In November 2010, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) released “The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health.” This special report examined the current state of nursing and the changing landscape of the American health care system and offered recommendations for the future role that nurses should play. The committee that issued the report, the Committee on the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, divided it into three parts. The second part of the study focused on transforming the nursing profession to improve the U.S. healthcare system. In order to achieve this transformation, the committee recommended that nurses achieve higher levels of education and training, fully practice this education and training, and assume more of a leadership role (Heller, Oros, & Durney-Crowley, 2013) . Nursing is unique among health care professions in America because there are numerous educational pathways leading to entry-level licensure. Currently, there are three types of programs: degree programs offered at hospitals, ADN degree programs at junior or community colleges, and BSN degree programs. Although these pathways provide different opportunities for people to become nurses, the study recommends a more uniform educational process. “Nursing education should serve as a platform for continuous, lifelong learning and include opportunities for a smooth transition to graduate programs. Accreditation, licensing and certification bodies should require demonstrated mastery of basic skills and competencies to complement completion of curricula and written board examinations” (IOM, 2010, p. 163 ). The report recommended that nurses with an ADN and degree start B...... middle of document......www.iom.edu/Reports/2010/The-Future-of-Nursing -Leading-Change-Advancing -Health.aspxLaurant M, Reeves D, Hermens R, Braspenning J, Grol R, Sibbald B, (2009). Substitution of doctors by nurses in primary care (review). The Cochrane Collaboration. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. Retrieved from: http://www.bibliotecacochrane.com/pdf/CD001271.pdfThe New England Journal of Medicine (2013). Physician and nurse practitioner perspectives on primary care. Retrieved from: http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMsa1212938 Trossman, S (2010). The IOM report calls for more nurse leaders across health care. The American Nurse. November-December 2010, p. 1. Retrieved from: http://www.theamericannurse.org/index.php/2010/11/30/iom-report-calls-for-more-nurse-leaders-throughout-health-care/2010).