Category: Nursing

NURS 6050 week 3 Discussion: Politics and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act

As we just went through a political race for president. Us who work in healthcare know the effects of how policies and legislation can be shown to make improvements on patient populations. In the world of politics as long as there if federal driven healthcare insurance policies, the federal government will always have a say on how that insurance is utilized. Politics and healthcare are enviable.

Cost Benefit Analysis

Affordable Healthcare was an initiative to the Affordable Care Act. This was not only implemented as a law, but provisions that made the healthcare more affordable, accessible, and comprehensive. Even though the initiation of the ACA added to the federal expenses for healthcare, setting that a side the ACA also reduced costs for Medicare payment with a target goal to increase value (Buettgens, Blumberg, Holahan, & Ndwandwe, 2016). A form of benefit-cost analysis is when an organization’s decisions are based on the results of a benefit from an action and then the organization is able to outweigh the consequences from that decision NURS 6050 week 3 Discussion: Politics and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. When discussing change in a public format a formal BCA can be at time a controversial strategy for evaluating the pros and cons with a possible policy change (Portney et al.). In this case we are looking at the pros or cons of legislators being reelected and how it affected the efforts of repealing/ replacing the ACA (Portney et al.)

Voters Views affect Decisions

It is seen in the year headed towards re-election, electoral pressure affecting the legislators they start to adjust their bill production. In election years we can guess to see an elevated pressure on certain legislation and one to note would the repeal/ replacement of the ACA. Legislator’s main goal is to remain in office and get re-elected or at least leave on their own terms. In order for legislators to get the votes from their constituents they must be aware of the political climate, but also that certain votes can affect whether they would stay in office. For Legislators to be able to know the issues and how it currently stands. So, when talking about congress and where they stand with Medicare and Medicaid, with the repeal of the ACA showing that there would be 14.5 million fewer people with Medicaid coverage in 2021 (How the ACA dented the cost Curve | Health Affairs, n.d.). Our states spending would substantially increase by billions over a decade of time staring in 2017 with hope that Medicaid reductions would balance out these increases.  Many states have expressed their concern if the ACA repeal were to take place that the Medicaid program would start to experience short falls and affecting that patient population How the ACA dented the cost Curve | Health Affairs, n.d.). Significantly less health care would be provided to modest- and low- income families the affects if legislators vote could then ultimately determine if they will get reelected for another year (How the ACA dented the cost Curve | Health Affairs, n.d.) NURS 6050 week 3 Discussion: Politics and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

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Conclusion:

To conclude healthcare and what is being implemented within the healthcare organization will always be dictated by the political arena. From the patient to the politician what they both feel the needs of the patients’ healthcare are vary. That is why it is important to understand the need as to why there are healthcare advocates in the political office to ensure that the patient population voices are heard.

References

Buettgens, M., Blumberg, L. J., Holahan, J., & Ndwandwe, S. (2016). The Cost of ACA Repeal. 
Urban Institute
. doi:http://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/publication/81296/2000806-The-Cost-of-the-ACA-Repeal.pdf

How the ACA dented the cost Curve | Health Affairs. (n.d.). Retrieved March 12, 2021, from https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/full/10.1377/hlthaff.2019.01478

Portney, P., Horwitz, S., Munger, M., Norton, R., Ehrbar, A., & Hardin, G. (n.d.). Benefit-cost analysis. Retrieved March 12, 2021, from 

Benefit-Cost Analysis

Discussion: Politics and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act

Regardless of political affiliation, individuals often grow concerned when considering perceived competing interests of government and their impact on topics of interest to them. The realm of healthcare is no different. Some people feel that local, state, and federal policies and legislation can be either helped or hindered by interests other than the benefit to society.

Consider for example that the number one job of a legislator is to be reelected. Cost can be measured in votes as well as dollars. Thus, it is important to consider the legislator’s perspective on either promoting or not promoting a certain initiative in the political landscape NURS 6050 week 3 Discussion: Politics and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

To Prepare:

Review the Resources and reflect on efforts to repeal/replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

Consider who benefits the most when policy is developed and in the context of
policy implementation
.

By Day 3 of Week 3

Post
 an explanation for how you think the cost-benefit analysis in terms of legislators being reelected affected efforts to repeal/replace the ACA. Then, explain how analyses of the voters views may affect decisions by legislative leaders in recommending or positioning national policies (e.g., Congress’ decisions impacting Medicare or Medicaid). Remember, the number one job of a legislator is to be re-elected. Please check your discussion grading rubric to ensure your responses meet the criteria.

By Day 6 of Week 3

Respond
 to at least 
two
 of your colleagues
* on two different days
by expanding on their explanation and providing an example that supports their explanation or respectfully challenging their explanation and providing an example NURS 6050 week 3 Discussion: Politics and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

Academic Resources and Strategies – NURS 6003 Academic Success and Professional Development Plan Part 2 Assignment

Week 2 | Part 2: Academic Resources and Strategies

I have identified the following academic resources and/or strategies that can be applied to success in the nursing practice in general or my specialty in particular.

 

Directions: In the space below Identify and describe
at least three academic resources
or strategies that can be applied to the MSN program, and
at least three

professional resources
that can be applied to success in the nursing practice in general or your specialty in particular. For each, explain how you intend to use these resources, and how they might benefit you academically and professionally.

The dynamic nature of the nursing professional underscores the need for professionals who can evaluate and anticipate the healthcare needs of the population Academic Resources and Strategies – NURS 6003 Academic Success and Professional Development Plan Part 2 Assignment. Nurses, prepared at the masters level, must be able to lead change, advance cultural-sensitive care, build collaborative care teams, design nursing interventions, and translate empirical evidence into practice. Generally, the master program prepares individuals with broad expertise and knowledge that is broader than the expertise imparted at the entry or baccalaureate level. As such, it provides knowledge that allows for seamless transition from practice to research programs, such as doctorate level. Pursuing a master’s program is a journey, which can only be actualized by leveraging resources that support learning. In this paper, I reflect on these resources, and how I intend to use them to graduate from the program.

 

Academic Resource/Strategy
1

There are wide range of resources that I can leverage to increase my chances of success. However, I consider local libraries, institutional online databases, and nursing journals as some of the most important resources for any nurse. The physical library represents a repertoire of knowledge that plays a key role in the learning process. The knowledge held in physical libraries is not only important for meeting the information needs of the student, but also play a key role in ensuring the academic success of a student. The reason is that a good library is a critical ingredient of learning, teaching, and research. When one is conducting research, the first search for secondary data will often begin in the library. Without a physical library, such research would not be possible. As I continue with the MSN program, I intend to leverage the library for the purposes of conducting research or completing assignments as well as lifelong learning Academic Resources and Strategies – NURS 6003 Academic Success and Professional Development Plan Part 2 Assignment.

Academic Resource/Strategy
2

The institution’s online database is an also an important source of evidence and information which can be used to complement the physical library. While the physical library does hold a lot of books, the capacity of the library is limited. Through the institution’s library, it is possible to access those books and articles that are available from the physical library. Theoretically, access to online databases is critical for research, completing assignments, and advancing the knowledge of an individual (Iroaganachi & Izuagbe, 2018). I will be using the online library to search for those articles that are not available in the physical library, when completing assignments and conducting research. Access to the institution’s library improves the quality and quantity of research by providing an individual with easy access to  many books and articles. I believe that the online library will play a key role in the learning process and will allow me to improve my research skills. An online database will allow me to access information at low costs, and on the go.

Academic Resource/Strategy
3

Online nursing journals also represent a major and significant resource for any nursing student. There has been a prolific expansion of nursing journals that play a key role in advancing practice and the nursing profession (Oerman et al., 2019). These journals can be  grouped into three categories: those that target local audiences, such as hospital newsletters; those that have a national leadership; and those that target international audiences. I believe that these journals are critical to the nursing profession as they publish information related to nursing and, therefore, update us on what is happening. I intend to use online nursing journals to update myself about new practices, enhance my knowledge of emerging issues, and use information and knowledge from the journals to enrich my knowledge of nursing (Oerman et al., 2019). I will also use the journals when developing content related to nursing to ensure that all assumptions or ideas have literature support.

Professional Resource/Strategy
1

One of the most important professional resources is membership to nursing professional bodies. Individuals often congregate together to converse or advocate for the causes of individual members of the group. Like other professionals, nurses also congregate to form professional organizations. There are hundreds of such organizations at the state and national level. These can be categorized into several categories including educational level specific organizations; such as the American Association of Colleges of Nursing; level of preparation, such as Nurse Educators; and setting specific organizations such as long-term care associations (Roux & Halstead, 2008). Membership in these professional bodies is a key reason for the nurse. First, professional bodies play a key role in advancing nursing through research. Generally, these professional organizations  can advance practice through conducting research, and publishing articles about current events. Second, they advocate for the welfare of nurses. Lastly, such membership allows one to interact with other nurses, which can allow a person to build professional networks (Roux & Halstead, 2008). I intend to join a professional organization with the goal of interacting with other nurses, and share ideas, while updating my knowledge about current events Academic Resources and Strategies – NURS 6003 Academic Success and Professional Development Plan Part 2 Assignment.

