WEEK8 POLICY STUDYPEERS RESPONSE

Respond to at least two of your colleagues' posts by offering additional ideas regarding academic achievements to include or offering alternative ways of presenting the current achievements.

18 to >16 pts

Excellent

Response exhibits synthesis, critical thinking, and application to practice settings. ... Responds fully to questions posed by faculty. ... Provides clear, concise opinions and ideas that are supported by at least two scholarly sources. ... Demonstrates synthesis and understanding of learning objectives. ... Communication is professional and respectful to colleagues. ... Responses to faculty questions are fully answered, if posed. ... Response is effectively written in standard, edited English.

Richeal K

Participating in Policy-Making

Although there are vast options for registered nurses and advanced practice nurses (APRNs) to get involved in policy-making, we will discuss joining a professional nursing organization or taking part in an advisory committee. 

Nurses can obtain membership in any number of professional nursing organizations. As a member of a professional organization, nurses can assist with lobbying efforts for legislation. For example, I am a student member of The American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP). Accessing the AANP Advocacy Center supports the members with policy tracking, writing templates and contact information for elected officials, and weekly Government Affairs Updates, to name a few (n.d.). Additionally, there are leadership opportunities available through these organizations as a director of the board.

Nurses are regarded as subject-matter experts when participating in the policy-design process and are frequently invited to advisory committees that develop new legislation (Milstead & Short, 2019). Research findings by nurse investigators assist in forming national guidelines, such as National Quality Forum documents, and developing cancer pain guidelines. These findings must also be rewritten in layman's terms for colleagues, policymakers, and the public (Hinshaw, 2021).

Challenges to Participation

As individuals, many nurses feel underprepared or too inexperienced to adequately participate in policy-forming roles. To overcome this, classes, such as the two-semester policy honors program recently implemented by The Johns Hopkins School of Nursing (2020), are offered to provide nursing students with the skills and confidence to connect with policymakers. 

Nurses may face the challenge of feeling overwhelmed and undersupported in this venture (Welliver, 2023). Supportive mentorships are a great way to counteract that challenge. They are not always difficult to find and are often facilitated through professional nursing organizations. The American Nurses Association (n.d.) has developed a unique online mentoring program for networking and career development.

Strategies for Advocating

Milstead and Short (2019, p.2) stated that they strongly believe that nurses and Healthcare Provider Professionals (HCPs) are ideal candidates to affect policy and its formation. This is due to the culmination of history, education, practice, and organizational power. Nurses must come to the realization that our ability to affect policymaking is much more than” monitoring bills,” and we must be preemptive in focusing our energy on protecting ourselves and those we care for (Milstead & Short, 2019, p.4). 

After this research, I will use the Policy Tracker through AANP. I chose the legislation for assignments based on topics I am passionate about and feel that this is the next step to getting involved. It is easy to forget what is going on between recesses in the government; however, this would keep me updated automatically.

As I mentioned earlier, some organizations and facilities offer nursing mentorship programs. Informal mentorships are also an option too. I work with a nurse that has practiced much longer than I have, in multiple locations and specialties and is now nearing the end of her MSN program. I currently meet with her twice a week and plan to continue this through the program.

 

Thank you, 

Jaspreet Kaur 

 

Post an explanation of at least two opportunities that exist for RNs and APRNs (Advanced Practice Registered Nurses) to actively participate in policymaking. 

 

     "Health policies refer to decisions, plans, and actions undertaken to achieve specific health care goals within a society (National Library of Medicine, 2021) ". In the 20th and 21st centuries, US government involvement in health care policies has increased rapidly. Nurses are one of the primary healthcare workers responsible for quality care and play essential roles in policymaking. Active nurses' participation in the policy process is necessary to provide quality care at a reasonable cost to all clients. RNs and APRNs should be aware of the stages of the policy process, I.e., problem identification, policy formulation, policy adoption, policy implementation, and policy evaluation (Milstead & Short, 2019). 

  The first opportunity for RNs and APRNs is to become members of professional organizations to participate in health policies (Nurse Journal, 2023). Professional organizations have lobbyists who bring nursing-related issues to state officials. (American Nurse, 2016). ANA (American Nurses Association) also helps to raise nurses' voices to a higher level to improve health care policies (American Nurses Association, n.d.). Another opportunity for nurses to participate in the policy-making process is to attend legislative sessions of local government or federal or state government to understand how the system works and decisions are taken. Nurses can better understand legislative sessions to provide information about health policies. Nurses can represent their views in a way that legislators and lobbyists can understand. Nurses can provide evidence-based practice information about healthcare policies (Nurse Journal, 2023). 

 Explain some of the challenges that these opportunities may present and describe how you might overcome these challenges. 

Besides opportunities, nurses also have to face challenges in policy making. The practice gap is a challenge nurses face due to a need for more advocacy skills and commitment to advocacy. Another challenge is the lack of speaking skills to address health issues policymakers (The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 2019). Other challenges nurses face are lack of time, work overload, fear of opposing others' ideas, and lack of knowledge (National Library of Medicine, 2021). To overcome these challenges, nurses should contact local government officials and write about community health issues to local or state governments to build relationships with policymakers. Nurses can participate in collecting evidence-based data to address concerned health issues (Nurse Journal, 2023). 

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. 

 The first strategy is that after becoming a member of a professional organization, nurses can contact the policy and advocacy board of the organization to gain knowledge about the participation policymaking process (Nurse Journal, 2023). For example, American Nursing Association works to protect nurses and provide quality and evidence-based practice care to all clients. The second strategy is to review organizational policies and advocate nursing practice at the organizational level will build confidence and speaking skills. Continuation of advocacy will help to participate in webinars on health policies and state government agendas about healthcare policies. Nurses can better understand policymaking (The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 2019).