Future of Nursing Report: NAM Recommendations

The Future of Nursing reports are landmark national consensus studies published by the National Academy of Medicine (NAM)—formerly the Institute of Medicine (IOM)—and sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF). Spanning the foundational 2011 report and the 2020–2030 blueprint, these consensus studies serve as authoritative policy frameworks guiding federal agencies, state legislatures, health systems, and academic institutions across the United States. For scholars exploring the conceptual foundation of clinical inquiry, see our guide on what is nursing science.

What it is and who runs it

The Future of Nursing initiative is convened by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) under the direction of the National Academy of Medicine. Operating as an independent scientific advisory body chartered by Congress, the National Academies appoint ad hoc interdisciplinary expert committees of nurse scientists, physicians, health economists, and policy leaders to evaluate national workforce capacity.

The initiative encompasses two landmark ten-year consensus reports:

The 2011 IOM Report (The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health): Released in 2011, this foundational study addressed the workforce demands created by healthcare reform, emphasizing full scope of practice, curriculum modernization, and academic progression models.
The 2020–2030 NAM Report (The Future of Nursing 2020–2030: Charting a Path to Achieve Health Equity): Published in May 2021 by the National Academies Press, this report redirected national nursing priorities toward eliminating health disparities, addressing social determinants of health (SDOH), promoting nurse well-being, and strengthening public health emergency preparedness.

To implement these recommendations across the country, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation partnered with AARP and the AARP Foundation to establish the Future of Nursing: Campaign for Action. Operating through Action Coalitions in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., the Campaign mobilizes nurses, healthcare executives, and policymakers to enact legislative and institutional reforms.

Eligibility and institutional scope

Rather than functioning as a direct research grant program, the Future of Nursing reports establish structural standards across healthcare and academic sectors, as documented in official National Academies publications as of 2026-11-07:

Health Systems and Employers: Hospitals, community health centers, and outpatient networks are tasked with modernizing clinical workflows, removing supervisory restrictions on advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs), and establishing programs to support clinician psychological well-being.
Schools of Nursing: Academic institutions are directed to implement competency-based curricula focusing on social determinants of health and structural inequities, while establishing dual-enrollment pathways between associate (ADN) and baccalaureate (BSN) programs.
Regulatory Bodies and Legislatures: State legislatures and licensing boards are urged to modernize nurse practice acts by eliminating outdated collaborative practice mandates and granting full practice authority.
Research Organizations: Grant-making agencies—including the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR)—are directed to align extramural research funding with health equity and community-based interventions.

What it funds or requires

The recommendations formulated across the 2011 and 2020–2030 reports establish clear mandates across clinical practice, academic education, leadership, and sponsored research:

Core Recommendations of the 2011 IOM Report

Practice to Full Scope: Nurses should practice to the full extent of their education and training, requiring states to remove outdated supervision restrictions for APRNs.
Academic Progression (80% BSN Target): Increase the proportion of nurses with a baccalaureate degree to 80 percent by 2020, and double the number of nurses with doctoral degrees (PhD and DNP) to expand faculty and research capacity.
Interprofessional Leadership: Nurses must serve as full partners with physicians and administrators in redesigning American healthcare systems.
Workforce Data Systems: Build comprehensive national and state data systems to improve healthcare workforce planning and supply-demand forecasting.

Nine Core Recommendations of the 2020–2030 NAM Report

Shared National Agenda: Establish unified priorities across national nursing organizations to eliminate structural health inequities.
Support Practice for Equity: Enable nurses across all settings to address social determinants of health, such as housing and food security.
Promote Nurse Well-Being: Healthcare employers must institutionalize comprehensive wellness structures to mitigate moral injury and burnout.
Elevate Nursing Leadership: Appoint nurses to corporate healthcare boards, advisory councils, and executive leadership positions.
Abolish Scope Restrictions: Permanently remove state and federal barriers to full practice authority; for specialized primary care, see our guide on what is midwifery.
Reform Payment Models: Structure value-based reimbursement mechanisms that directly compensate nurses for care coordination and preventive interventions.
Transform Curricula: Integrate implicit bias, disaster response, and health equity throughout undergraduate and graduate education.
Strengthen Emergency Readiness: Protect healthcare workers during public health crises through adequate staffing and safety guarantees.
Fund Robust Health Equity Research: Expand research grants evaluating community-based nursing interventions that reduce health disparities.