Professional Resource/Strategy
2

Internet databases are also an important resource that can be leveraged to improve nursing practice. Personal electronic devices, such as smartphones, tablets and personal computers, make it easy to access online databases. These databases often contain health-related and nursing related information (Mahmad et al., 2018). The knowledge in these databases can be used to augment information provided by other members of the profession. The reason is that nurses tend to consult other allied professionals rather than conducting research. I intend to use these databases to improve my knowledge, update myself about new issues, and to conduct research. I believe that the internet contains a large repertoire of information that can be used to improve nursing practice. By translating evidence from the internet, one can improve practice, and engage in evidence-based practice.

Professional Resource/Strategy
3

Networking represents another major resource for nurses. It can be used to increase professionals and quality of care. Generally, networking involves the exchange of information between institutions, groups, and individuals. There are multiple types of networking including strategic, personal, and operational (Drake, 2017). Strategic networking often occurs at the institutional level, where one maintains networks with internal and external groups. Personal networking focuses on developing contacts with either members of the organization, or non-members. Such networking involves forming personal connections with others. Operational networking focuses on building relationships with the members of the institutions, for the purposes of improving performance (Drake, 2017). For example, forming networks with managers or other officials in the hospital facility would amount to operational networking, since it improves performance within the organization Academic Resources and Strategies – NURS 6003 Academic Success and Professional Development Plan Part 2 Assignment.

The role of networking in improving professionalism and practice cannot be assumed. Networks allow people to share information (Khanum et al., 2016). When people network, they exchange ideas, learn from each other, and share information. Nursing networks allow nurses to exchange ideas about care, which can lead to significant improvement in practice. The networks also support professionalism, as people who network tend to have better collaboration with peers and patients. These emerging networks can then allow them to enhance nursing through sharing of resources, expertise, and knowledge. Such collaboration also translates to better coordination of care through common action among people in specific networks (Khanum et al., 2016). For nursing to excel as a profession, there is a strong need to collaborate.

As student, and after I graduate, I will work towards developing strong networks with other people to improve my chances of succeeding professionally. I will apply the recommendations of Drake (2017) on how to start networking. According to Drake (2017), the process of networking starts with a smile, asking for introductions, listening, and asking questions, following up with others, and helping those who are in need. I believe that the advice will help me. The social capital that will likely arise from networking will be critical for advancing my career, searching for employment or professional positions, and improving my knowledge. I hope that the sharing of information and ideas within the networks that I will form will allow me to succeed as a nurs Academic Resources and Strategies – NURS 6003 Academic Success and Professional Development Plan Part 2 Assignmente.

Conclusion

The MSN program prepares nurses for clinical and direct care practice. However, becoming a nurse, who can provide high quality care, requires one to not only  complete the program but leverage existing student and professional resources to support performance and learning. In this reflection, I have identified three academic resources, which include local libraries, online libraries, and nursing journals. All these resources will allow me to finding information related to nursing. On the other hand, I have identified three professional resources, professional organizations, the internet, and networking. I will leverage these resources not only to improve my standing in the profession but also to advance my career Academic Resources and Strategies – NURS 6003 Academic Success and Professional Development Plan Part 2 Assignment.

Assignment: Academic Success and Professional Development Plan Part 2: Academic Resources and Strategies

New construction projects begin with a design phase, where architects blueprint the vision complete with design details. They work in collaboration with builders who use the designs to prepare the appropriate strategies, tools, and materials to bring the vision to reality. You are both architect and builder of your success. You have started to blueprint your vision in your 
Academic Success and Professional Development Plan
. You have identified others with whom you will collaborate. Now you can begin to prepare the appropriate strategies, tools, and materials

How will you approach your studies? What types of resources are available to you, and how will you access and utilize them? Taking the opportunity to prepare these strategies, tools, and materials will help ensure you can “break ground” without incident and successfully move to the phase where you begin building your vision.

To Prepare:

Consider your goals for academic accomplishments while a student of the MSN program.

Reflect on the strategies presented in the Resources for this module.

The Assignment:

In this Assignment, you will continue developing your Academic Success and Professional Development Plan by appending the original document you began in the previous Assignment to develop the second component—academic resources and strategies. To accomplish this:

Identify and describe 
at least three
 academic resources or strategies that can be applied to the MSN program

Identify and describe 
at least three
 professional resources that can be applied to success in the nursing practice in general or your specialty in particular

Explain how you intend to use these resources, and how they might benefit you academically and professionally Academic Resources and Strategies – NURS 6003 Academic Success and Professional Development Plan Part 2 Assignment.

By Day 7 of Week 3

Submit
 your completed Assignment.

Note:
 Add your work for this Assignment to the original document you began in the Module 1 Assignment, which was built from the Academic Success and Professional Development Plan Template.

Submission and Grading Information

To submit your completed Assignment for review and grading, do the following:

Please save your Assignment using the naming convention “WK3Assgn+last name+first initial.(extension)” as the name.

Click the 
Week 3 Assignment Rubric 
to review the Grading Criteria for the Assignment.

Click the 
Week 3 Assignment 
link. You will also be able to “View Rubric” for grading criteria from this area.

Next, from the Attach File area, click on the 
Browse My Computer
 button. Find the document you saved as “WK3Assgn+last name+first initial.(extension)” and click 
Open
.

If applicable: From the Plagiarism Tools area, click the checkbox for 
I agree to submit my paper(s) to the Global Reference Database
.

Click on the 
Submit
button to complete your submission.

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NURS_6003_Module02_Week03_Assignment_Rubric

Grid View

List View

Excellent

Good

Fair

Poor

Continue developing your Academic Success and Professional Development Plan by appending the original document you began in Week 1 to develop the second component: academic resources and strategies. To do this:

·   Identify and describe at least three academic resources or strategies that can be applied to the MSN program.

23 
(23%)
 – 25 
(25%)

The response clearly identifies and accurately describes in detail at least three academic resources or strategies that can be applied to the MSN program.

20 
(20%)
 – 22 
(22%)

The response partially identifies and partially describes at least three academic resources or strategies that can be applied to the MSN program.

18 
(18%)
 – 19 
(19%)

The response vaguely identifies and vaguely describes at least two academic resources or strategies that can be applied to the MSN program.

0 
(0%)
 – 17 
(17%)

The response only vaguely and inaccurately identifies one academic resource or strategy or the three academic resources or strategies that can be applied to the MSN program are vague and inaccurate, or is missing.

·   Identify and describe at least three professional resources that can be applied to success in the nursing practice in general or your specialty in particular.

23 
(23%)
 – 25 
(25%)

The response clearly identifies and accurately describes in detail at least three professional resources that can be applied to success in nursing practice in general or in a specialty.

20 
(20%)
 – 22 
(22%)

The response partially identifies and partially describes at least three professional resources that can be applied to success in nursing practice in general or in a specialty.

18 
(18%)
 – 19 
(19%)

The response vaguely identifies and vaguely describes at least two professional resources that can be applied to success in nursing practice in general or in a specialty.

0 
(0%)
 – 17 
(17%)

The response only vaguely and inaccurately identifies and vaguely describes one professional resource or the three professional resources that can be applied to success in nursing practice in general or in a specialty are vague and inaccurate, or is missing.

·   Explain how you intend to use these resources, and how they might benefit you academically and professionally.

32 
(32%)
 – 35 
(35%)

Response clearly and thoroughly explains in detail the intended use of these resources, including a detailed explanation of how they might be beneficial academically and professionally.

28 
(28%)
 – 31 
(31%)

Response explains the intended use of these resources, including an explanation of how they might be beneficial academically and professionally.

25 
(25%)
 – 27 
(27%)

Explanation of the intended use of these resources, including an explanation of how they might be beneficial academically and professionally is vague or inaccurate.

0 
(0%)
 – 24 
(24%)

Explanation of the intended use of these resources, including an explanation of how they might be beneficial academically and professionally is vague and inaccurate, or is missing.

Written Expression and Formatting – Paragraph and Sentence Structure:

Paragraphs make clear points that support well developed ideas, flow logically, and demonstrate continuity of ideas. Sentences are carefully focused–neither long and rambling nor short and lacking substance. A clear and comprehensive purpose statement and introduction is provided which delineates all required criteria.

5 
(5%)
 – 5 
(5%)

Paragraphs and sentences follow writing standards for flow, continuity, and clarity.

A clear and comprehensive purpose statement, introduction, and conclusion is provided which delineates all required criteria Academic Resources and Strategies – NURS 6003 Academic Success and Professional Development Plan Part 2 Assignment.

4 
(4%)
 – 4 
(4%)

Paragraphs and sentences follow writing standards for flow, continuity, and clarity 80% of the time.

