Nurses for the Future
December 16, 2010
On October 5, 2010, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) issued a report in which it recommended that the proportion of nurses in the United States who hold at least a bachelor’s degree be increased from its current level of 50% to 80% by 2020.1 The education of nurses may seem to be a less pressing matter than providing access to care for millions of uninsured Americans and making care affordable, effective, and safe for all. Yet if we don’t alter the historical patterns of nursing education, the country’s nursing resources will be crippled for the foreseeable future — with repercussions for all those patient-focused goals. (NEJM)
