Peer response week 8 ,NURS 6050 Policy and Advocacy for Improving Population Health

Week 8 peer responses

12 hours ago

Yarima Palmero Castellanos

RE: Discussion - Week 8

COLLAPSE

The healthcare industry's current state requires nurses to take active steps in continuous improvement and enhancing their work and organizations. The recently renewed Health People 2020 has updated the role and mission of RNs and APRNs, as they have a significant and crucial impact on the care services' accessibility and quality. Therefore, the admitted significance of nurses in healthcare is recognized by policymakers, and they should become active participants in the legislative aspect of the healthcare industry.

RNs and APRNs are front liners who have transitional positions between their medical institutions and patients. They participate in both the advancement of the hospitals' services and in quality improvement of patients' outcomes. In these instances, they are aware of both sides' issues and complications and can make an impact and change how, when, and why care services are provided to patients (Rasheed et al., 2020). From this perspective, the RNs and APRNs should participate in the legislative branch and decision-making processes. They should cooperate with policymakers and expand opportunities to promote patient safety and quality outcomes and to establish legal instruments for drug prescription by RNs and APRNs. These two legal opportunities are vital for nursing and require nurses’ participation in policymaking.

However, RNs and APRNs are limited in their responsibilities in front of patients and have no opportunity to take actions in patients’ health status improvement, stabilization, or recovery. Nonetheless, it is proposed that RNs and APRNs utilize evidence-based practices to support their claims and legislative initiatives, as field case studies are rich in patient data, care services efficiency, and medical organizations’ performance and quality outcomes. Another strategy is to actively participate in discussions and workshops, where RNs and APRNs can offer solutions and methodologies on how to improve healthcare services and delivery (Rasheed et al., 2020). Such collaboration of nursing professionals may significantly increase their influence among policymakers.

As a result, the RNs and APRNs can not only improve their organizations or impact the care services provision, but also utilize the evidence-based practices to navigate the policymakers by offering them insights and case studies on how current legislation supports or disrupts the healthcare within the field practice. In return, this strengthens RNs and APRNs' position within their working environment and within the legislative and executive branches.

Reference

Rasheed, S. P., Younas, A., & Mehdi, F. (2020). Challenges, extent of involvement, and the impact of nurses’ involvement in politics and policy making in last two decades: An integrative review. Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 52(4), 446–455. https://doi.org/10.1111/jnu.12567

https://www.nursingworld.org/practice-policy/advocacy/state/aprn-state-law-and-regulation/

Donald Freeman

RE: Discussion - Week 8

COLLAPSE

Discussion Week 8

Initial Post

The Role of the RN/APRN in Policy-Making

Ø Opportunities that exist for RNs and APRNs to actively participate in policy-making.

1. Join the American Nurses Association. The ANA (n.d.) states:

The American Nurses Association (ANA) believes that advocacy is a pillar of nursing. Nurses instinctively advocate for their patients, in their workplaces, and in their communities; but legislative and political advocacy is no less important to advancing the profession and patient care. (paras. 1)

Through the ANA, nurses are encouraged and helped to advocate on Capitol Hill while receiving support from the agency to advance agendas that reflect nursing goals. (ANA, n.d. paras. 2) In an article that discusses the potential challenges to a nurse lobbyist, Larson (2016) explains how the nurse must give up the stethoscope for a while and change gears to become a lobbyist to the legislature. (paras. 1) Nurses can overcome this challenge by studying the role of the nurse lobbyist and having a deep understanding of the subjects that are presented to the legislature.

2. Become a Street-Level Bureaucrat. Street-level bureaucrats implement policies to the public with autonomy. (Trummers, 2014) To advocate in the legislature, a nurse must first understand the implementation of the laws and approaches to nursing. One challenge to this particular line of reasoning is the vast array of policies that affect healthcare. The nurse can focus on a specific area of interest and understand how those policies affect the practice.

Ø Two strategies to better advocate for or communicate the existence of these opportunities to participate in policy-making.

1. Join multiple nursing associations. By joining numerous nursing associations, a nurse will have many resources available to help with lobbying. These associations will have experienced nurses give advice and education on subjects that the nurse needs a greater understanding of. Membership in multiple associations enables the nurse to focus on a topic through one of the associations that the others might not advocate.

2. Get an advanced college education. Experience is a factor when participating in policy-making. Education is also an essential factor. Nurses that study advanced subjects tend to be more comfortable promoting specific policies and issues. Advanced knowledge also portrays to the legislators a sense of being an expert in nursing, and therefore the legislator is more likely to listen to the proposal.

References

American Nurses Association (ANA). (n.d.). Advocacy. https://www.nursingworld.org/practice-policy/advocacy/

Larson, J. (2016). Nurse Legislators: Representing Health Care in State Government. https://www.americanmobile.com/nursezone/nursing-news/nurse-legislators-representing-health-care-in-state-government/

Tummers, L., & Bekkers, V. (2014). Policy Implementation, Street-level Bureaucracy, and the Importance of Discretion. Public Management Review, 16(4), 527–547. https://doi-org.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/10.1080/14719037.2013.841978

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