The Nursing Profession Has Gone Through Numerous...

The nursing profession has gone through numerous transformations throughout the years; dating back to Florence Nightingale. She began the movement of professionalism. This movement marked a time when nurses were eager to get an education and had the opportunity to acquire it through a nursing program (Alligood, 2010). From this movement on, nursing has continued to change at a very rapid pace. The Institute of Medicine (IOM) report describes patient needs and environment being much more complex in the 21st century versus the 20th century; not to mention all of the technological advances (Institute of Medicine, 2010). These factors make it vital for both current and future nurses to obtain an even higher education. The government†¦show more content†¦It is essential for nurses to live up to their full potential so they can deliver the best patient outcomes and be successful in the continually changing healthcare system (Institute of Medicine, 2010). To what extent does the Af fordable Care Act affect the nursing education system and ultimately nurses being able to live up to their full potential in the 21st century? In order to advance the education system continued education is important to keep up with current nursing issues and protocols to keep patients safe. Nurses should never stop learning. Nurses who do not have a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) are encouraged to do so in order to advance their practice. The goal is to transform nursing education from 50% of nurses with a BSN to 8o% by 2020 and the number of nurses with a Doctorate to double by 2020 (Institute of Medicine, 2010). The number of nurses with a BSN or currently working towards a BSN has in fact increased thanks to added resources to make these goals more attainable. However, increasing the number of nurses with a BSN to 80% by 2020 is a little overzealous due to the overwhelming demands and time-frame; only 5 years away. There has been a significant rise of insured Americans who will be needing care because of the ACA. In addition, nearly 40% of working registered nurses (RN s) were nearing retirement in 2010 and if this trend continues nursing shortages could be around 400,000 by 2020 (National Advisory Council on