The Four Spheres Of Political Action In Nursing

The social contract of nursing encompasses the responsibilities of the nursing profession and other health care professionals entrusted by society. Through this contract, nurses are expected to function and have the responsibility to provide all members of society who need medical care regardless of their cultural, social, spiritual and economic status with honest and respectful service keeping in mind the public’s trust. Furthermore, it is expected that medical professionals and nurses provide individuals, families and the community the best possible care. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to examine the social covenant of nursing in relation to the controversial and ethical issues behind the use of Henrietta Lacks’ cells (HeLa) in

Nurses’ involvement in policy debates brings our professional values to bear on the process. (Warner, 2003) The Master’s prepared nurse’s goal as an advocate should be to fight to enhance the client’s wellbeing in every possible way, at every available opportunity. This can be achieved by being part of organization that advocate for patients’ right as well as for better working condition for our colleagues. Also, nurses could choose to get involved in politics or lobby on behalf of other nurses.

To ensure that we as nurses are advocates for not only our patients, but also out communities as a whole, it is imperative for us to fully understand our scope of proactive and our voices that can be heard as an individuals but also as a collaborative voice in legislations by being in empowered professional groups such as the ANA. Promoting better health care polices benefits our society with better health outcomes as well as better financial futures since a healthier society wastes less money and resources when compared to one that does not promote health initiatives. One way to ensure that we as nurses are up to date on current policy and legislation issues is to join a professional group such as the ANA. Advocacy for health care policy requires knowledge and efforts of such large groups and active lobbyists that professional organizations can offer its members (Abood, 2007). Being well informed by a reputable and trust worthy group not only keeps one up to date on all current healthcare issues, but also gives access to resources to actively engage in proposed solutions so that nurses may better advocate for the patients and populations who are so greatly affected by healthcare

Many times, the people who are creating policies or legislation for health care reform are not the “first providers” of the health care system. As the journal article, “Influencing Health Care in the Legislative Arena” stated, “[nurses] are often the first providers to see clearly when and how the health care system is not effectively meeting patients needs;” hence, we need more nurses to take a stance in the legislative arena.

This assignment requires that I develop and thoroughly analyze a public policy in order to advocate for one that improves the health of the public and/or the nursing profession globally (local, state, national or international). To do this, I must reflect on several aspects of being a policy maker within the nursing profession. I was instructed to consider the following:

Nursing practice is controlled by the individual, state’s Board of Nursing, which oversees and defines the nurses’ scope of practice; hence, ensures that nursing practice is guided by the nurse practice act of that state. Legislation also influences nursing practice, with technology facilitating new break-through in scientific research; the need for changes and or advances in healthcare are detrimental to new and improved regulations within the individual states or at a national level. Additionally, private and or public corporations also affect the practice of nursing in different ways; the policies and funding within these entities may limit the resources

As nurses we strive to always practice in the best of our ability. One way that that we can further our efforts is to utilize our voice through health-care lobbying. The best approach to health-care lobbying is to first understand the legislative process. Consequently the purpose of this paper is to distinguish the legislative process as well as convey the benefits of health-care lobbying to not only the workers but the patients.

This addressed ways in which the nurses could increase their participatory involvement in their professional community. One of the most telling facets of the meeting was the in depth discussion of key issues and challenges within the nurse force. Many issues broached during the meeting included ethical, emotional, relational and corporate concerns. The discourse on these pervasive problems served a few functional purposes. Firstly, they explained issues commonly faced by nurses, allowing people to find a sense of common ground. The communal dilemma among all nurses suddenly became evident, in spite of their differences in education or background. This served to advance and evolve the nurses as a whole, making them more empathetic contributors to the healthcare field.

Mason, D. J., Leavitt, J. K., & Chaffee, M. W. (2014). Policy & politics in nursing and health care (6th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Elsevier Saunders.

I believe that nurses are capable of influences that lead to changes. Many nurses do have a caring nature, however, this doesn’t mean that nurses are incapable of encouraging a change in power or political processes. “Power is a complex and extensive concept in nursing, which has a decisive impact on the accomplishment of duties, satisfaction and achievement of professional goals.” (Sepasi, Abbaszadeh, Borhani, & Rafiei, 2016)

Seek legislative solutions for workplace problems by reviewing issues of concern to nurses in -employment settings and introducing appropriate

There has been a pandemic apathy towards political activism among the nursing fraternity, despite the fact that politics to a greater extent affects the way these medical practitioners carry out their duty of providing care. Nurses have not seen any reason for political involvement citing that no direct relationship exists between nursing and political activism (Boswell, Canon and Miller 5). They claim that nursing is about application and service, demonstration by involvement and more of ‘walking the walk’ rather than the political ‘talking the talk’ (Rains and Barton-Kriese 219). Political activism to them is a waste of the precious time that could be used to provide healthcare to

In an article entitled, Common Denominators: Shared Governance and Workplace Advocacy-Strategies for Nurses to Gain Control over Their Practice, Green, and Jordan explore the concepts of shared governance and workplace advocacy. According to Green (2004), organizations implementing shared governance concentrate on having a partnership between the organization and the employees. Shared governance concentrates on the micro level, which is the internal aspect of workplace policies (Green, 2004). In contrast to shared governance, workplace advocacy focuses on both micro and macro levels, which are external. These external policies consist of local, state, or federal policies (Green, 2004). Some

Nurses work in situations that are driven by political decisions and are directed by healthcare policies which are political in nature (Des Jardin., nd). Political Activism in Nursing includes Policy, Politics and Power. However, health and nursing are political and nurses should advocate to be political activists (CNA, 2000). Nurses advocating on behalf of clients or allow them to take actions on their problems/ issues. Nurses participates in unions, and workplace committees to influence healthcare reform, workplace violence and collective bargaining. The Canadian Nurses Association is the national professional voice of Registered Nurses in Canada. Lillian Wald, Florence Nightingale, Clara Barton are few of the many political

According to the RWJF survey, opinion leaders identified the top ten barriers to nurses influencing health care: nurses are not perceived as important decision makers, they do not generate revenue, nurses focus on primary care as opposed to preventative care, and nurses do not have a single voice in addressing national health care issues (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 2010). In reality, nurses make important decisions every shift they work, however, this is overlooked as the powers that be perceive physicians as a powerful influence, therefore, doctors are listened to when it comes to health care policy. In addition, nurses are not perceived as revenue generators, however, if it were not for nurses and the care they provide, there would be