Visionary Leadership in Healthcare Assignment
To Prepare:
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. Visionary Leadership in Healthcare Assignment
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. Visionary Leadership in Healthcare Assignment
The Role of the RN/APRN in Policy-Making
Opportunities that exist for RNs and APRNs to actively participate in policy-making.
Nurses are professionally and morally obligated to engage in policies that impact their patients and the profession. Two opportunities for APRNs and RNs to actively take part in policy-making are joining professional nursing organizations and acting as lobbyists. According to Wei and Horton-Deutsch (2022), nursing organizations provide a significant avenue for nurses to take part in, lead, and collaborate on issues affecting health and healthcare. This is achievable by nurses utilizing their collective and individual power to influence politics and policy at national and local levels. . For instance, a nurse might join the advocacy efforts of a professional nursing organization that might focus on a specific healthcare or health-related topic. Visionary Leadership in Healthcare Assignment
Lobbying involves trying to influence legislations to enact effective health legislation. According to Neis and McEwen (2022. lawmakers greatly rely on lobbyists to educate them on issues and they want to have all information before they can take a position on an issue. The official expects and trusts the lobbyist to offer accurate and up to date information. Nurses are regarded ethical healthcare providers and trustworthy and thus can offer unbiased information to legislators. Visionary Leadership in Healthcare Assignment
Challenges that these opportunities may present
Lack of knowledge, energy and time are challenges that might prevent RNs and APRNs from actively engaging in policy-making. As indicate by Zaccagnini and Pechachek (2019), although nurses are needed to take part in healthcare policy at some level, it is not realistic to assume that APRNs becomes experts in policy-making in additions to their role of patient care provision. Nurses might not be able to commit immense energy and time to fulfill both the roles of providing care and engaging in policymaking. Visionary Leadership in Healthcare Assignment
I might overcome these challenges by joining a policy fellowship program. According to Tracy et al. (2022), an excellent scheme to develop skills as a policy advocate is to apply for a state or national policy fellowship or internship. For instance, Nursing Organizations Alliance- sponsored the Nurse in Washington Internship is a four-day internship that familiarizes nurses with policymaking and it acts as an outstanding starting step for nurse to role their role in policymaking. Visionary Leadership in Healthcare Assignment
Strategies to better advocate for or communicate the existence of opportunities to participate in policy-making
I might communicate the existence of opportunities that exist for RNs and APRNs to actively engage in policy-making by advocating for nurses at all levels to be educated on policy-making and for novice nurses to be mentored by nurses who have experience in policy-making. As indicated by Zaccagnini and Pechachek, (2019), nursing faculty should encourage students to actively participate in politics and also equip them with the skills and knowledge to make them confident in their capability to influence policy. Policy-educated nurses must act as mentors by being role models for health policy advocacy and political activism. Policy-educated APRN clinicians must role model the next generation of nurses. Visionary Leadership in Healthcare Assignment
References
Neis, M. A., & McEwen, M. (2022). Community/Public Health Nursing – E-Book. Elsevier.
Tracy, M. F., O’Grady, E. T., & Phillips, S. J. (2022). Hamric & Hanson’s Advanced Practice Nursing – E-Book. Elsevier.
Wei, H., & Horton-Deutsch, S. (2022). Visionary Leadership in Healthcare: Excellence in Practice, Policy, and Ethics. Sigma Theta Tau International.
Zaccagnini, M. E., & Pechachek, J. M. (2019). The Doctor of Nursing Practice Essentials: A New Model for Advanced Practice Nursing. Jones & Bartlett Learning. Visionary Leadership in Healthcare Assignment