The U.S. Institute of Medicine and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation released a report stating that nurses have the capability to handle “much of the strain that healthcare reform will place on doctors and should be given both the education and the authority to take on more medical duties.”

The report suggests that the U.S. Government and non-profit organizations should fund grants and scholarships to allow nurses to further their educations so they can take on bigger responsibilities.

Q: If  nurses are pulled away from their nursing responsibilities and asked to take on more doctor-like ones, it may help with the physician shortage. However, who will step up to help fill the gaps with the nursing shortage?

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