The nursing profession's potential impact on policy and politics

Dalia Salgado

Discussion # 5 Dalia Salgado REVISED

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Nursing profession is the leading medical profession in the world with approximately 4 million in the United States only (Patel & Rushefsky, 2019). In fact, nurses have the potential to deeply influence policy and politics on a global scale. Actually, it is the moral and professional obligation of nurses to be engaged in legislation that impacts their patients. To be influential, nurses must see themselves as experts with the capability and accountability to make an influence in the existing and future healthcare delivery systems (Patel & Rushefsky, 2019). The nursing profession is grounded on the science of human wellbeing and the science of compassionate. It operates from a context that values persons in a holistic way and during the course of their lifetimes and across all levels of society. Moreover, when nurses impact the politics that develop the provision of healthcare, they are eventually advocating for their patients. Furthermore, any nurse can influence policy and politics not only at the local level, but also at state and federal (Patel & Rushefsky, 2019). Locally, nurses can convert politically active by assuming leadership positions in the healthcare system. In addition, nurses can be trained in the political processes conducted in their local, state or federal legislatures. On a local level, involvement in city councils and governmental or educational sub-committees can impact the political process. Another simple act of political involvement is voting in local, state and national elections.

There are numerous causes for the inadequate participation of nurses in policy and politics such as: Lack of awareness, inadequate skills and opportunity for involvement are just a few factors. Further impediment is the inadequate formal health care policy education in nursing. In addition, time and resources are additional difficulties to the nursing involvement in politics (Patel & Rushefsky, 2019). Unrelatedly of the multiple factors limiting their potential influence on politics, fact is that nurses are crucial to the development, implementation of healthcare policy and also, redesigning the healthcare system. But in order to do so, they will need to partner with members of other medical professions such as physicians (Patel & Rushefsky, 2019). For this to take place, nurses must be trained in patient care, interdisciplinary teamwork, informatics, technology, applying evidence-based practice, and quality improvement. Nurses have made progress in political participation and they exert influence in health policy development in some industrialized countries such as the United States of America and the United Kingdom (Patel & Rushefsky, 2019).

Nurse leaders have the opportunity to progress their contribution in health policy as there are number of organizers in this concerns that include: being involved; well-informed, well-trained, sustained; empowering structures and existing funds (Raftery, 2016). At the state and federal level, nurses can get involved by joining a professional nursing organization. In addition, nurses can put pen to paper to their state representatives concerning healthcare policy, take on internships with elected officials actively working on problems affecting healthcare system (Raftery, 2016). On the other hand, nurses need provision in order to influence change and that sustenance starts at home encouraging political involvement. On the other hands, nursing schools need to include healthcare policy education as part of the program, as well as encourage some level of political involvement from nursing students (Raftery, 2016).

References

Patel, K., & Rushefsky, M. (2019). Healthcare Policy in the United States. Healthcare Politics and Policy in America, 41–78. doi: 10.4324/9780429397875-2

Raftery, C. (2016). Nurse Practitioners, Policy and Politics. The Journal for Nurse Practitioners, 12(2), 127. doi: 10.1016/j.nurpra.2015.12.009

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Discussion # 5 Robert Alonso

Nursing being the largest medical profession has many individuals working in it. As a result, the high numbers of nurses carry a huge potential to influence health policies and politics around the world. Professional nurses can be driven to lobby the congress or be more involved in political campaigns by the need to create effective health care policies. As it stands very few nurses are involved in politics and even the making of health care policies. The lack of involvement in many areas may be as a result of lack of awareness or interest, lack of political skills or little opportunities for involvement in political processes. Little participation of nurses means that health care policies are sometimes made without the professional input of nurses who have the most knowledge of the status of health care (Brokaw, 2016).

Nurses can be driven to participate more in politics when they are woken to realize the much-needed changes in health care systems and policies to be able to better serve the people. Nurses should realize that they are in a favorable position to voice their input during the formation of health care policies as they are in the frontlines of interaction with the patients and their health needs. Nurses can make their voices be heard by teaming up with other people in the medical profession and taking up leadership positions in health care. As a group, the nurses will be able to contact political leaders with key roles in legislation to voice their concerns about health care. The nurses can also be involved in political campaigns from where they will be able to get close to the political leaders and air their issues concerning health care (Buck-McFadyen, 2017).