Purpose, introduction, and conclusion of the assignment is stated, yet is brief and not descriptive.

3.5 
(3.5%)
 – 3.5 
(3.5%)

Paragraphs and sentences follow writing standards for flow, continuity, and clarity 60%- 79% of the time.

Purpose, introduction, and conclusion of the assignment is vague or off topic.

0 
(0%)
 – 3 
(3%)

Paragraphs and sentences follow writing standards for flow, continuity, and clarity < 60% of the time. No purpose statement, introduction, or conclusion was provided. Written Expression and Formatting – English writing standards: Correct grammar, mechanics, and proper punctuation 5  (5%)  – 5  (5%) Paragraphs and sentences follow writing standards for flow, continuity, and clarity. A clear and comprehensive purpose statement, introduction, and conclusion is provided which delineates all required criteria. 4  (4%)  – 4  (4%) Paragraphs and sentences follow writing standards for flow, continuity, and clarity 80% of the time. Purpose, introduction, and conclusion of the assignment is stated, yet is brief and not descriptive. 3.5  (3.5%)  – 3.5  (3.5%) Paragraphs and sentences follow writing standards for flow, continuity, and clarity 60%- 79% of the time. Purpose, introduction, and conclusion of the assignment is vague or off topic. 0  (0%)  – 3  (3%) Paragraphs and sentences follow writing standards for flow, continuity, and clarity < 60% of the time. No purpose statement, introduction, or conclusion was provided. Written Expression and Formatting  – The paper follows correct APA format for title page, headings, font, spacing, margins, indentations, page numbers, running head, parenthetical/in-text citations, and reference list. 5  (5%)  – 5  (5%) Uses correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation with no errors. 4  (4%)  – 4  (4%) Contains a few (1-2) grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors. 3.5  (3.5%)  – 3.5  (3.5%) Contains several (3-4) grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors. 0  (0%)  – 3  (3%) Contains many (≥ 5) grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors that interfere with the reader’s understanding. Total Points: 100 Name: NURS_6003_Module02_Week03_Assignment_Rubric Academic Resources and Strategies – NURS 6003 Academic Success and Professional Development Plan Part 2 Assignment

NURS 6050 Discussion Essay

Program/Policy Evaluation

RNs and APRNs need to be involved in the evaluation process of policies and programs to ensure they are functioning and accomplishing the intended goals. This practice is an essential piece of the policy implementation process that nurses and even policymakers forget (Laureate Education, 2018b). The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) passed in 2010 required healthcare facilities to evaluate and plan their programs and policies. Part of this requirement focuses on the leadership roles of nurses and meeting what is considered the quadruple aim (Milstead & Short, 2019). The quadruple aim consists of improved quality of care, reduced costs, improved population health, and job satisfaction of the healthcare employees (Milstead & Short, 2019) NURS 6050 Discussion Essay.

RNs and APRNs should look to actively participate in policy reviews to assess how and if the quadruple aim is meeting expectations. Nurses use assessment and evaluation skills in their day-to-day practice. There are informal and formal evaluation processes. Informal evaluation occurred in small groups and is more gossip than an evaluation. This informal evaluation can cause information gathered to be inaccurate (Milstead & Short, 2019). Formal evaluations involve standardized processes that keep all stakeholders involved in the process and assess the effectiveness of the program or policy overall (Milstead & Short, 2019). An ongoing evaluation must begin during the planning stage of the policy change (Laureate Education, 2018a). Nurses should be consistently assessed for improvement and challenges while planning and implementing policy and program changes (Milstead & Short, 2019) NURS 6050 Discussion Essay.

Policy evaluation does not come without its challenges. Sometimes policy changes can happen too quickly or too slowly. Policy changes may be rushed due to pressure from the government. It is essential to be aware of the economic conditions of a sample population, public awareness of the policy change, and the influence of social media outlets and ongoing political campaigns (Milstead & Short, 2019). Nurses must ensure that evaluation reports contain carefully collected data, analyzed, and released by reputable sources and if the answer regarding the desired outcomes is clear (Milstead & Short, 2019).

Nurses can be involved with policy evaluation by being active in professional nursing organizations such as the American Nurses Association (ANA). The ANA is active in the policy-making process by lobbying for improvements to the nursing profession. They are involved in ongoing data collection and disseminating the results to the public and interprofessional networks (Milstead & Short, 2019). As stated above, nurses are constantly assessing and re-assessing the effectiveness of nursing interventions, and the same process is used for policy evaluation (Milstead & Short, 2019). During the entire process of policy planning, implementation, and evaluation, nurses should monitor and gather data and present it to and educate stakeholders on whether the data shows the policy is working or not working (Yoder-Wise, 2020) NURS 6050 Discussion Essay.

References

Laureate Education (Producer). (2018a). 
The Importance of Program Evaluation
 [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Laureate Education (Producer). (2018b). 
Program Policy and
 
Evaluation
 [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Milstead, J. A., & Short, N. M. (2019). Health policy and politics: A nurse’s guide (6
th
 ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Yoder-Wise, P. S. (2020). A framework for planned policy change. 
Nursing Forum, 55
(1), 45-53 NURS 6050 Discussion Essay.

response

I agree with your statements of nurses needing to be a part of policy review since they are mainly the personnel implementing policies. it is simpler for nurses to implement policies because of their lifelong learning, development of their knowledge, and skills and competency throughout their professional lives (Hlongwa et. al, 2019). As you stated, nurses use assessment and evaluation skills in their day-to-day practice that can help them be good addition in policy review. Policy review can be more beneficial and have better outcomes when different individuals are helping to make a decision. According to Clifford et. al, policy process theory can usefully articulate the complexity of working with multiple policy actors in differing contexts (2019). Every individual has their own input and role in policy review. Nurses have an important role in policy review because of the responsibilities they have in patient care. Nurses assess, evaluate, and carry out decisions and policies daily. With that being said, nurses are key people in policy review because they can see first-hand the effectiveness of policies. As you stated, policy review is not simple and can have challenges. When it comes to nurse’s input in policy review; nurses may have challenges in ensuring feedback and data is collected carefully and presented appropriately. According to Glasgow et. al, greater attention needs to be paid to documenting intervention reach, adoption, implementation, and maintenance. Recommendations are offered to help close the gap between efficacy and effectiveness research and to guide evaluation and possible adoption of new programs (2003) NURS 6050 Discussion Essay.

References

Clifford, B., Wilson, A., & Harris, P. (2019). Homelessness, health and the policy process: a literature review. 
Health Policy, 123
(11), 1125–1132. https://doi-org.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/10.1016/j.healthpol.2019.08.011

Glasgow, R. E., Lichtenstein, E., & Marcus, A. C. (2003). Why don’t we see more translation of health promotion research to practice? rethinking the efficacy-to-effectiveness transition. 
American Journal of Public Health, 93
(8), 1261–1267.

Hlongwa, E. N., & Sibiya, M. N. (2019). Challenges affecting the implementation of the policy on integration of mental health care into primary healthcare in KwaZulu-Natal province. 
Curationis, 42
(1), 1–9. https://doi-org.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/10.4102/curationis.v42i1.1847 NURS 6050 Discussion Essay

response 2

Hello, xx. The policy evaluation process is essential because there are chances of omitting fundamental aspects of the health care system during the policymaking process (Scott et al., 2020). Health care policy evaluation involves a systematic approach of gathering and analyzing the vital information in the policy to enhance the policy’s ability to promote public health. The nurses’ involvement in the evaluation process of the health care policies is essential because it results in improved service delivery and performance in the health care system.  According to Poorchangizi et al. (2017), crucial patients’ needs that were omitted during policy making will be added during policy review. The importance of involving the nurses in health care policy evaluation is because they are always involved in most of the activities in the system to ensure that therefore knowledgeable about the challenges and the areas the policy will affect. Thus, the nurses will point out the areas of the policy that need an adjustment NURS 6050 Discussion Essay.

                                                               References                                               

Poorchangizi, B., Farokhzadian, J., Abbaszadeh, A., Mirzaee, M., & Borhani, F. (2017). The importance of professional values from clinical nurses’ perspective in hospitals of a medical university in Iran. 
BMC medical ethics, 18
(1), 1-7. 
https://bmcmedethics.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12910-017-0178-9

Scott, J. W., Schwartz, T. A., & Dimick, J. B. (2020). Practical guide to health policy evaluation using observational data. JAMA Surgery, 155(4), 353-354. doi:10.1001/jamasurg.2019.4398 NURS 6050 Discussion Essay

Discussion: The Role of the RN/APRN in Policy Evaluation

In the Module 4 Discussion, you considered how professional nurses can become involved in policy-making. A critical component of any policy design is evaluation of the results. How comfortable are you with the thought of becoming involved with such matters?

