Policy Issues Might Nurses Lobby Congress-What Strategies Might Nurse Use to Have their Voices Heard?
Lobbying in nursing is dependent on elected politicians’ ability to successfully and timely express the opinions of nurses on local, state, and national policy issues in order to influence the overall quality of nursing practice. Lobbying is the activity of attempting to influence the decisions of government officials, who are frequently politicians or members of regulatory bodies. There are a variety of motivations that could lead nurses to lobby Congress. Among these factors are a lack of opportunity to participate, a lack of awareness, and insufficient abilities. Nurses’ ability to participate in politics may be hampered by a lack of time and resources. According to studies, nurses are frequently denied adequate or sufficient assistance in developing evidence that can influence healthcare policy (Koch & Washington-Brown, 2021). It is unusual for nurses to become frustrated with regulations that affect their work, especially if the regulations were developed by individuals with no prior experience in the healthcare industry. Nurses who are frequently dissatisfied experience burnout, resentment, disappointment, and pessimism, among other negative emotions. There is a good chance that policy decisions based on more recent studies will benefit the nursing profession. As a result, registered nurses should be included in the policy formulation process. A disgruntled nurse may enter the political arena in order to effect change in the healthcare industry as a whole, thereby alleviating their feelings of unhappiness in their current position as a nurse.
As a result, it is critical to recognize nurses’ ability to influence politics and policy at all levels, including national, state, and local. As a result, when nurses participate in the development of a policy that improves healthcare delivery, they are advocating for their patients. Furthermore, they may work with other types of medical professionals, such as doctors, to provide better care to their patients (Bartmess et al., 2021). As a result, they gain a greater ability to provide patient care, work in interdisciplinary teams, and implement evidence-based techniques and technologies. Nurses can take on leadership roles within the healthcare system or become politically involved by contacting political officials and legislators about legislation that affects the industry on a regional level.
Nurses at all levels and in all jobs within an organization are responsible for patient safety, regardless of their influence on the organization or the patients they care for. As a result, in order to effectively express their concerns, challenges, or barriers, they must first understand the various laws and regulations that govern their practice. Through this forum, nurses can express their concerns about the scope of their practice, the state of public health, and their ability to communicate directly with government officials. As a result, it is the responsibility of nurse practitioners to organize and create campaigns that fight for better working conditions and greater service to their country’s citizens. They can petition Congress and participate in formal discussions to effect a beneficial change in medical treatment. Because they have the support of Congress, they can express their concerns to state and federal administrations and agencies, as well as the federal government. Nurses could use policy advocacy to make their demands known to the government, which the government would then comply with if they were successful. Nurses can hold specialized political positions and contribute their expert knowledge to improve the government’s quality of care while providing the best platform for political participation.
References
Koch, J. A., & Washington-Brown, L. (2021). Health Policy and the Nurse Practitioner. Role Development for the Nurse Practitioner, p. 367.
Bartmess, M., Myers, C. R., & Thomas, S. P. (2021, July). Nurse staffing legislation: Empirical evidence and policy analysis. In Nursing Forum (Vol. 56, No. 3, pp. 660–675). John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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Question
On what policy issues might nurses lobby Congress? What strategies might nurses use to have their voices heard?
The discussion must address the topic.
Rationale must be provided
400 words in your initial post by Wednesday 23:59 pm
Minimum of two scholarly references in APA format within the last five years published
You must post two answers to your peers of 200 words by Wednesday