Overview Of Two Opportunities For Nurses To Participate In Policy Making

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Initial Post (1/18/2023) - THE ROLE OF THE RN/APRN IN POLICY-MAKING
Two Opportunities for Nurses to Participate in Policy-making
Opportunities for Registered Nurses (RNs) and Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs) to actively participate in policy-making include serving on boards, committees and lobbying for legislation. First, RNs and APRNs can serve on boards and committees at the national, state, and local levels. These committees and boards address healthcare regulations and policies that impact nursing practice and patient care. For example, serving on a hospital's quality improvement committee or a state board of nursing. Next, through lobbying for policy change, RNs and APRNs may actively engage in policy-making by promoting policy change. According to Milstead and Short (2019), lobbying is the process of persuading a government institution to approve a certain policy action or piece of legislation. Lobbyists commonly serve special interest groups and are consulted by policymakers seeking justification for their viewpoints (Milstead & Short, 2019). Therefore, nurses might join advocacy organizations such as the American Nurses Association (ANA) to push for legislation that benefits the nursing profession and patients. …show more content…

To begin, there is a general lack of knowledge or understanding regarding the policy-making process. Also, RNs and APRNs might not be familiar with the political environment, how policies are developed, or how to interact successfully with policymakers. Milstead and Short (2019) note that health professionals are often requested to participate in committees that provide policymakers guidance. Next, other healthcare professionals or policymakers who do not regard RNs and APRNs as reliable authorities of healthcare policy may oppose them. Furthermore, Anders (2020) sought to present an analysis of certain barriers nurses may encounter regarding participation in health

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