Some nurses may be hesitant to get involved with policy evaluation. The preference may be to focus on the care and well-being of their patients; some nurses may feel ill-equipped to enter the realm of policy and political activities. However, as you have examined previously, who better to advocate for patients and effective programs and polices than nurses? Already patient advocates in interactions with doctors and leadership, why not with government and regulatory agencies?

In this Discussion, you will reflect on the role of professional nurses in policy evaluation NURS 6050 Discussion Essay.

To Prepare:

In the Module 4 Discussion, you considered how professional nurses can become involved in policy-making.

Review the Resources and reflect on the role of professional nurses in policy evaluation.

By Day 3 of Week 9

Post
 an explanation of at least two opportunities that currently exist for RNs and APRNs to actively participate in 
policy review
.
 Explain some of the challenges that these opportunities may present and describe how you might overcome these challenges. Finally, recommend two strategies you might make to better advocate for or communicate the existence of these opportunities. Be specific and provide examples.

By Day 6 of Week 9

Respond
 to at least 
two
 of your colleagues
* on two different days
 by suggesting additional opportunities or recommendations for overcoming the challenges described by your colleagues.

Policy Review Opportunities

There are numerous opportunities for registered nurses (RNs) and advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) to participate in policy review. First, nurses can participate in a program evaluation design within their organization (Milstead & Short, 2019). During a program evaluation meeting, the team can discuss organizational policies, expected outcomes of the policies, data collection methods, and final result planning (Milstead & Short, 2019). To illustrate this, let us say that a hospital decides to implement mandatory influenza vaccines yearly for all employees. If an employee is non-compliant with the vaccine, they must wear a mask on the property from the start to end of flu season NURS 6050 Discussion Essay. The expected outcome would be that most hospital employees would be compliant in receiving the influenza vaccine. Data collection would consist of tracking the number of employees who received the vaccine versus the number of employees who declined to receive the vaccine. Based on the results, the program evaluation team may choose to implement additional restrictive measures for employees who decline the vaccine or offer incentives for employees who receive the vaccine to increase hospital-wide compliance. Second, as with aiding in policy-making, nurses can join a professional nursing organization to assist with policy review. Nurses played a significant role in implementing the Affordable Care Act by reviewing processes and supplying data to lawmakers (Milstead & Short, 2019).

Challenges and Strategies 

When reviewing policies, nurses are bound to face challenges. Very few prevention and health promotion interventions are applied in healthcare settings (Glasgow et al., 2003). Two challenges may arise in social media and public awareness, or lack thereof (Milstead & Short, 2019). Let us take the policy discussed above regarding compliance with the influenza vaccine within a hospital system. As we have seen with COVID-19, many individuals refuse the vaccine due to a lack of education and social media’s strong influence. Education of hospital employees should include facts and efficacy statistics of the vaccine to combat false information seen on the internet NURS 6050 Discussion Essay. To advocate for policy-review opportunities, nurses must know the positive impact they make at the state and national levels. In Hawaii, policy teams have worked together to reduce health disparities for state citizens (Shiramizu et al., 2018). Word of mouth is the best advocate in this scenario. Nurses should also be encouraged to participate on local nursing boards and with national nursing organizations. Being involved with nursing groups provides strength in numbers when it comes to policymaking and review.

References

Glasgow, R., Lichtenstein, E., & Marcus, A. (2003). Why don’t we see more translation of health promotion research to practice? Rethinking the efficacy-to-effectiveness transition. American Journal of Public Health, 93(8), 1261-1267.

Milstead, J., & Short, N. (2019). Health policy and politics: A nurse’s guide. Jones & Bartlett.

Shiramizu, B., Shambaugh, V., Petrovich, H., Seto, T., Ho, T., Mokuau, N., & Hedges, J. (2018). Leading by success: Impact of a clinical & translational research infrastructure program to address health inequities. NCBI. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40615-016-0302-4

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sample response

You provide an excellent example about vaccine education and the importance of being able to dispel rumors regarding illnesses and vaccines. The hospital I work at has said that employees will likely have to wear barrier masks during cold and flu seasons in the future, regardless of vaccination status. After reading your discussion, I wonder if this will affect the influenza vaccine rate of employees at UW Hospital. UW has sent out numerous emails to staff about how to have conversations with patients and family members about conspiracy theories and misinformation surrounding Covid-19. I am grateful that my hospital supports us to have these conversations thoughtfully, but as a nurse, I am frustrated that these conversations even exist NURS 6050 Discussion Essay.

Nurses often discuss vaccines with patients and family members (Navin, Kozak, & Deem, 2020). Nurses need to develop a positive rapport and gain the trust of the individual before discussing the importance of vaccination, as this is a topic that some individuals do not take lightly. Education can occur through more than just discussion, though. As you pointed out, social media can be very polarizing and often supports the spread of vaccine misinformation. Enhanced vaccine education can occur through social media, virtual reality, cartoons, smartphone apps, and more. People are entitled to their own beliefs, but hopefully, people who have false beliefs about Covid-19 and vaccines have good opportunities for education during the pandemic.
 

References

Kashangura, C. (2020). Enhanced education on vaccines can reduce the scourge of vaccine rejection and hesitation. South African Journal of Science, 116(9/10). https://doi-org.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/10.17159/sajs.2020/8143

Navin, M. C., Kozak, A. T., & Deem, M. J. (2020). Perspectives of public health nurses on the ethics of mandated vaccine education. Nursing Outlook, 68(1), 62–72. https://doi-org.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/10.1016/j.outlook.2019.06.014 NURS 6050 Discussion Essay

sample response 2

There are indeed many opportunities for the nurses to participate in the health care policy evaluation.  They can participate through the nurses’ professional organizations such as the American Nursing Association, The National League for Nursing (NLN), The American Board of Nursing Specialties (ABNS), Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing (Sigma), and The National Student Nurses Association (NSNA) (Lake et al., 2019). These organizations participate actively in politics during elections, creating a political environment that will enable them to be considered by Congress during the policy evaluation process. They have advocates who will efficiently evaluate the policies to ensure the policies meet the healthcare system’s needs (O’Rourke et al., 2017). The organizations also influence the members to vote for several professional nurses to Congress during the elections.  When they are elected, they can represent the nurses in evaluating the health care policies that might not be forwarded to the organizations for evaluation. The representatives will also influence the other legislatures in Congress to support their recommendations to solve the challenges in the health care system.

 

References

Lake, E. T., Sanders, J., Duan, R., Riman, K. A., Schoenauer, K. M., & Chen, Y. (2019). A meta-analysis of the associations between the nurse work environment in hospitals and 4 sets of outcomes. 
Medical care, 57
(5), 353. 
https://dx.doi.org/10.1097%2FMLR.0000000000001109

O’Rourke, N. C., Crawford, S. L., Morris, N. S., & Pulcini, J. (2017). Political efficacy and participation of nurse practitioners. 
Policy, Politics, & Nursing Practice, 18
(3), 135-148. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F1527154417728514 NURS 6050 Discussion Essay

Assignment: Advocating for the Nursing Role in Program Design and Implementation

Planned Parenthood

The goal of healthcare facilities, healthcare providers, and the healthcare sector, as a while, is to improve the health and wellbeing of the populations they are serving by reducing disease incidences. These systems are often guided with health programs, consisting of well-coordinated and comprehensive procedures, processes, and actions designed to achieve specific targeted outcomes within a given field. Newly developed healthcare programs often seek to solve persistent issues that reduce the quality of life within the community. The purpose of this paper is to summarize the design and implementation actions of a planned parenthood program within a healthcare facility Assignment: Advocating for the Nursing Role in Program Design and Implementation.

Planned parenthood is a healthcare program that focuses on providing sex and reproductive health education. Patients can receive education and other healthcare services covered with the program. This program focuses on family planning, contraception, and sexually transmitted diseases like HIV/AIDS.  Therefore, topics covered range from family life and parent-child communication to abstinence, safe sex, sexuality, puberty, sexual orientation, teenage pregnancy, and women’s health education. Staff members and trained volunteers often offer these services. The primary objective of the planned parenthood program is to equip members of society with the knowledge they need to make decisions on matters related to sexual health and reproduction. The outcomes of the programs are listed as follows. To reduce the percentage of young people making irresponsible sex-related choices by reducing their tendencies to engage in careless and life-threatening behaviors.

The target population for the planned parenthood healthcare program is young and older men and women. Teenagers can also benefit from the services.

Nurses tend to play an important role in the implementation of healthcare programs. However, they can also provide input in the design processes, although only advanced practice nurses are often allowed to participate. Their contributions will inform the creation of staff training procedures since they are conversant with the challenges faced when delivering services. Nurses also contribute to designing quality assurance programs and compliance systems to be applied when implementing the program across the facility (Wilson, 2015). They can contribute to discussions related to the proper and effective implementation of the program. Their involvement also increases their dedication to providing the best possible services upon implementing the program to spearhead the attainment of structured objectives and goals Assignment: Advocating for the Nursing Role in Program Design and Implementation.

