Policy Research to Inform Discussion on Scope of Practice

Alex Hoyt, PhD, RN, a Massachusetts General Hospital Institute of Health Professions School of Nursing Assistant Professor is using his recently awarded RWJF grant to bring policy research to the political debate over nurse practitioners’ (NPs') scope of practice. Dr. Hoyt was recently awarded a $250,000 grant via the Future of Nursing National Research Agenda initiative.

Dr. Hoyt plans to study the influence of regulatory changes on the NP workforce over time, how organizations interpret state practice regulations, and how these factors impact cost, quality, and access to care.

Click here to learn more about this impressive work.

Sharing Nursing's Knowledge... with Lots of INQRI News

Check out the June edition of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Sharing Nursing's Knowledge newsletter.  We were pleased to see that INQRI was heavily featured in this month's collection of stories... Read on!

Highlights:

• The Future of Nursing national research agenda announces four new grantees supported by the INQRI program.
• The section on recent nursing research features an INQRI study on heart failure.
• Last week, RWJF announced a $20M grant to support nurse PhD scientists.

Of course, this is just a sampling of the exciting news shared in the newsletter.  Check it out!

Research Grants Awarded to Study Nurse Residency Programs, Scope of Practice, Primary Care Workforce

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and INQRI today announced the recipients of four new grants from the Future of Nursing National Research Agenda. The grants will support research into key issues being addressed by the Future of Nursing: Campaign for Action: nursing education and scope of practice regulations.

A fifth study funded last year, to determine the how emerging models of primary care will affect future primary care workforce needs, is nearing completion.That study was co-funded by the Donaghue Foundation. It's being conducted by David Auerbach of the RAND Corporation.

The other four studies are:

• A team from the University of Pennsylvania will examine the impact of the provision of the Prescription for Pennsylvania law that removed practice barriers for APRNs. The research team will evaluate the development and architecture of the bill, and the success of the provision in expanding access to health care, particularly in medically underserved communities.
  

America's Three Million Nurses are Changing Healthcare in Dramatic Ways

This past weekend, the UCLA School of Nursing published a press release emphasizing the growing importance of nurses who are the largest segment of the health care workforce. The press release highlights the influence nurses have in clinical settings, conducting research and promoting state and national health policy. Many of the topics discussed in this press release were also featured in the IOM's Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health report.

Click here to read the full article.

Click here to read other blogposts relating to the IOM's report.

Nursing Workforce Education Efforts Honored

Last week, the Midland Daily News reported that MidMichigan Health, a healthcare provider located north of Lansing, has been recognized for its overall workforce strategies that promote advanced education of nurses. MidMichigan Health has recently established a regional collaboration with Mid Michigan Community College to launch the Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) to Registered Nurse (RN) Step Up program. These efforts, which have been recognized by RWJF's FUND project, align with reccomendations made by the IOM's Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health report.

Click here to read the full news article.

Click here to access other blogposts relating to the IOM's Future of Nursing campaign.

Click here to find out more information about available funding opportunities related to the Future of Nursing's Campaign for Action.

INQRI Program Officer, Lori Melichar, PhD, Featured In This Month's Journal of Nursing Education

It is with great pleasure to share with all of you a guest editorial by Dr. Lori Melichar, Senior Program Officer at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) and the INQRI program. The editorial, which is featured in the November edition of the Journal of Nursing Education, detailed previous RWJF initiatives that have transformed care at the bedside, and how continuous quality improvement can transform nursing education.

Click here to read Dr. Melichar's guest editorial (subscription required).

Nurses Can, and Should, Play a Larger Role in Meeting the Needs of Patients

This past weekend, Cathryne A. Welch and Robert O'Connell coauthored an op-ed piece in the Times Union, describing the numerous roles nurses can take on to reduce the primary care workforce shortage as well as other recommendations made in the IOM's Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health report. The two authors, both of whom are leads of the Future of Nursing: New York State Action Coalition, clearly explained the recommendations made in the report and attempt to garner public support of these initiatives.

Click here to read the full op-ed piece.

Click here to read other blogposts relating to the IOM's report.

Click here to learn more about research opportunities available to address the recommendations made in the IOM report.

When the Nurse Wants to Be Called ‘Doctor’

Last weekend, Gardiner Harris, reporting for the New York Times, detailed the growing role for nurses with doctoral degrees in the health care field. While the growth is high-level degrees in nursing is encouraging, Ms. Harris also points out that insurance companies have not altered their reimbursement schemes to reflect the more well trained nursing workforce. The rise in nurses obtaining their doctorates aligns with recommendations made in the IOM report, Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health. Additionally, there is also much work that needs to be done to expand nurses' scope of practice and alter reimbursement schemes for Nurse Practitioners and Nurse Specialists, which can be addressed in research proposals submitted to the Future of Nursing's Research Agenda.

Click here to read the full article.

Click here to find out more information about other topics that can be addressed in the Future of Nursing's Research Agenda.

Join Us Today For A One Year Progress Report On The Future Of Nursing: Campaign For Action

At 2pm EST this afternoon, TheFutureofNursing.org will be hosting a twitter chat reflecting on the first year of the progress of achieving the recommendations set forth by the IOM report, Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health. This chat will be led by Sue Hasmiller, Director of the Future of Nursing Campaign for Action, as well as staff from the Center to Champion Nursing in America. Many of the topics that will be discussed during this Twitter chat are addressed in the recent Future of Nursing Research Agenda.

Click here to find out more information about the Twitter chat.

Make sure to use #FutureRN in all your tweets and follow us at @INQRIProgram & @CFAResearch.

Please Join The Future of Nursing First Year Progress Twitter Chat Next Wednesday, October 5th from 2-3pm EST

A week from today, TheFutureofNursing.org will be hosting a twitter chat reflecting on the first year of the progress of achieving the recommendations set forth by the IOM report, Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health. This call will be led by Sue Hasmiller, Director of the Future of Nursing Campaign for Action, as well as staff from the Center to Champion Nursing in America. Many of the topics that will be discussed during this Twitter chat are addressed in the recent Future of Nursing Research Agenda.

Click here to find out more information about the Twitter chat.