Transforming Nursing Practice: Barriers and Solutions

All nurses should practice to the full extent of their education and training. This key message from the Institute of Medicine report, The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health, applies to all RNs. Barriers need to come down that prevent nurses from reaching their full potential at a time when the US health care system needs to be operating at full capacity. With the focus of US health care shifting toward promoting wellness, preventing disease, and managing chronic conditions better, the role that nurses play in coordinating care will increase. As key members of health care provider teams, nurses' contributions to the delivery of safe, high-quality, cost-effective, and patient-centered care must be recognized and valued. For nurses to realize their full potential in new models of health care delivery, a transformation of nursing practice will need to occur. This overview demonstrates how professional nurses should prepare and contribute to critical changes needed in health care reform.