As an advocate for the target population, it is imperative to be included in the design process because someone must represent patients’ interests and ensure the organization has equally represented their needs adequately. I will provide input on matters relating to the quality of care and adherence to ethical standards. My role as an advocate will also encompass the need to make user adopted medical systems are simple and easy to use (Tomaschewski-Barleme et al., 2017). For example, healthcare facilities must define and integrate methods to ensure both English and non-English speakers receive good services. They must also ensure care provision strategies and systems uphold the highest standards of ethics. Such measures will allow patients to navigate effortlessly when seeking medical intervention.

I will ensure the screening, diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up processes are satisfactory and well-designed to tackle and ensure quality outcomes. I will link patients with service providers to improve communication. I will work with patients to organize appointments with physicians under special circumstances (Tomaschewski-Barleme et al., 2017). My role will extend to making sure patients who cannot afford to pay for services rendered, for one reason or another, get the financial help they need. Similarly, I will work on getting patients the necessary social and legal support if the need arises. For example, I will speak when I believe a facility is offering unfair treatment and conduct follow-ups to ensure the organization adopts the best strategies all the time. I will also offer advocacy services for cases involving families. For example, I will intervene when the decisions of family members are likely to compromise the overall health and wellbeing of the patient. Here, I will make sure only quality decisions are adopted Assignment: Advocating for the Nursing Role in Program Design and Implementation.

Nurses perform the following responsibilities during healthcare program implementation. Firstly, they will meet and talk to patients, identify their problems, and establish their treatment needs to improve quality and patient satisfaction.  Secondly, they will work closely with other healthcare service providers to ensure clients receive the best care during their visits, guarantee positive experiences and exceptional outcomes. Thirdly, nurses will provide patient-centered primary care by considering the needs and interests of each client. Treatment recommendations will be based on these factors (Milstead & Short, 2019). Therefore, all factors affecting the quality of patient health must be considered during program designing, and reasonable accommodations introduced to smoothen and improve the efficacy of measures implemented in the future. Nurses will also make follow-up calls after patient discharge to monitor their recovery trajectories and tackle any difficulties they might be experiencing. Fourthly, they will uphold convenience by offering quick and speedy services (Milstead & Short, 2019). Lastly, they will reduce unnecessary treatments to prevent errors and extra costs, making these services affordable.

Healthcare facilities have different professionals who work in various capacities to solve emerging problems, which means formulated teams must be interdisciplinary. A healthcare team pulled together to oversee the successful implementation of a planned parenthood health program should consist of physicians, nurses, physician assistants, pharmacists, therapists, rehabilitation specialists, emotional and social support providers, medical directors, and hospital boards (Milstead & Short, 2019). Physicians and their assistants are responsible for diagnosing patients based on their symptoms and needs and recommending evidence-based treatments and care. Nurses monitor patient health and wellbeing. They also follow recommended treatment plans to ensure patient recovery. Board members and medical directors are the highest decision-makers, and therefore, will be responsible for making decisions with complex outcomes. Medical directors will also work closely with the nurses and physicians to assist them in decision-making. For example, sometimes, patients may have to be transferred to newer facilities to receive appropriate care. Such decisions must be made jointly with professionals authorized to make such decisions Assignment: Advocating for the Nursing Role in Program Design and Implementation.

Developing and implementing a planned parenthood program within healthcare facilities would increase the number of services offered, improve organizational financial performances, and enhance health outcomes for societal members. The planned parenthood health program focuses on providing sexual and reproductive care. To design and implement a robust program, the facility must formulate an interdisciplinary team to tap and take advantage of different professionals’ knowledge, skills, and experiences. These activities will guarantee quality service provision while safeguarding the interests of the organization.

 

References

Milstead, J. A., & Short, N. M. (2019). Health policy and politics: A nurse’s guide (6
th
ed.). Burlington, MA: Johns & Bartlett Learning.

Tomaschewski-Barlem, J. G., Lunardi, V. L., Barlem, E. L. D., Silveira, R. S., Ramos, A. M., & Piexak, D. R. (2017). Patient advocacy in nursing: Barriers, facilitators, and potential implications.
Texto Contexto-Enfermagem, 26
(3), e0100014.

Wilson, C. (2015). The role of nursing professional development in the future of nursing.
Journal for Nurses in Professional Development, 31
(1), 56-57 Assignment: Advocating for the Nursing Role in Program Design and Implementation.

Assignment: Advocating for the Nursing Role in Program Design and Implementation

As their names imply, the honeyguide bird and the honey badger both share an affinity for honey. Honeyguide birds specialize in finding beehives but struggle to access the honey within. Honey badgers are well-equipped to raid beehives but cannot always find them. However, these two honey-loving species have learned to collaborate on an effective means to meet their objectives. The honeyguide bird guides honey badgers to newly discovered hives. Once the honey badger has ransacked the hive, the honey guide bird safely enters to enjoy the leftover honey.

Much like honeyguide birds and honey badgers, nurses and health professionals from other specialty areas can—and should—collaborate to design effective programs. Nurses bring specialties to the table that make them natural partners to professionals with different specialties. When nurses take the requisite leadership in becoming involved throughout the healthcare system, these partnerships can better design and deliver highly effective programs that meet objectives.

In this Assignment, you will practice this type of leadership by advocating for a healthcare program. Equally as important, you will advocate for a collaborative role of the nurse in the design and implementation of this program. To do this, assume you are preparing to be interviewed by a professional organization/publication regarding your thoughts on the role of the nurse in the design and implementation of new healthcare programs.

To Prepare:

Review the Resources and reflect on your thinking regarding the role of the nurse in the design and implementation of new healthcare programs.

Select a healthcare program within your practice and consider the design and implementation of this program.

Reflect on advocacy efforts and the role of the nurse in relation to healthcare program design and implementation.

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The Assignment: (2–4 pages)

In a 2- to 4-page paper, create an interview transcript of your responses to the following interview questions:

Tell us about a healthcare program, within your practice. What are the costs and projected outcomes of this program?

Who is your target population? Assignment: Advocating for the Nursing Role in Program Design and Implementation

What is the role of the nurse in providing input for the design of this healthcare program? Can you provide examples?

What is your role as an advocate for your target population for this healthcare program? Do you have input into design decisions? How else do you impact design?

What is the role of the nurse in healthcare program implementation? How does this role vary between design and implementation of healthcare programs? Can you provide examples?

Who are the members of a healthcare team that you believe are most needed to implement a program? Can you explain why?

 NURS_6050_Module04_Week08_Assignment_Rubric

Excellent

Good

Fair

Poor

Program Design

In a 2- to 4-page paper, create an interview transcript of your responses to the following interview questions.

·   Tell us about a healthcare program within your practice. What are the costs and projected outcomes of this program?

·   Who is your target population?

·   What is the role of the nurse in providing input for the design of this healthcare program? Can you provide examples?

·   What is the role of the nurse in providing input for the design of this healthcare program? Can you provide examples?

·   What is your role as an advocate for your target population for this healthcare program? Do you have input into design decisions? How else do you impact design?

41 
(41%)
 – 45 
(45%)

Response provides a clear and complete summary of the healthcare program, including an accurate and detailed description of the costs and projected outcomes of the program.

Response provides a clear and accurate description that fully describes the target population.

Response provides a clear and accurate explanation of the role of the nurse in providing input for the design of the program, including specific examples.

Response provides an accurate and detailed description of the role of the nurse advocate for the target population for the healthcare program selected.

Response provides an accurate and detailed explanation of how the advocate’s role influences design decisions as well as fully explaining impacts to program design.

36 
(36%)
 – 40 
(40%)

Response provides a summary of the healthcare program, including a description of the costs and project outcomes of the program.

Response provides an accurate description of the target population.

Response provides an accurate explanation of the role of the nurse in providing input for the design of the program, including some examples.

Response provides an accurate description of the role of the nurse advocate for the target population for the healthcare program selected.

Response provides an accurate explanation of how the advocate’s role influences design decisions and somewhat explains impacts to program design.

31 
(31%)
 – 35 
(35%)

Response provides a summary of the healthcare program that is vague or incomplete or does not include costs or projected outcomes of the program.

Description of the target population is vague or inaccurate.

Explanation of the role of the nurse in providing input for the design of the program is vague, inaccurate, or does not include specific examples.

Description of the role of the nurse advocate for the target population for the healthcare program selected is vague or inaccurate.

Explanation of how the advocate’s role influences design decisions and impacts to program design is vague or inaccurate.

0 
(0%)
 – 30 
(30%)

Response provides a summary of the healthcare program that is vague and inaccurate, does not include costs or projected outcomes of the program, or is missing.

Description of the target population is vague and inaccurate, or is missing.

Explanation of the role of the nurse in providing input for the design of the program, and specific examples is vague and inaccurate, or is missing.

Description of the role of the nurse advocate for the target population for the healthcare program selected is vague and inaccurate, or is missing.

Explanation of how the advocate’s role influences design decisions and impacts to program design is vague and inaccurate, or is missing.

