LAUSR

Earlier this year, the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) launched a consensus study, sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, on the Future of Nursing 2020-2030. The goal of this work is to build upon the successes that were accomplished from the 2010 study, The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health. In doing so, the ad hoc committee, convened by NAM, will investigate the role of nurses to create a “culture of health, reduce disparities, and improve well-being of the U.S. population in the 21 Century” (NAM, 2019a, para. 2). Part of this work will be to conduct a rigorous analysis of the evidence, considering the current state of science and technology. Further examination will allow for a dive deep into the rich models of care run by nurses across the country— some well known and others still gaining recognition. The Academy stands in support of the consensus study. Not only because our fellows are prime contributors to the innovations and exemplars that should be highlighted as evidence, but also because the organization took a firm, conscious position in drafting our policy priorities for 2019-2020 to include advancing health equity and championing wellness (Academy, 2019). Under this priority, it states “the Academy advances policies that closely consider the social determinants of health” (Academy, 2019, pg. 2). Social determinants of health (SDH), as defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) are “the conditions in which people are born, grow, work, live, and age, and the wider set of forces and systems shaping the conditions of daily life” (WHO, n.d.).