References

Brokaw, J. (2016). The nursing profession’s potential impact on policy and politics. Retrieved 9 October 2019, from https://www.americannursetoday.com/blog/nursing-professions-potential-impact-policy-politics/

Buck-McFadyen, E., & MacDonnell, J. (2017). Contested Practice: Political Activism in Nursing and Implications for Nursing Education. International journal of nursing education scholarship, 14(1).

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Melvina Parker

Discussion 5

Being a nurse, we are the biggest advocates for our community as such we have to make sure we vote responsible. We have to know the issues that the candidates our speaking on and make sure we know each politician platform so we can make the best decision not only for us but also for the people that are affected by it in our neighborhood. By knowing what each candidate finds important you can know where you are needed to effect change and what issues you need to bring to the forefront. There are many ways as nurse practitioners we can get to know the issues, one way is by getting involved. One way to get involved is by volunteering on a candidate’s campaigns and getting in on the ground floor.

A policy issue that what drives me to get involved in a political campaign would be abortion and birth control right. While I have many other issues that concern me such as health care and education one that is at the top of my list is the policy on abortion and contraceptive. I believe that if we take away a women’s basic rights that nothing else is off the table. In the early 1900 abortion laws were put in place to protect women from unsafe abortions now the laws are used to abuse women's rights. In Florida, a woman cannot get an abortion after 3 ½ months however with new harsher bans in a few states’ women have lost the right to receive an abortion altogether. In an article by planned parenthood, there has been a steady decline in abortion clinics which means women have fewer options to receive this service. So, as a nurse, a strategy I would use is to organize a protest. Make phone calls to our local government and go to the capital to make sure our issues are heard.

References:

Planned Parenthood - https://www.plannedparenthood.org/planned-parenthood-south-east-north-florida/for-patients/abortion

Times Writer - https://www.tampabay.com/opinion/editorials/editorial-keep-abortion-legal-in-florida-20190528

Ariel Lopez

Discussion 5 Ariel Lopez

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Nurses and Policy-Making

Voting is critical in keeping democracies functional and gives the people a voice in influencing policies that affect their everyday life. Electoral processes help citizens choose their representatives in various leadership positions in the country, which later determines the form of governance that the country would have. The core political functions of governance and policy-making affect the everyday lives of the population; from the kind of healthcare benefits that they receive from the government to the amount of taxes that they pay. Government agencies and private sector institutions impose policies, regulations, and laws which govern the healthcare environment. However, it is the nurses who first encounter the deficiencies which impede the provision of better services within the healthcare environment.

The nurses’ involvement in the electoral processes will enable them to avert the rising number of uninsured citizens and costs by addressing the need to put in a well-coordinated system of healthcare, which can provide highly variable quality healthcare as demanded. Nurses are increasingly becoming aware that the current healthcare system is facing a lot of challenges; hence need change; and, they have a lot of potential due to the huge number of nurse votes in the country today (Brokaw, 2016). Consequently, it is appropriate that nurses take part in healthcare advocacy, which will give them an upper-hand in influencing the guidelines being implemented within the healthcare environment.

The advocacy would demand that nurses leave their comfort zones and venture into politics and policy-making environments where they will be able to influence the guidelines that govern the healthcare environment by formulating and implementing desirable health policies (Smith, 2019). Voting is a direct form of advocacy. Furthermore, nurses can take part in voter mobilization campaigns where they have the opportunity to interact with the candidates and lobby for desirable policies directly. Nurses may also enter the legislative arena by seeking representative seats, knowing committees, understanding the legislative processes, being aware of the key players and active communication with legislators. The advocacy process is complex, and it sometimes needs lobbying to effect changes within the healthcare environment.