Program Implementation

·  What is the role of the nurse in healthcare program implementation? How does this role vary between design and implementation of healthcare programs? Can you provide examples?

·   Who are the members of a healthcare team that you believe are most needed to implement a program? Can you explain why you think this?

36 
(36%)
 – 40 
(40%)

Response provides a clear, accurate, and complete explanation of the role of the nurse in healthcare program implementation.

Response provides an accurate and detailed explanation of how the role of the nurse is different between design and implementation of healthcare programs, including specific examples.

Response provides an accurate and detailed description of the members of a healthcare team needed to implement the program selected Assignment: Advocating for the Nursing Role in Program Design and Implementation.

The response fully integrates at least 2 outside resources and 2-3 course specific resources that fully supports the summary provided.

32 
(32%)
 – 35 
(35%)

Response provides an accurate explanation of the role of the nurse in healthcare program implementation.

Response provides an accurate explanation of how the role of the nurse is different between design and implementation of healthcare programs, and may include some specific examples.

Response provides and accurate description of the members of a healthcare team needed to implement the program selected.

The response integrates at least 1 outside resource and 2-3 course specific resources that may support the summary provided.

28 
(28%)
 – 31 
(31%)

Explanation of the role of the nurse in healthcare program implementation is vague, inaccurate, and/or incomplete.

Explanation of how the role of the nurse is different between design and implementation of healthcare programs is vague or inaccurate and/or does not include specific examples.

Description of the members of a healthcare team needed to implement the program selected is inaccurate or incomplete.

The response minimally integrates resources that may support the summary provided.

0 
(0%)
 – 27 
(27%)

Explanation of the role of the nurse in healthcare program implementation is vague and inaccurate, or is missing.

Explanation of how the role of the nurse is different between design and implementation of healthcare programs is vague and inaccurate, or is missing.

Description of the members of a healthcare team needed to implement the program selected is vague and inaccurate, incomplete, or is missing Assignment: Advocating for the Nursing Role in Program Design and Implementation.

The response fails to integrate any resources to support the summary provided.

Written Expression and Formatting – Paragraph Development and Organization:

Paragraphs make clear points that support well developed ideas, flow logically, and demonstrate continuity of ideas. Sentences are carefully focused–neither long and rambling nor short and lacking substance. A clear and comprehensive purpose statement and introduction is provided which delineates all required criteria.

5 
(5%)
 – 5 
(5%)

Paragraphs and sentences follow writing standards for flow, continuity, and clarity.

A clear and comprehensive purpose statement, introduction, and conclusion is provided which delineates all required criteria.

4 
(4%)
 – 4 
(4%)

Paragraphs and sentences follow writing standards for flow, continuity, and clarity 80% of the time.

Purpose, introduction, and conclusion of the assignment is stated, yet is brief and not descriptive.

3.5 
(3.5%)
 – 3.5 
(3.5%)

Paragraphs and sentences follow writing standards for flow, continuity, and clarity 60%- 79% of the time.

Purpose, introduction, and conclusion of the assignment is vague or off topic.

0 
(0%)
 – 3 
(3%)

Paragraphs and sentences follow writing standards for flow, continuity, and clarity < 60% of the time. No purpose statement, introduction, or conclusion was provided. Written Expression and Formatting – English writing standards: Correct grammar, mechanics, and proper punctuation 5  (5%)  – 5  (5%) Uses correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation with no errors. 4  (4%)  – 4  (4%) Contains a few (1-2) grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors. 3.5  (3.5%)  – 3.5  (3.5%) Contains several (3-4) grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors. 0  (0%)  – 3  (3%) Contains many (≥ 5) grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors that interfere with the reader’s understanding. Written Expression and Formatting – The paper follows correct APA format for title page, headings, font, spacing, margins, indentations, page numbers, parenthetical/in-text citations, and reference list Assignment: Advocating for the Nursing Role in Program Design and Implementation. 5  (5%)  – 5  (5%) Uses correct APA format with no errors. 4  (4%)  – 4  (4%) Contains a few (1-2) APA format errors. 3.5  (3.5%)  – 3.5  (3.5%) Contains several (3-4) APA format errors. 0  (0%)  – 3  (3%) Contains many (≥ 5) APA format errors.   Total Points: 100 Name: NURS_6050_Module04_Week08_Assignment_Rubric  Assignment: Advocating for the Nursing Role in Program Design and Implementation

NURS 6050 – The Role of the RN/APRN in Policy-Making

Opportunities that exist for Registered Nurses (RNs) and Advanced Practicing Registered Nurses (APRNs) to actively participate in 
policymaking

Registered nurses (RNs) and advanced practicing registered nurses (APRNs) have several ways to actively participating in policymaking. One-way nurses can actively participate is by joining professional nursing organizations such as the American Nurses Association (ANA) and become a lobbyist at Capitol Hill (ANA, n.d.). Nurses are then able to share their experiences and stories firsthand with the support of their other ANA group members. Another way that nurses can actively participate is to write to their state representatives. Unfortunately, not all policy makers have worked the front line of health care and they are unaware of the rules and regulations impacting nursing and other areas of health care. Unless you reach out and talk to them about the issues you have noticed they might never know (Brokaw, 2016). When nurses have the ability and opportunity to voice their concerns, opinions and information with legislators it builds knowledge and confidence with the legislators to aid in interpreting issues (Milstead & Short, 2019) NURS 6050 – The Role of the RN/APRN in Policy-Making.

Challenges that these opportunities may present and describe how you might overcome these challenges

            
Some challenges with these opportunities when advocating in policymaking is that the legislator may not agree with you and will not change their current protocol. This may be because of a funding issue, or they truly do not agree with the stand that you take on the policy. That does not always mean, give up, it may mean stand stronger and find more individuals’ that agree with you to advocate for a change. Another issue may arise if you do not voice your concern at the right time (Milstead & Short, 2019). There is always a time and a place to mention to voice your issues, and now may or may not be the time. The question is, how do you know when is the right time? Sometimes you do not, unfortunately and it becomes trial an error, but you can always reach out to others to see when they think it would be an appropriate time to voice your concerns and knowledge NURS 6050 – The Role of the RN/APRN in Policy-Making.

Strategies you might make to better advocate for or communicate the existence of these opportunities to participate in policymaking
.

Strategies that I may use to become a better advocate for participating in policy-making is to conduct thorough research. I would look on the congress.gov (n.d.) website and read about policy and who is a proponent and opponent. I would research other articles regarding other people’s takes on the policy, review the original policy if there is one, and reach out to other health care providers to see their point of view prior to reaching out to the legislator about my concerns. I would want to make sure that I have accurate, up-to-date, information before interacting with the legislators.

Another strategy is to be sure I am clear in confident on the topic I am advocating for. I would want to be sure that I have organizational committees behind me such as the ANA, hospital floor committees, nursing union if applicable, and any other resource or group of people that would have my back to campaign my concerns, since change typically happens with increased numbers. Nurses need to continue to stay alert and continue to be assertive with change and actively bring problems to the attention of policymakers (Milstead & Short, 2019). Especially since nurses are one of the major factors to ensure a healthy future for Americans (Milstead & Short, 2019).

 

 

References

American Nurses Association (ANA). (n.d.). Retrieved April 16, 2021, from https://www.nursingworld.org/membership/joinANA/?utm_source=googlead&utm_medium=paidsocial&utm_campaign=acquisition_main&utm_term=membership&gclid=Cj0KCQjw1PSDBhDbARIsAPeTqrdI_U3fEMfP7JZj8BDnWlbZ4zCbLsbQ-fdMj0EuhkCUhV4CBg_x5GQaAt-XEALw_wcB

Brokaw, J. (2016). 
The nursing profession’s potential impact on policy and politics.
 American Nurse. Retrieved April 16, 2021, from https://www.myamericannurse.com/nursing-professions-potential-impact-policy-politics/#:~:text=At%20the%20state%20and%20federal,state%20representatives%20regarding%20healthcare%20policy.

Congress.gov. (n.d.). Retrieved April 12, 2021 from https://www.congress.gov/

Milstead, J. A., & Short, N.M. (2019). 
Health policy and politics: A nurse’s guide 
(6
th
ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones Bartlett Learning NURS 6050 – The Role of the RN/APRN in Policy-Making.

response

You made some valid points.  Sometimes the politician may not agree with your point of view.  We, as nurses, are known for being crafty and creative.  Therefore, researching the politician before approaching them helps.  “Influencing public policy change can be difficult and complex, particularly for those with limited power and resources” (Cullerton, Donnet, Lee, & Gallegos , 2018).  Changes to policies are “conducted through complex interactions and negotiations amongst a range of stakeholders, including politicians, interest groups, advisers, bureaucrats, and a range of other parties of interests” (Cullerton, Donnet, Lee, & Gallegos , 2018).

