The healthcare industry increasingly emphasizes all aspects of wellness, not just treatment for illnesses, Dr. Emami writes. Nurses therefore need education in issues such as the social determinants of health and disease and injury prevention. Elevating nurses’ roles will increase public access to healthcare, since nurses charge less than doctors and are more likely to work in rural and underserved areas.
Dr. Emami cites a 2011 report called The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health, published by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the National Academy of Medicine, which states nurses have a unique opportunity to lead healthcare improvements due to their close proximity to patients and scientific understanding of care. She says nursing schools across the country have expanded their goals, facilities and curricula to fit the report’s recommendations, and increasing numbers of nurses are working in more advanced, specialized roles.
Dr. Emami urges nurses to attend public listening sessions to be held in March 2020 by the National Academy of Medicine’s Committee on the Future of Nursing 2020-2030.
More articles on clinical leadership and infection control:
Viewpoint: The US must eliminate non-medical vaccine exemptions
Senators introduce bill to address high maternal and infant mortality in US: 4 things to know
CDC panel recommends HPV vaccine for some adults
