Nursing
Regents Blue Ribbon Task Force on the Future of Nursing
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Regents Blue Ribbon Task Force on the Future of Nursing
In April 2001, the New York State Board of Regents named a Blue Ribbon Task Force on the Future of Nursing, chaired by Regent Diane O'Neill McGivern. The Regents Blue Ribbon Task Force has a critical role in addressing the current nursing shortage, solutions to the problem, and the long-term future of nursing. Task Force members were selected to represent a significant area of responsibility uniquely positioned to contribute to the resolution of the shortage. Members include leaders from education, health care and government. The Task Force's work is a model of multi-agency approach to identifying and acting on this critical health care issue.
As a result of an ambitious agenda and a steadfast commitment to a strong future for the nursing profession, the Task Force has released their findings and recommendations for resolving this looming health care crisis. In their report - Protecting the Public [PDF version for printing] - the Task Force recommends the following solutions to the nursing shortage:
- Recruitment: Expand the nursing workforce by
recruiting additional numbers of men, minorities, non-practicing
nurses, and recent high school graduates.
- Education: Provide additional academic and
financial support systems to increase the pool of nursing school
graduates and create career ladders.
- Technology: Increase the application of
labor-saving technology to eliminate unnecessary, duplicative paper
work and improve access to and communication of patient information,
thereby improving workplace conditions.
- Data Collection: Develop a reliable central
source of data on the future need for nurses in the workforce upon
which employers, policy makers, futurists, researchers and
legislators may base public policy and resource allocations.
- Clarify Existing Laws and Regulations:
- Scope of Practice for Nurses: Issue practice
guidelines to clarify the legal scope of practice of nursing,
including those tasks which do not require licensure. These
guidelines will reaffirm the individual practitioner's
responsibility for patient care, even within demanding workplace
settings.
- Patient Abandonment: Familiarize field with existing Regents regulations which describe patient abandonment - clarifying that refusal to work a double shift or other mandatory overtime in ordinary circumstances does not necessarily constitute professional misconduct. This information will be provided to nurses, hospitals, nursing homes and home care agency administrators.
- Scope of Practice for Nurses: Issue practice
guidelines to clarify the legal scope of practice of nursing,
including those tasks which do not require licensure. These
guidelines will reaffirm the individual practitioner's
responsibility for patient care, even within demanding workplace
settings.
News and Reports
- Results of the September 2002 Survey of Registered Professional
Nurses
- Report to the Board of Regents, September 2003
- Registered Nurses in New York State, 2002 - Volume I: Demographic, Educational, and Workforce Characteristics, September, 2003 (PDF file for printing, 248 pages, 2.3M)
- Report to the Board of Regents, November 2003
- Registered Nurses in New York State, 2002 - Volume II: Organizational Climate Factors, Organizational Commitment, and the Culture of Retention, October 2003 (PDF file for printing, 288 pages, 3.8M)
- Registered Nurses in New York State, 2002 - Volume III: Supplement A: In-Patient Hospital Staff RNs, A Special Risk Group, October 2003 (PDF file for printing, 96 pages, 731K)
- Follow-Up Activities on Recommendations of the Regents Blue Ribbon Task Force on the Future of Nursing - March 2002
- Report to the Board of Regents on the Nursing Shortage - April 2001
- Protecting the Public, the report of the Regents Blue Ribbon Task Force - September 2001
- The Update, focusing on the Board of Regents response to the nursing shortage - Fall 2001
- Report to the Board of Regents on Nursing and Other Professional Workforce Shortages - December 2001
Share Your Comments
To provide information or comment on the nursing shortage, contact the Office of the Professions at:
- Email: opplan@mail.nysed.gov
- Phone: 518-474-3862
- Fax: 518-473-2056
- Write: Office of the Professions
New York State Education Department
89 Washington Avenue, 2nd Floor, West Wing
Albany, NY 12234
Photo credits: photos 1 and 3 are by Ansell Horn and provided courtesy of the New York State Nurses Association.