References

Brokaw, J. J. (2016, September 22 ). The Nursing Profession's Potential Impact on Policy and Politics. Retrieved October 10, 2019, from American Nurse Today: https://www.americannursetoday.com/blog/nursing-professions-potential-impact-policy-politics/

Smith, M. (2019, October 9). Time for RNs to Get Out the Vote. Retrieved October 10, 2019, from the American Nurses Association: http://www.theamericannurse.org/2014/10/22/time-for-nurses-to-get-out-the-vote/

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Dailyn Gonzalez

Nurse Role in Policy

Role of the Electoral Process and Government

In one’s daily life the government and the electoral process play a significant role. Through elections, individuals join the government and their policies can affect how society functions. Policies range from financial, local to international. Voters make decisions about the type of leaders they want, and these decisions arise from the reforms or policies that can assist the voter. Families that are having challenges accessing health systems because of insurance can decide to vote for leaders that can improve such areas of healthcare. An excellent example of functional reforms is the Affordable Care Act that has reduced the rate of uninsured individuals from 16 percent to 9.1 percent in five years since 2010, mainly because of the reforms (Obama, 2016).

Policy Issues

A variety of issues can influence nurses to lobby congress or get involved in campaign politics. Salmond and Echevarria (2017) identify that factors that are involved in the transformation of healthcare include unsustainable costs, disparities, suboptimal outcomes, access problems, and fragmentation. One aspect that requires a nurse’s participation that is affecting many Americans is the rising cost of care. Many individuals in the United States have challenges in accessing care because they cannot afford, which leaves them with many health concerns or even death. The high cost exists because of the significant application of sophisticated medical technology, high rice charged for medication and procedures, and high consumption of prescription drugs (Salmond and Echevarria, 2017).

Strategies

One strategy that can be utilized by nurses is campaigning to encourage nurses to vote. Smith (2017) states that RNsVote! is a campaign strategy initiated by the American Nurses Association (ANA) that encourages nurses to vote. By nurses getting involved with campaigns, they have the opportunity to interact with candidates. This interaction allows the nurses to educate candidates on the issues that are significant to the nursing field, such as employee development programs, home health, durable medical equipment, staff-patient handling, and mobility, and safe staffing (Smith, 2017). Campaigns offer excellent opportunities for nurses to have their voices heard by advocating for issues in the community and the profession.

References

Obama, B. (2016). United States Health Care Reform: Progress to Date and Next Steps. JAMA, 316(5), 525–532. doi:10.1001/jama.2016.9797

Salmond, S. W., & Echevarria, M. (2017). Healthcare Transformation and Changing Roles for Nursing. Orthopedic nursing, 36(1), 12–25. doi:10.1097/NOR.0000000000000308

Smith, M. (2017). Time for RNs to get out the vote. The American Nurse. Retrieved from http://www.theamericannurse.org/2014/10/22/time-for-nurses-to-get-out-the-vote/

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Eduardo Soto Quinones

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The electoral process is one of the most important processes in democracy today. The electoral process basically means voting and putting representatives in offices with aview of improving key areas in governance (Menocal, 2011). The electoral process affects how the government works and how services that are essential in life such as health are made available to people. The electoral process gives members of the public an opportunity to be heard on matters that directly affects them. Thy can pick their representatives based on the manner in which they promise to help them meet their daily needs. Employment, minimum wages, health access and affordability are personal issues that can be addressed by the government through electoral process after the right candidates are selected.

There are a number of health issues that can trigger the involvement of nurses in campaign politics where they are expected to lobby and ensure that articular issues are implemented as they wish to be beneficial to both the profession and the consumers of health services. For instance, access and affordability of care has always been a headache in the United States (Edelman, Mandle & Kudzma, 2017). The nurse is always tasked with advocacy and ensuring that the interest of the profession and that of patients are always met. Health policies have the most significance effects on health especially when it comes to funding. Lobbying congress and getting involved in the political process always places nurses at a pivotal position to ensure that everything goes in the interest of those they advocate for.

In order to ensure that their voices are heard, nurses need to work as a team. They need to join professional associations because such associations have more power to influence policy through advocacy. The power of population cannot be ignored by lawmakers. Nurses also need to be influential leaders for them to take part in strategic areas and positions where they can actually influence health policies (Sherman, 2018).

References

Edelman, C. L., Mandle, C. L., & Kudzma, E. C. (2017). Health promotion throughout the life span-e-book. Elsevier Health Sciences

Menocal, A. R. (2011). Why electoral systems matter: an analysis of their incentives and effects on key areas of governance. Overseas Development Institute.

Sherman, R. O. (2018). Leadership influence and power. Nurse Leader, 16(1), 6-7

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