Lobbying for Change Assessment Essay Paper
Write a letter to an official in your state or local government. (Choose the individual in the level of government that will best address your issue). The purpose of this letter is to advocate for action with regards to your chosen health care environment issue.
Introduction
Note: Each assessment in this course builds upon the work you have completed in previous assessments. Therefore, you must complete the assessments in the order in which they are presented. Lobbying for Change Assessment Essay Paper
As health care leaders, it is important to understand strategies for advocating and lobbying elected officials. This can lead to the development of policies or laws that can help drive improved equity and outcomes for all participants in the health care environment as well as a more sustainable financial future.
Background and Context
As a master’s-level health care practitioner, you may be expected to implement plans to ensure that initiatives designed to take advantage of economic opportunities for the organization are rolled out successfully and can be sustained over multiple years. Additionally, it is important to be able to envision how an initiative could be implemented in different contexts and for different purposes to ensure the investment remains a viable and positive asset to your organization or care setting.
As a master’s-level practitioner, you will often be challenged to influence the health care environment in a variety of ways. This influence can occur on a micro-level (implementing change on your unit, institution, community, or local organizations) or at a macro level (implementing change via state or federal regulations and policy). One way you can influence the health care environment is by lobbying an elected official at the local, state, or national level to adopt policies or legislation that would support positive economic and health outcomes for patients, practitioners, and organizations within the health care environment. Lobbying for Change Assessment Essay Paper
Instructions
For this assessment, you will develop a letter to an official in your state or local government (choose the individual in the level of government that will best address your issue). The purpose of this letter is to advocate for action with regards to your chosen health care environment issue. Remember, when writing the letter, you must use your personal address and telephone number unless you are exclusively representing a group or your organization.
Be sure to address each main point. Review the assessment instructions and scoring guide, including performance-level descriptions for each criterion, to ensure you understand the work you will be asked to complete and how it will be assessed. In addition, note the requirements for document format and length and for supporting evidence.
Overall, your assessment submission will be assessed on the following criteria:
Additional Requirements
Note: As you revise your writing, check out the resources listed on the Writing Center’s Writing Support page. Lobbying for Change Assessment Essay Paper
Competencies Measured
By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and scoring guide criteria:
Dear Legislator Spruill,
I am writing to bring to your attention a pressing issue in our healthcare environment: the shortage of nursing staff. As a constituent in your district, I believe this issue is of great importance to the well-being of the people you represent.
The shortage of nursing staff has a significant impact on healthcare institutions and healthcare providers at the local community, state, and national levels. According Haddad et al. (2022), the nursing shortage is projected to intensify over the next decade due to an aging population and a wave of retirements among nurses. This shortage is particularly acute in rural areas and among underserved populations. In Virginia, the nursing shortage has resulted in decreased access to care, longer wait times for patients, and increased costs of healthcare services. Lobbying for Change Assessment Essay Paper
If this issue is not addressed, the negative outcomes will continue to impact our communities and organizations. Patients will continue to experience long wait times, and care quality will suffer. The nursing shortage will contribute to an increase in healthcare costs, resulting in a burden on taxpayers and patients alike. Additionally, this issue will cause further strain on the nursing workforce, leading to burnout, reduced job satisfaction, and increased turnover rates.
On the other hand, addressing the nursing shortage would result in positive outcomes for healthcare institutions and healthcare providers. By increasing the nursing staff levels, we can improve patient outcomes and reduce healthcare costs (Aiken et al., 2018). Nurse-led care models, such as team-based care and care coordination, have been shown to improve patient outcomes, reduce hospital readmissions, and reduce healthcare costs (Karam et al., 2021). Using technology and automation, such as electronic health records and telehealth technologies, has been shown to improve patient outcomes, reduce healthcare costs, and increase efficiency (Zheng et al., 2021). Offering training and development opportunities has been shown to improve job satisfaction and retention rates among nurses (Price & Reichert, 2017). By implementing these solutions, we can promote job satisfaction and retention rates among nurses.
As a healthcare professional, I have personally experienced the challenges posed by the nursing shortage. My experiences have informed my planning for the resources needed to implement these proposed changes. I believe that we can address this issue by developing a comprehensive timeline for implementation. The implementation plan should be divided into three phases, each with its own set of goals and objectives. Lobbying for Change Assessment Essay Paper
I have identified key stakeholders involved in the process. These stakeholders include hospital leadership and administration, nursing staff, patients and families, community partners, funding sources, and regulators and accrediting bodies. Effective communication and collaboration with each of these stakeholders will be critical to ensure that the implementation plan is aligned with their needs and priorities.
I urge you to take action and support initiatives to address the nursing shortage in our state. I have attached a list of scholarly sources that support my argument and help provide an understanding of the issues, changes, or actions that I am proposing to drive improved outcomes. Please let me know if you need any further information Lobbying for Change Assessment Essay Paper
References
Aiken, L. H., Cerón, C., Simonetti, M., Lake, E. T., Galiano, A., Garbarini, A., … & Smith, H. L. (2018). Hospital nurse staffing and patient outcomes. Revista Médica Clínica Las Condes, 29(3), 322-327.
Haddad, L. M., Annamaraju, P., & Toney-Butler, T. J. (2022). Nursing shortage. In StatPearls [Internet]. StatPearls Publishing.
Karam, M., Chouinard, M. C., Poitras, M. E., Couturier, Y., Vedel, I., Grgurevic, N., & Hudon, C. (2021). Nursing care coordination for patients with complex needs in primary healthcare: A scoping review. International Journal of Integrated Care, 21(1).
Price, S., & Reichert, C. (2017). The importance of continuing professional development to career satisfaction and patient care: meeting the needs of novice to mid-to late-career nurses throughout their career span. Administrative Sciences, 7(2), 17.
Zheng, W. Y., Lichtner, V., Van Dort, B. A., & Baysari, M. T. (2021). The impact of introducing automated dispensing cabinets, barcode medication administration, and closed-loop electronic medication management systems on work processes and safety of controlled medications in hospitals: A systematic review. Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy, 17(5), 832-841. Lobbying for Change Assessment Essay Paper