In the recent pandemic, some nurses appealed to social media to help get their point across and help bring about policy changes (Anders, 2020).  With the personal protective equipment (PPE) shortage and many calling COVID a hoax, the viral videos of overworked medical staff and cries of PPE shortage helped with policy changes.

I do agree that it is challenging to convince our elected officials that change is needed NURS 6050 – The Role of the RN/APRN in Policy-Making.

References

Anders, R. L. (2020, October 6). Engaging nurses in health policy in the era of COVID‐19. 
Nursing Forum, 56
(1), 89 – 94. Retrieved from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/nuf.12514

Cullerton, K., Donnet, T., Lee, A., & Gallegos , D. (2018, August 31). Effective advocacy strategies for influencing government nutrition policy: a conceptual model. 
International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 15
(83). doi:doi.org/10.1186/s12966-018-0716-y

Thorne, S. (2021, February 1). Time to get loud. 
Nursing Inquiry, 28
(1). Retrieved from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/nin.12400

Discussion 2: The Role of the RN/APRN in Policy-Making

Word cloud generators have become popular tools for meetings and team-building events. Groups or teams are asked to use these applications to input words they feel best describe their team or their role. A “word cloud” is generated by the application that makes prominent the most-used terms, offering an image of the common thinking among participants of that role.

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What types of words would you use to build a nursing word cloud? 
Empathetic, organized, hard-working, or advocate
 would all certainly apply. Would you add policy-maker to your list? Do you think it would be a very prominent component of the word cloud?

Nursing has become one of the largest professions in the world, and as such, nurses have the potential to influence policy and politics on a global scale. When nurses influence the politics that improve the delivery of healthcare, they are ultimately advocating for their patients. Hence, policy-making has become an increasingly popular term among nurses as they recognize a moral and professional obligation to be engaged in healthcare legislation NURS 6050 – The Role of the RN/APRN in Policy-Making.

To Prepare:

Revisit the Congress.gov website provided in the Resources and consider the role of RNs and APRNs in policy-making.

Reflect on potential opportunities that may exist for RNs and APRNs to participate in the policy-making process.

By Day 3 of Week 8

Post
 an explanation of at least two opportunities that exist for RNs and APRNs to actively participate in 
policy-making
.
 Explain some of the challenges that these opportunities may present and describe how you might overcome these challenges. Finally, recommend two strategies you might make to better advocate for or communicate the existence of these opportunities to participate in policy-making. Be specific and provide examples.

By Day 6 of Week 8

Respond
 to at least two of your colleagues’
*
 posts by suggesting additional opportunities or recommendations for overcoming the challenges described by your colleagues.

 

Some opportunities for RNs and APRNs to actively participate in policy-making are joining professional organizations, actively participating with the union at their place of employment, writing to elected officials, or running for office (Brusie, 2021).  Nursing is the largest medical profession globally, but collaboration and partnership with other disciplines are needed for successful policy-making.   Advancements “in interdisciplinary teamwork, informatics and technology, implementing evidence-based practice, and quality improvement” are ways for nurses to collaborate (Brokaw, 2016).  Nurses become frustrated when other non-nursing professionals make policies that govern their practice.  Nurses fail to realize the full potential they have in influencing changes to policy-making.  Their lack of understanding of the “differences or connections between policy and politics” adds to the barrier of their involvement (Turale & Kunaviktikul , 2019).

Some factors that influence nurses’ limited participation in policy and politics are due to their “lack of awareness, little opportunity for involvement, limited formal health care policy education in nursing, and lack of support to generate the evidence needed to influence healthcare policy” (Brokaw, 2016).  With the release of the “2020 State of the World’s Nursing report by the World Health Organization, data on how nurses can contribute to the attainment of the sustainable development goals and universal health coverage is expected to be an influential document for policy development for the next 3–5 years (Turale & Kunaviktikul , 2019).  These policies encourage nursing leadership training and development.

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Since lack of knowledge is the most significant factor contributing to nurses not participating, one strategy is I would have to become more knowledgeable.  I am aware of some of the factors involved when lobbying politicians.  I used to attend the board meetings for my state board of nursing. Also, as a member of my union, I participated when advocating to politicians.  I stopped participating in both activities, as my other life duties demanded more of my attention.  Therefore, I can start going back to the board meetings to start getting more involved. I am still a member of multiple nursing organizations, but I do not actively participate.

 

References

Brokaw, J. J. (2016, September 22). 
The nursing profession’s potential impact on policy and politics
. Retrieved from American Nurses: https://www.myamericannurse.com/nursing-professions-potential-impact-policy-politics

Brusie, C. (2021, January 18). 
ANA president encourages nurses to get into politics and advocacy
. Retrieved from Nurse.org: https://nurse.org/articles/american-nurses-association-politics-advocacy

Turale, S., & Kunaviktikul , W. (2019, August 20). 
The contribution of nurses to health policy and advocacy requires leaders to provide training and mentorship
. Retrieved from Wiley Online Library: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/inr.12550

 

response

The information you provided in this week’s discussion, is very true. As a nurse that struggles to actively participate in nursing politics, I could not agree more. With nursing being one of the largest medical professions, we also have a persistent voice in changing and redesigning healthcare (Milstead & Short, 2019). Although, there are a lot of unknowns for nursing in policymaking, there are courses and references we can utilize such as joining the ANA or another well- known association or group, that advocates for nurses (ANA, n.d.) NURS 6050 – The Role of the RN/APRN in Policy-Making.

With the unknowns and ‘lack’ of awareness, nurses should continue to research and advocate for their communities and the people the policies will affect. As Milstead & Short (2019, p. 13) stated, “The question is not 
whether 
nurses should become involved in the political system, but 
to what extent
.” As a nurse, we are used to rules and regulations changes within a hospital, which seems daily, so we should continue to stay alert to national issues and be assertive when shining the light on the problems that are created by policymakers (Milstead & Short, 2019). This is important, because some of the policies that are being created nationally, make impact the care you provide day to day at your job.

With your participation in board meetings and other nursing organizations you have probably learned a lot about lobbying. As I am sure it is time consuming, there is great reward, especially if what you are fighting for is achieved. The unfortunate part is that you are typically unpaid, but you are providing a great service of being an advocate (Laureate Education, 2018, 15:33). As some say, time is money, and although you are providing a great service, sometimes money is the limiting factor for people, especially when you have a family at home. I am not saying, money is always the most important thing, but it does influence people to help others and is a dignified issue for many policymakers with decisions, unfortunately.

References

American Nurses Association (ANA). (n.d.). Retrieved April 20, 2021, from https://www.nursingworld.org/membership/joinANA/?utm_source=googlead&utm_medium=paidsocial&utm_campaign=acquisition_main&utm_term=membership&gclid=Cj0KCQjw1PSDBhDbARIsAPeTqrdI_U3fEMfP7JZj8BDnWlbZ4zCbLsbQ-fdMj0EuhkCUhV4CBg_x5GQaAt-XEALw_wcB

Laureate Education (Producer). (2018). 
Health policy and politics 
[Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Milstead, J. A., & Short, N.M. (2019). 
Health policy and politics: A nurse’s guide 
(6
th
ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones Bartlett Learning NURS 6050 – The Role of the RN/APRN in Policy-Making.

The Role of the RN/APRN in Policy-Making

Discussion 2: The Role of the RN/APRN in Policy-Making

Word cloud generators have become popular tools for meetings and team-building events. Groups or teams are asked to use these applications to input words they feel best describe their team or their role. A “word cloud” is generated by the application that makes prominent the most-used terms, offering an image of the common thinking among participants of that role.

What types of words would you use to build a nursing word cloud? 
Empathetic, organized, hard-working, or advocate
 would all certainly apply. Would you add policy-maker to your list? Do you think it would be a very prominent component of the word cloud?

Nursing has become one of the largest professions in the world, and as such, nurses have the potential to influence policy and politics on a global scale. When nurses influence the politics that improve the delivery of healthcare, they are ultimately advocating for their patients. Hence, policy-making has become an increasingly popular term among nurses as they recognize a moral and professional obligation to be engaged in healthcare legislation The Role of the RN/APRN in Policy-Making.

To Prepare:

Revisit the Congress.gov website provided in the Resources and consider the role of RNs and APRNs in policy-making.

Reflect on potential opportunities that may exist for RNs and APRNs to participate in the policy-making process.

By Day 3 of Week 8

Post
 an explanation of at least two opportunities that exist for RNs and APRNs to actively participate in 
policy-making
.
 Explain some of the challenges that these opportunities may present and describe how you might overcome these challenges. Finally, recommend two strategies you might make to better advocate for or communicate the existence of these opportunities to participate in policy-making. Be specific and provide examples.

Registered nurses (RNs) and advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) have many opportunities to participate in policy-making. First, RNs and APRNs can join a professional nursing organization. According to Brokaw (2016), “These organizations often have lobbyists that bring nursing issues to Capitol Hill.” Second, nurses can write letters to state representatives regarding changes they want to see in health policy (Brokaw, 2016).

