On March 22, 2011, the Editors-in-Chief of the top LWW nursing journals got together for a roundtable discussion about the Institute of Medicine and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Report on the Future of Nursing. For those of you who listened in, I hope you enjoyed the conversation about how these nurse leaders interpret and understand the key messages and recommendations from the report. For me, the task at hand is now clearer. It is now up to us nurses to bring our profession and our own careers to the level we deserve. I’d like to share some of what I took away from this discussion.

Anne Dabrow Woods, MSN, RN, CRNP, ANP-BC, Chief Nurse of Wolters Kluwer Health/ Lippincott Williams & Wilkins and Ovid Technologies, moderated the discussion and reminded me that there are 3.1 million nurses (which is the largest group of health care providers) in the United States and we “need a seat at the table” to “make changes happen.” Anne then went on to explain in detail the key messages and recommendations in the report.

Maureen ""Shawn"" Kennedy, MA, RN, Editor-in-Chief of the American Journal of Nursing, spoke next about what the Report means to “nurses at the point of care” - which includes staff nurses, nurses practicing in home care, nursing homes, and other areas where direct patient care is occurring. She speaks about professional practice and having a voice when it comes to priorities of care.  Later in the webcast, Shawn talks about the education of nurses being for the public good and she includes good points about responsibility for funding.

Rich Hader, PhD, NE-BC, RN, CHE, CPHQ, FAAN, Editor-in-Chief of Nursing Management and Senior Vice-President and Chief Nursing Office of Meridian Health System gave his take on the report and what it means for managers and other nurse leaders. Some of his great words included “forge partnerships with academic colleagues” and “produce lifelong learning.” He commented on the timeliness of the report and brought up the idea of economic incentive for nurses going back to school. Rich also lists some key ideas for leaders and managers.

Jamesetta Newland, PhD, FNP-BC, FAANP, DPNAP, Editor-in-Chief of The Nurse Practitioner and Clinical Associate Professor at New York University shared her views on the report with regards to advanced practice nurses (APNs). She commented about APNs being trained holistically and the push to move the healthcare system to one of wellness, instead of illness.

Janet Fulton, PhD, RN, Editor-in-Chief of Clinical Nurse Specialist and Associate Professor at Indiana University spoke about clinical nurse specialists in acute care. Her comments about all APNs collaborating with each other to provide inpatient and outpatient care were eye-opening, especially her quote “nursing collaborating with itself.” Another good one…for all APNs to “push the boundaries to meet the public’s need.”

Suzanne Smith, EdD, RN, FAAN, Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Nursing Administration and Nurse Educator spoke about the meaning of the report for educators and students. She suggested that we refer to guiding reports from organizations such as the NLN and the AACN. Specifically, Suzanne refers to the AACN’s “call for imagination” and the need for “dramatic change in Master’s education.” This discussion proceeds to the issue of cost.

The entire webcast has been archived and will be available for a limited time.