Implementation pathways and compliance steps

Translating Future of Nursing recommendations into practice requires institutions and researchers to execute structured operational workflows:

Align Research Aims with Health Equity: Investigators preparing grant proposals must articulate how their work targets social determinants of health; for investigator roles, consult our guide to the principal investigator role.
Conduct Methodological Literature Reviews: Build proposals on indexed literature. For database synthesis strategies, see our guide on CINAHL search strategy and our comparison of CINAHL vs. PubMed.
Collaborate with State Action Coalitions: Connect with regional Campaign for Action coalitions to support legislative initiatives modernizing state scope-of-practice laws.
Develop Academic Articulation Agreements: Nursing schools should establish seamless RN-to-BSN and doctoral fast-track pipelines to accelerate credential attainment.
Audit Institutional Resilience Structures: Healthcare organizations should systematically measure staff burnout and adopt evidence-based resilience programs.

Typical timeline phases

The lifecycle of a National Academy of Medicine Future of Nursing report follows a multi-year development and rollout process:

Phase 1: Study Scoping & Committee Selection: Sponsoring organizations define the project scope, and NASEM appoints an ad hoc expert committee subject to conflict-of-interest review.
Phase 2: Evidence Gathering & Town Halls: The committee hosts regional public hearings, reviews empirical research, and gathers stakeholder testimony.
Phase 3: Consensus Drafting & Peer Review: The expert panel writes the consensus report, which undergoes rigorous external peer review overseen by the National Academies.
Phase 4: Publication & Stakeholder Briefings: The National Academies Press publishes the report, accompanied by congressional briefings and national dissemination events.
Phase 5: Ten-Year Implementation: State Action Coalitions, professional societies, and universities drive ten-year policy implementation campaigns.

Common mistakes

Organizations and researchers frequently encounter several misunderstandings when working with Future of Nursing recommendations:

Assuming Advisory Recommendations Are Enacted Law: NAM recommendations require explicit legislative or regulatory bills to become state or federal statutory law.
Conflating the 2011 and 2020–2030 Mandates: While the 2011 report focused primarily on educational levels and workforce numbers, the 2020–2030 report centers explicitly on social justice, health equity, and disaster preparedness.
Isolating Nursing from Interprofessional Teams: The consensus guidelines call for integrated, interprofessional partnerships rather than standalone nursing silos.
Overlooking State-Specific Regulatory Variations: Scope of practice varies significantly across state jurisdictions, requiring tailored regional strategies for research and practice compliance.

Related programs

The table below summarizes the Future of Nursing consensus reports alongside related national workforce initiatives:

Initiative	Convening Entity	Strategic Focus	Primary Target	Audience
Future of Nursing (2011)	Institute of Medicine (IOM) / RWJF	Workforce capacity, education, full practice	80% BSN by 2020; doubling doctorates	Nursing schools, hospitals, licensing boards
Future of Nursing (2020–2030)	National Academy of Medicine / RWJF	Health equity, SDOH, nurse well-being	9 consensus recommendations for equity	Health systems, policymakers, researchers
Campaign for Action	AARP & Robert Wood Johnson Foundation	State-level coalition implementation	50 state Action Coalitions; Nurses on Boards	Legislators, state coalitions, educators
NINR Strategic Plan	National Institutes of Health (NIH)	Federal research funding priorities	5 research lenses including health equity	Doctoral nurse scientists, research universities

Frequently asked questions

What is the Future of Nursing report?

The Future of Nursing reports are consensus studies published by the National Academy of Medicine (formerly IOM) and funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to guide national policies on nursing practice, education, leadership, and health equity.

What were the main goals of the 2011 Future of Nursing report?

The 2011 report called for nurses to practice to the full extent of their education, achieve higher education (targeting 80% BSN attainment by 2020 and doubling doctorates), partner with physicians in healthcare redesign, and improve workforce data systems.

How does the 2020–2030 report differ from the 2011 report?

While the 2011 study focused on workforce capacity and education, the 2020–2030 report centers on health equity, social determinants of health, structural racism, nurse mental health, and emergency preparedness.

What is the Future of Nursing: Campaign for Action?

The Campaign for Action is a national initiative founded by AARP and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to implement National Academy of Medicine recommendations through state-level Action Coalitions across all 50 states.

Sources

Institute of Medicine. The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press, 2011. https://doi.org/10.17226/12956. Accessed November 7, 2026.
National Academy of Medicine. The Future of Nursing 2020–2030: Charting a Path to Achieve Health Equity. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press, 2021. https://doi.org/10.17226/25982. Accessed November 7, 2026.
Future of Nursing: Campaign for Action. “Transforming Health and Health Care Through Nursing.” AARP and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 2026. https://campaignforaction.org/. Accessed November 7, 2026.
National Institute of Nursing Research. “NINR Strategic Plan: Navigating the Future of Nursing Research.” National Institutes of Health, 2026. https://www.ninr.nih.gov/. Accessed November 7, 2026.