The IOM published report, “Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health,” makes recommendations for lifelong learning and achieving higher levels of education.

In 1,000-1,250 words, examine the importance of nursing education and discuss your overall educational goals. Include the following:

1. Discuss your options in the job market based on your educational level.

2. Review the IOM Future of Nursing Recommendations for achieving higher levels of education. Describe what professional certification and advanced degrees (MSN, DNP, etc.) you want to pursue and explain your reasons for wanting to attain the education. Discuss your timeline for accomplishing these goals.

3. Discuss how increasing your level of education would affect how your competitiveness in the current job market and your role in the future of nursing.

4. Discuss the relationship of continuing nursing education to competency, attitudes, knowledge, and the ANA Scope and Standards for Practice and Code of Ethics.

5. Discuss whether continuing nursing education should be mandatory. Provide support for your response.

You are required to cite to a minimum of three sources to complete this assignment. Sources must be published within the last 5 years and appropriate for the assignment criteria and relevant to nursing practice. Prepare this assignment according to the guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center.

An abstract is not required. This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion. You are required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite. Refer to the LopesWrite Technical Support articles for assistance

Inadequate mental health treatment services and a lack of funding to support patients threatens the well-being of the society due to the increased cases of self-medication and substance abuse. Mississippi lacks adequate community-based facilities to provide quality health care. Additionally, the federal government allocates less funds for Medicaid and reimbursement programs, hence making it difficult for low-income populations to access proper treatment. Subsequently, the victims opt to self-medicate using opioids, while others abuse substances. Congressman Thompson revealed that most constituents are concerned about the allocation of Medicaid funds, which has resulted in high care costs for the citizens. However, he was quick to highlight that strategies are underway to ensure that community-based facilities are restored and supplied with enough resources to cater to low-income patients.

Most residents are concerned about the poorly coordinated mental health system, which emphasizes institutionalized care. Few facilities exist within communities, forcing most of the patients to seek treatment in public hospitals. Subsequently, such facilities are overcrowded, and nurses are overwhelmed, thus reducing the quality of care. Besides, most low-income and uninsured patients cannot afford the services, which leads to self-medication and substance abuse.

Currently, the state has not approved a waiver to expand Medicaid services. Therefore, most patients not meeting the minimum requirements of the federal-state program cannot access Medicaid. Besides, most funds are used to compensate healthcare providers, making the money left not enough to cover all expenses. Thus, hospitals risk lacking adequate resources to cater for mentally ill patients. Additionally, the federal government has been reluctant to increase funds because of the current service delivery structure. Increasing Medicaid funds can only help patients to seek early treatment but not change the quality of health care services.

The state will have to build mental facilities within communities to show its commitment to improving the current system. The process will enable the government to allocate more funds towards the programs. Nevertheless, increasing funds without changing the system will only help residents to pay for their care, while the service delivery system remains unchanged. Therefore, the state has to abandon the poorly coordinated institutional system to win the government’s support.

The state government is currently working on a plan to shift the service delivery system from institutional to community-based care. The strategy will help to increase the number of facilities and improve the current amenities within communities to accommodate psychiatric patients. Besides, convicts diagnosed with mental issues can be accommodated in designated centers, thus decongesting prisons. This way, the Medicaid program will benefit the society because the funds will be used to pay the staff, purchase drugs, and other equipment required to provide care services. Additionally, the process will decongest most hospitals and enable the latter to focus on providing primary care. Thus, the current status in most hospitals will change in the coming years. Expanding Medicaid to cover low-income workers and increasing the allocation of state funds to reimburse healthcare providers will help to support non-compliant patients. Community centers will treat such individuals as long as the federal government pledges to compensate for the services provided. Therefore, the leaders will lobby for the government’s support to build more community facilities and increase reimbursement funds.

Impact of the Policy Issue

The lack of community-based mental health facilities and inadequate funds pose a significant concern to patients diagnosed with psychiatric issues. According to Cheang (n.d.), Mississippi has the highest prevalence of alcohol and substance use, and only about 11.3 percent of youth with depression received treatment. Currently, approximately 77,000 of Mississippians diagnosed with psychiatric illnesses are uninsured and do not receive adequate care services (Smith, 2019).

Most victims are referred to public hospitals, which lack enough resources to cater to them. Additionally, the staff is prone to burnout issues due to the vast number of patients, hence lowering the quality of care they provide. Such victims are likely to opt for cheap opioids to improve their symptoms, which increases the risk of addiction. Others may resort to abusing drugs, including alcohol and tobacco, hence increasing the possibility of engaging in crime or committing suicide. Furthermore, children with severe mental health needs have to travel long distances to access psychiatric institutions, which are often overcrowded (Mader, 2018). Therefore, the lack of mental health treatment services and lack of funding to the system is a threat to the well-being of Mississippi residents. Policies to increase funding for community-based facilities should be implemented to ensure all residents have access to proper care (National Alliance on Mental Illness, n.d.). The approach will help to increase the accessibility of quality care services in all areas. Additionally, it will reduce the rate of substance abuse and deaths among patients with psychiatric disorders.

Personal Experience with the Policy Issue

            The policy issue became apparent to me after losing a cousin, who suffered from depression and could not afford proper care in private hospitals. He sought treatment from a public hospital, which was overcrowded and did not have enough nurses and medications to cater to the patients. Additionally, the environment was unconducive because victims shared rooms with severely ill individuals, which was unbearable for him. Subsequently, he left the hospital and resorted to using opioids to reduce the symptoms. However, he was addicted and started abusing alcohol and marijuana. Consequently, his condition worsened, and he later committed suicide due to frustrations and hopelessness. I reflected on the issue and wondered whether other mental patients in Mississippi faced the same problem. The suspicions were confirmed by the available reports about the poorly coordinated mental health system. For instance, the federal government recently accused the state of not providing adequate healthcare services to patients with psychiatric disorders within communities and forcing patients in segregated hospitals (Zaveri, 2019). Therefore, inadequate mental health facilities and a lack of funding pose an issue, which requires the state’s attention to ensure the residents’ well-being.

Conclusion

Mississippi is among the poorly ranked states in terms of the quality of mental healthcare services. Individuals diagnosed with psychiatric disorders seek treatment from pubic hospitals due to a lack of community facilities. Besides, the government allocates fewer funds to reimburse healthcare providers and support low-income patients. Subsequently, most victims engage in destructive behaviors, such as self-medicating, using opioids, and abusing substances. Therefore, the current service delivery system poses a significant problem for psychiatric patients. Leaders should focus on building more community-based facilities to ensure the latter can access proper treatment. Furthermore, they should lobby for more funds to support mentally ill individuals and ensure that healthcare providers deliver quality services.