Health Policy Nurse Research Paper

This assignment requires that I develop and thoroughly analyze a public policy in order to advocate for one that improves the health of the public and/or the nursing profession globally (local, state, national or international). To do this, I must reflect on several aspects of being a policy maker within the nursing profession. I was instructed to consider the following:

The four spheres of political action in nursing as mentioned by Mason, Leavitt, and Chaffee (2011) includes the workplace or workforce, the government, the organizations, and the community. The authors further stated that although the four spheres overlap at times, the action performed in any one of these spheres can cause a reaction in any of the others. Nurses are a part of the community in which they live and can influence health and social policy within their workplace, which can have a profound impact on the organization. Furthermore, the government can pass health care policies, which in turn causes the organization to change their policy. Thus, affecting healthcare providers in the workplace and the community at large. An example of

This organization was designed to secure the services of prominent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters relating to the health of the public. “The Institute acts to be an adviser to the federal government and, upon its own initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and education” (Institute of Medicine [IOM], 2010, p. 5) In October 2010, The IOM (Institute of Medicine) released the report, The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health. This report examines the changing roles of nursing in healthcare, changes in nursing education and

Nurses’ involvement in policy debates brings our professional values to bear on the process. (Warner, 2003) The Master’s prepared nurse’s goal as an advocate should be to fight to enhance the client’s wellbeing in every possible way, at every available opportunity. This can be achieved by being part of organization that advocate for patients’ right as well as for better working condition for our colleagues. Also, nurses could choose to get involved in politics or lobby on behalf of other nurses.

Nurses play and important role in the health care system. Nurses have excellent inherent to manage change to improve the health care system (The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health. n.d.). They can be as innovators to lead changes. Nurses understand how to approach care and enhance quality at the lower cost (Nursing 's role in health care reform - American Nurse Today. n.d.). They can engage in research to Generate evidence-based practice and help shape the quality and safety through collecting and tracking data to enhance care. Nursing research benefits create the logical framework for clinical usage, prevention, and improved patient outcomes. Nurses can Redesign nursing education (Nursing 's role in health care reform - American Nurse Today. n.d.). All nurses should to maintain necessary competencies to match the requirements of the population aging and various culture and community health care needs, (Nursing 's role in health care reform - American Nurse Today. n.d.).

According to Shellebarger & Edwards (2012), Nurse Educators help shape the future of nursing by educating future novice nurses. Nurse Educators have a core curriculum to follow to ensure lifelong learning in their role. They help shape critical thinking skills in our future nurses by giving them the knowledge needed to think critically. “ Evidence has found that hospital based nurse educators influence safe patient outcome through contemporary evidence based teaching and their contribution of policy development supports safe practice” (Sayers,2012, p. 45). Nurse Administrators take on the role of patient advocates, by ensuring that patients are receiving the highest level of care (Hamic, Hanson, Tracy, & O’Grady, 2014). Nurse Administrators are an important part of management of nurses , they help develop policies and procedures and are change agents in their fields. The Nurse Educator and the Nurse Administrator should be

Affordable Care Act (ACA), and the aging of the population are the three major factors driving healthcare costs at this time (CMS, 2014). The nursing profession has the ability to contribute to refining the cost-effectiveness and efficiency of care through the delivery of evidenced-based treatment strategies to known populations with communal needs, and by advocating for polices that address the fundamental aspects that influence health and healthcare (Curley & Vitale, 2016, p. 5). The NE must be well-informed of laws entrenched in policy, as well as those central to both healthcare delivery systems and payment structures. Having knowledge of policy and law will enable the nurse leader to provide financial stability and sustain quality

NURSES AND OTHER STAKEHOLDERS’ INVOLVEMENT IN THE DEVELOPMENT AND IMPEMENTATION OF HEALTHCARE POLICY IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: CASE SCENARIO THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT

Nurses are the first to deal with patients such as, the aging population in the clinical or community setting, so they are well qualified to give expert testimony on health care reform. Before nurses can take a stance and gain a voice in the political arena, they must take on a new hat as an “advocate.” They can start their journey as a patient advocate by joining an association like The American Nurses Association (ANA). Associations like the ANA can mentor nurses venturing into the profession of patient advocacy; in addition to mentoring, the nursing associations can offer legislative days, policy internships, and conduct policy workshops to educate nurses on how to positively affect the legislation and policies at the state or federal level on health care

Moving forward the nursing profession has some challenges it must confront if we are going to help lead the country to a healthcare

In regards to policy competencies, J.M.C. expressed the importance of the involvement of APNs in professional organizations to increase the power of the group and exponentially increase the influential power of advanced practice nursing and organizations in political changes. Her own experience as a member of the Kentucky Nurses Association showed the value of an APN’s dedication to high-quality nursing standards and improving methods of practice by professional nursing organizations leading to improved care and benefits for all involved

According to Finkelman & Kenner (2016, p.157) the outlines for developing a policy include finding a problem area, give precise information, solutions on how to solve or reduce problem area, perform best solutions to problem area, and finally monitor the solutions effectiveness to the problem area. These are all very important steps in developing a policy and will be discussed later in more detail. Today we are going to discuss a huge potential issue that presents itself in most hospitals, and causes a long road to recovery for its unsuspected victims. To many times in nursing does a patent on the floor present with common symptoms or complaints were various protocols should be implemented but the patent has no orders. If we as nurses had more

Being a registered nurse affords one the option of working in many diverse healthcare settings. In any practice setting the climate of health care change is evident. There are diverse entities involved in the implementation and recommendation of these practice changes. These are led by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), the Institute of Medicine (IOM), nursing campaign for action initiatives, as well as individual state-based action coalitions. Nurses need to be prepared and cognizant of the transformations occurring in health care settings as well as the plans that put them at the forefront of the future.

After reading The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health article by the Institute of Medicine, I gained a clearer view of the overall goal for nursing. Although there are many diverse parties that need to be associated in perfecting the continuously changing health care system, nurses vital to the contribution. Nurses provide direct patient care, deal with the health care system and health care policies, as well as interact with the interdisciplinary team. So the Institute of Medicine has a great nursing blueprint for help nurses make a different for not only the future of the health care system

Nurse leaders are aware that today’s health care system has many issues complicating the goal of quality patient care and outcomes for all. Nurse leaders must stay informed and become involved as an advocate influencing changes in policy, laws, and/or regulations that govern the health care system they practice in. At times the advocacy requires a nurse leader to become more involved beyond their immediate level of practice and into the world of politics and policy.