Nursing advocacy letter assignment

AdvocLetterInstructions1.pdf

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NSG505AdvLetter

Wilkes University School of Nursing

NSG 505

Advocacy Letter Assignment

Building on the topic the student used for the first assignment, this assignment will require the student to write a one page advocacy letter to be sent to their legislator. This assignment will be worth 20% of the cumulative grade.

An advocacy letter is a way to influence the ideas and views of legislators or decision makers within an organization. It allows the writer to maintain contact with the legislator or decision maker, to keep the issue high on the priority list when the writer cannot meet with them personally.

The format of the advocacy letter should be written in a standard letter format. Proper title and language should be used. It should not be more than two pages long, as to increase the chances that the letter will be read by the legislator, his or her staff or decision maker. Letters maybe mailed or sent electronically.

The advocacy letter should contain the following components:

• Addressing the Letter – If the letter is concerning a Federal or State Bill or issue, it should be addressed to the Member of Congress or State Legislator who represents the student or if the issue is more local, it should be addressed to the decision makers who would be most concerned with the issue. Use the correct salutation.

• Introduction – Introduce yourself and offer a concise statement about the reason for the advocacy letter. If discussing a specific legislative bill, include the bill number.

• Health Policy Issue l In one to two paragraphs, accurately describe the issues raised, provide a clear position in favor of or opposed to, and offer specific examples of your concerns. Personal stories work well here.

• Legislative or Advocacy Recommendations l Directly ask for the action you are requesting. State why your position is important to that person and the constituents he or she is associated with.

• Closing – Develop a closing statement and provide your contact information for any followt up questions or to act as a resource for further information.

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NSG505AdvLetter

You can find examples of each of these in your book. Once your advocacy letter and policy brief has been reviewed by the faculty member, we encourage you to send it to the person whom your letter is addressed.

Components of the Advocacy Letter Addressing the letter – The letter should be addressed to the appropriate person, who can best address the advocacy issue. Use the correct salutation. Introduction – Introduce yourself; offer a concise statement about the reason for the letter. Include bill number if addressing a specific legislative issue. Health Policy Issue – Accurately and concisely describes the issue raised and provides a clear position (in favor or opposed) and offers a personal story or example concerning the issue. Legislative or Advocacy Recommendations -‐ Directly ask for the action you are requesting. Give examples of why is should be important to this person. Closing – Develop a closing statement and provide your contact information for follow-‐up contact or request for further information.

FinalonepageDecreasingWorkplaceViolence.docx

Decreasing Workplace Violence, One Policy Brief at a Time

Statement of the Problem

Workplace violence in medical facilities has turned out to be a significant occupational and health issue that endangers the security of nurses and other medical practitioners. Physical assault, verbal abuse, threats, harassment, or psychological intimidation can all be considered types of workplace violence (Mento et al., 2020). Nurses in emergency rooms, psychiatric units, and other community facilities are at an especially high risk, as patients in these facilities can be experiencing mental illness, emotional distress or substance intoxication. Studies show that when nurses are exposed to violence repeatedly, the intention to leave the job becomes high, further intensifying the nursing shortage situation and affecting patient care quality (Luo et al., 2024).

Root Causes of the Issue

The absence of a standardized reporting system and organizational policies related to the violent incidents is one of the major causes (Spencer et al., 2023). According to Spencer et al. (2023), most healthcare employees fail to report violent incidents as they think that the act is within the job description or they are afraid that the administration will not take any action. In the absence of regular reporting systems, healthcare organizations will be unable to affordably quantify the extent of the issue and devise a successful prevention approach.

Another cause is inadequate staffing and lack of knowledge on handling aggressive behavior (Jackson et al., 2025). When high risk units are understaffed, it increases the risk of violence and decreases the ability to handle violent situations safely. Workplace violence increase the risk of stress in employees, burnout and mental health issues (He et al., 2026). Also, healthcare facilities may not be environmentally safe as they might not have alarm systems, safe points of entry or even well-designed rooms to minimize the risk of violent occurrences (Jacob et al., 2025).

Recommendations

First, the legislature must mandate healthcare institutions to implement effective and elaborate workplace violence prevention programs. These programs are expected to contain standardized reporting mechanisms, frequent risk evaluations and well-laid-down guidelines on how to act in response to violent acts. It has been shown that policies and reporting systems structured along violence prevention can lessen the psychological effects of the violent incident on medical staff (Solorzano Martinez & De Oliveira, 2021).

Second, the policymakers are supposed to fund the staff training and environmental safety measures. The healthcare workers can learn de-escalation methods, crisis intervention and trauma-informed care which should allow them to cope with potentially violent situations more efficiently (Jackson et al., 2025). Those organizations that invest in workplace violence prevention programs and staff support programs have better employee safety and reduced turnover rates (He et al., 2026).

Conclusion

As violence in healthcare rises it interrupts the healing of other patients on the unit and decreases the quality of care delivered to patients by staff members. When nurses consistently feel unsafe in their workplace they are unable to deliver good quality care. Ultimately, putting safety training in effect and educating staff on policies will have a positive effect on staff mental health and patient outcomes.

References

He, J., Yang, J., Yuan, J., Yu, Q., E. Stephano, E., Zhang, W., Li, Y., & Tian, Y. (2026, January). Workplace violence against nurses and Its Association with mental health and turnover intention: A national cross‐sectional study (Y. Oh, Ed.). Journal of Nursing Management, 2026(1), Article 2818047. https://doi.org/10.1155/jonm/2818047

Jackson, D. I., Maa, T., Luna, J., Huang, Y., Fristad, M. A., & Sezgin, E. (2025). Challenges and opportunities in healthcare workplace violence training: A qualitative study of staff experiences. Journal of Workplace Behavioral Health, 40(4), 641–654. https://doi.org/10.1080/15555240.2025.2474055

Jacob, D., Jacob, B., Jacob, E., & Jacob, A. (2025). Effectiveness of Environmental Design interventions to reduce aggression and violence in emergency Departments: A scoping review. HERD: Health Environments Research & Design Journal, 18(4), 26–42. https://doi.org/10.1177/19375867251351027

Luo, Y., Zhang, M., Yu, S., Guan, X., Zhong, T., Wu, Q., & Li, Y. (2024, November 18). The impact of psychological violence in the workplace on turnover intention of clinical nurses: The mediating role of job satisfaction. BMC Nursing, 23(1), Article 844. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-024-02477-9

Mento, C., Silvestri, M. C., Bruno, A., Muscatello, M. R. A., Cedro, C., Pandolfo, G., & Zoccali, R. A. (2020). Workplace violence against healthcare professionals: A systematic review. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 51, Article 101381. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.avb.2020.101381

Solorzano Martinez, A. J., & De Oliveira, G. C. (2021, September). Workplace violence training programs for nursing students: A literature review. Journal of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association, 27(5), 361–372. https://doi.org/10.1177/1078390321994665

Spencer, C., Sitarz, J., Fouse, J., & DeSanto, K. (2023). Nurses' rationale for underreporting of patient and visitor perpetrated workplace violence: A systematic review. BMC Nursing, 22(1), Article 134. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-023-01226-8