, inhibiting many nurses to provide the full scope
References: HRSA. (2008). The physician workforce. Rockville, MD: HRSA. Institute of Medicine. (2010). The future of nursing: leading change, advancing health. Retrieved from http://iom.edu/Reports/2010/The-Future-of-Nursing-Leading-Change-Advancing-Health Steinwald, B. (2008). Primary care professionals: Recent supply trends, projections, and valuation of services. Washington, DC: GAO.