In the spring of 2013, The Future of Nursing: Campaign for Action hosted a national summit in Washington, D.C., which brought together more than 200 health and health care leaders from across the country to address the role of nurses in the transformation of health care in the United States.

A review of research studies funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Interdisciplinary Nursing Quality Research Initiative (INQRI) shows that the program helped improve the rigor of research methodology, built a solid base of evidence showing links between nursing care and patient outcomes, and helped increase interdisciplinary research and practice. It also identified significant challenges for researchers exploring the ways nursing contributes to improved care.

In its landmark report, The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) emphasized the importance of nurse leadership in improving America's health care system. This American Journal of Nursing article - written by Sue Hassmiller, senior adviser for nursing at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in Princeton, NJ, and director of its Future of Nursing: Campaign for Action initiative - includes profiles of nurse leaders and their boardroom experiences.

Important decisions shaping health care are often made in boardrooms of hospitals and health systems, but nurses are chronically underrepresented on boards. Sue Hassmiller, senior adviser for nursing at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and director of the Future of Nursing: Campaign for Action, shares how nurses can take the first steps to serving on a board.