Implementing motivational interviewing training: Strengthening the role of the registered nurse

The current primary healthcare model is in need of urgent transformation, as it is vital to addressing health priorities at the systemic level. With over 3 million members, the nursing profession is the largest entity of the nation’s healthcare workforce, however they are underutilized in the primary care setting. As the pendulum swings back towards community based primary care, changes in nursing education are critical for support. Nursing curricula needs to be reexamined, updated, and adaptive enough to change with patients’ needs and improvements in both science and technology. The Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation has identified and responded to these needs with specific themes and recommendations on how best to prepare the registered nurse in the enhanced team member role. The purpose of this article, is to further explore the education of nursing students with a focus in primary care and consider the use of motivational interviewing, an evidenced-based intervention, to bridge a gap in nursing curricula. Faculty members are in a strategic position to educate and introduce the nursing future about the use of motivational interviewing, to help patients make healthier choices and impact future health outcomes.