Nursing Impact on Policy-Making
Nursing Impact on Policy-Making
(Nursing Impact on Policy-Making)
Discussion 2: The Role of the RN/APRN in Policy-Making
Word cloud generators have become popular tools for meetings and team-building events. Groups or teams are asked to use these applications to input words they feel best describe their team or their role. A “word cloud” is generated by the application that makes prominent the most-used terms, offering an image of the common thinking among participants of that role.
What types of words would you use to build a nursing word cloud? Empathetic, organized, hard-working, or advocate would all certainly apply. Would you add policy-maker to your list? Do you think it would be a very prominent component of the word cloud?
Nursing has become one of the largest professions in the world, and as such, nurses have the potential to influence policy and politics on a global scale. When nurses influence the politics that improve the delivery of healthcare, they are ultimately advocating for their patients. Hence, policy-making has become an increasingly popular term among nurses as they recognize a moral and professional obligation to be engaged in healthcare legislation.
To Prepare:(Nursing Impact on Policy-Making)
Revisit the Congress.gov website provided in the Resources and consider the role of RNs and APRNs in policy-making. Reflect on potential opportunities that may exist for RNs and APRNs to participate in the policy-making process.
By Day 3 of Week 8
Post an explanation of at least two opportunities that exist for RNs and APRNs to actively participate in policy-making. Explain some of the challenges that these opportunities may present and describe how you might overcome these challenges. Finally, recommend two strategies you might make to better advocate for or communicate the existence of these opportunities to participate in policy-making. Be specific and provide examples.
By Day 6 of Week 8
Respond to at least two of your colleagues’ posts by suggesting additional opportunities or recommendations for overcoming the challenges described by your colleagues. Note: Throughout this program, your fellow students are referred to as colleagues.
Everything should be in APA 7 format. At least 3 references, all with DOI numbers and at least 3 paragraphs for the main post and 2 for replies.
Discussion for reply one (Guy)(Nursing Impact on Policy-Making)
RNs and APRNs have crucial roles in healthcare to inform decisions of policy-making. There are many opportunities that exist for nursing professionals to participate in policy-making. According to Burke (2016), “It’s essential that policies exist that define and integrate appropriate standards for delivery of care and address conditions necessary for that care to occur. Through policy work, nurses can and should influence practice standards and processes to assure quality of care. Nurses who influence policy help shape the care that will be provided today and tomorrow. Policies also impact resource allocation to support delivery of healthcare.”
One opportunity that exists for nurses to become active in policy-making is to become a member of the American Nurses Association. According to Catallo, Spalding, & Haghiri-Vijeh (2014), “Policy products that the ANA offers include a ‘policy activist toolkit.’ As part of this toolkit, RNs are provided with resources that include how to get involved in a political campaign, writing letters to the editor, how to engage politicians, and carry out lobbying activities.” The article “Nursing Professional Organizations: What Are They Doing to Engage Nurses in Health Policy?” discusses how nurses can become engaged in health policy activities and how to address policy issues.
Another opportunity that exists for nurses to become active in policy-making is to advance their education by becoming an APRN. According to Regis College (n.d.), “Nurse practitioners have an opportunity to serve as advocates for patients, families, communities, other nurses, and healthcare organizations. Through this advocacy, nurse practitioners can influence healthcare policy. By gaining a comprehensive understanding in particular areas of healthcare, nurse practitioners are uniquely situated to support positions that will benefit our communities.” Becoming an APRN prepares your ability to participate in the advocacy of healthcare policy-making.
A strategy that can be used to promote nursing professionals’ involvement in policy-making is to do so through nursing employers. For example, I would propose to create and implement a “Policy Committee” through my hospital organization to discuss the potential nurse advocacy benefits we can offer to policy-making. In addition, as mentioned by Catallo et al., (2014), to convey “Political awareness and understanding of the importance of being involved in nursing organizations, time to engage in policy development outside of nursing work, and resources to develop skills in policy participation.”
Another strategy that can be implemented to overcome the barriers of nursing involvement in policy-making is to do so through nursing education. According to Short (2008), “The foundations for a professional understanding of healthcare policy should be well laid in formal education and synthesized with practice and work environments. Without time to promote the synthesis of policy concepts related to the practice environment, nurses have no basis for further exploration and may remain naive to the influences of policy throughout their career.” If nursing students (RN or APRN) were exposed to healthcare policy and the influence their roles can have on policy-making during their nursing education, there would be much more nursing involvement in healthcare policy that is needed today.
References(Nursing Impact on Policy-Making)
Burke, A. (2016). Influence Through Policy: Nurses Have a Unique Role. Retrieved October 18, 2020, from https://nursingcentered.sigmanursing.org/commentary/more-commentary/Vol42_2_nurses-have-a-unique-role.
Catallo, C., Spalding, K., & Haghiri-Vijeh, R. (2014). Nursing Professional Organizations: What Are They Doing to Engage Nurses in Health Policy? SAGE Open. https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244014560534
Regis College (n.d.). How Does Nursing Influence Health Care Policy? Retrieved October 18, 2020, from https://online.regiscollege.edu/blog/how-does-nursing-influence-health-care-policy/
Short, N. M. (2008). Influencing health policy: Strategies for nursing education to partner with nursing practice. Journal of Professional Nursing: Official Journal of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 24(5), 264–269. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.profnurs.2007.10.004
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