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Nurses face several challenges when attempting to participate in policy-making. The biggest challenge may be finding the time to participate. Nurses work long hours and often have inconsistent schedules. Lack of support and education regarding health policy and politics present additional challenges (Brokaw, 2016). Nurses should be made aware of their ability to participate in the political arena. Support from colleagues and nursing informaticists would supply nurses with the confidence needed to take significant issues to the state or national level. A nursing informaticist provides support, communicates data, and aids in decision-making (Milstead & Short, 2019). Nurses can also take a formal class on health policy or do internet research to learn how to approach healthcare issues.

Political advocacy is essential to advance the nursing profession (American Nurses Association, n.d.). To advocate for opportunities to participate in policymaking, nurses should be aware of the opportunities. Communicating with colleagues about these opportunities is one of the most critical steps. From there, nurses can join organizations, bring health issues to the forefront, and even create nursing groups where issues are discussed. I believe there is strength in numbers. Having support from other nurses and nursing groups when pushing policies at the state or national level will empower nurses The Role of the RN/APRN in Policy-Making.

References

American Nurses Association. (n.d.). Advocacy. https://www.nursingworld.org/practice-policy/advocacy/

Brokaw, J. (2016). The nursing profession’s potential impact on policy and politics. American Nurse. 

The nursing profession’s potential impact on policy and politics

Milstead, J., & Short, N. (2019). Health policy and politics: A nurse’s guide. Jones & Bartlett.

 

By Day 6 of Week 8

Respond
 to at least two of your colleagues’
*
 posts by suggesting additional opportunities or recommendations for overcoming the challenges described by your colleagues.

 

Your discussion this week had information that I agree with and discussed in my post as well. One common opportunity that I have seen in the class discussion is the participation of nurses in nursing organizations. Registered nurses and advanced practice registered nurses have many organizations to choose from that fit their individual preferences. According to Crumley, professional organizations provide a variety of networking opportunities and educational resources. They advocate to advance nursing practice and to improve the health of populations, communities, and individuals (2020). Nurses are sometimes overlooked when it comes to their input in policymaking. According to the Australian Nursing Journal, the International Council of Nurses aimed for nurses from around the world who are active in politics to connect, share expertise, and strengthen nursing contribution to policy (2007). Nurses have a greater ability than what is shown to add to policymaking across the world The Role of the RN/APRN in Policy-Making.

 

References

Australian Nursing Journal. (2007).
 Connecting nurse activists, 14
(7), 25.

Crumley, C. (2020). The benefits of active engagement in nursing professional organizations: A view from here. 
Journal of Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nursing
. https://doi-org.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/10.1097/WON.0000000000000700

 

 

response 2

You provided several realistic points on why nurses struggle to participle in policymaking. As Brokaw (2016, para. 2) stated, “lack of awareness, inadequate skills, … little opportunity for involvement… limited formal health care policy education in nursing… time and resource are further obstacles to the nursing profession’s participation in politics.” With nursing being one of the largest medical professions in the world, we should be leading the way of the new design in healthcare (Brokaw, 2016). Except, as you stated, nurses work long hours, have inconsistent schedules, and typically has a family at home with a significant other that works opposite shifts than you to decrease monetary requirements for daycare. As a nurse we experience several issues within the healthcare design, some of us acknowledge the difficulties, while others push them to the side because we are burnt out.

As a nurse, we should reach out to additional support groups such as the American Nurses Association (ANA, n.d.), our nursing unions; if applicable, and colleagues. Several of these organizations and groups of people have experience with lobbying and creating policy changes, so they would be great resources to have on our sides. Plus, with numbers, typically you can make a change, just as you stated.

Another advantage for nursing these days is the readily available internet resources. Utilizing credible resources such as Congress.gov, we can validate if rumors are true regarding new policies or policy changes as well as who introduced the change (Congress.gov, n.d.). As we have learned, conducting our own research and having the ability to reach out to congressman/women, we can make a change or at least have them acknowledge different points of view. As they say, nurses can assist with change by providing stories and experiences with policymakers (Milstead & Short, 2019) and we should be aware of ways we can positively impact our healthcare system The Role of the RN/APRN in Policy-Making.

References

American Nurses Association (ANA). (n.d.). Retrieved April 20, 2021, from https://www.nursingworld.org/membership/joinANA/?utm_source=googlead&utm_medium=paidsocial&utm_campaign=acquisition_main&utm_term=membership&gclid=Cj0KCQjw1PSDBhDbARIsAPeTqrdI_U3fEMfP7JZj8BDnWlbZ4zCbLsbQ-fdMj0EuhkCUhV4CBg_x5GQaAt-XEALw_wcB

Brokaw, J. (2016). 
The nursing profession’s potential impact on policy and politics.
 American Nurse. Retrieved April 20, 2021, from https://www.myamericannurse.com/nursing-professions-potential-impact-policy-politics/#:~:text=At%20the%20state%20and%20federal,state%20representatives%20regarding%20healthcare%20policy.

Congress.gov. (n.d.). Retrieved April 12, 2021 from https://www.congress.gov/

Milstead, J. A., & Short, N.M. (2019). 
Health policy and politics: A nurse’s guide 
(6
th
ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones Bartlett Learning The Role of the RN/APRN in Policy-Making.

NURS 6050 week 8 Discussion: The Role of the RN/APRN in Policy-Making

Discussion Board: The Role of the RN/APRN in Policymaking

Post
 an explanation of at least two opportunities for RNs and APRNs to participate in 
policymaking
 actively.
 

Registered nurses and advanced practice nurses can participate in policy making in two ways. Nurses can be involved in the policy design process and research regarding health services (Milstead & Short, 2019). When participating in the policy design process, nurses are considered professional experts and are often asked to consult on committees to assist policymakers in drafting new legislation (Milstead & Short, 2019). Nurses involved with professional nursing organizations are also able to advocate for change, such as allowing advanced practice nurses to operate with full practice authority in a particular state. Nurses can also bring social issues in healthcare to policymakers who, before this, may not have been aware the issue existed (Milstead & Short, 2019)NURS 6050 week 8 Discussion: The Role of the RN/APRN in Policy-Making.

Health services research focuses on multiple areas of the healthcare industry. Milstead & Short (2019) noted that health services research specifically related to the field of nursing could assist in improving quality of care, access to care, and patient safety. Nurses involved in research can assist policymakers in identifying problems, estimating the cost of potential change, and assist with identifying the risk versus the benefit of the change overall (Milstead & Short, 2019). This information is essential to consider as the goal is to achieve patient safety and the best patient outcomes possible for the community that is being served.

Explain some of the challenges that these opportunities may present and describe how you might overcome these challenges.

The most common challenge that policymakers face is their budget. However, nurses can bring social issues to the forefront of the policy discussion when considering a policy change. It is essential to consider the cost of the change (Barzegar et al., 2020). How much is the new policy going to cost? How will the policy change impact the way the hospitals function or spend their funds? Governments need to know how their new policy will impact the healthcare system and the citizens they serve (Barzegar et al., 2020). Health research is an integral part of determining the cost of the policy change and looking for the most cost-effective way to implement it (Milstead & Short, 2019) NURS 6050 week 8 Discussion: The Role of the RN/APRN in Policy-Making .

Finally, recommend two strategies you might make to better advocate for or communicate these opportunities to participate in policymaking. Be specific and provide examples.

Nurses have the option to obtain membership in a professional nursing organization. As a member of a professional organization, nurses have the opportunity to assist with lobbying efforts for legislation. An example of a topic that has been at the forefront of nursing issues is the Nurse and Healthcare Worker Protection Act that was introduced to the 114
th
 Congress (2015-2017) (Milstead & Short, 2019). This act was the result of lobbying completed by the American Nurses Association (ANA).  This legislation requires employers to purchase and maintain equipment to assist in lifting and transferring patients to protect nurses and nursing support staff from injury (Milstead & Short, 2019). Nurses should communicate to their colleagues who are members of their specific organization to get involved with lobbying efforts to assist with policy formation.

Nurses can also get involved in their own organization’s committees to help influence policy-making within their facility. Many committees exist within a hospital to help shape policy and review evidence-based practices (Lavenberg et al., 2019). One example would be joining the facility’s safety committee. This committee looks at the safety issues in the hospital. It works to determine ways to prevent the safety issue from re-occurring and advocate for policy changes based on evidence-based practices (Lavenberg et al., 2019) NURS 6050 week 8 Discussion: The Role of the RN/APRN in Policy-Making.

 

References

Barzegar Safari, M., Bahadori, M., & Alimohammadzadeh, K. (2020). The Related Factors of Nurses’ Participation and Perceived Benefits and Barriers in Health Policy Making. 
The Journal of Nursing Research : JNR
, 
28
(4), e103. https://doi-org.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/10.1097/jnr.0000000000000385

Lavenberg, J. G., Cacchione, P. Z., Jayakumar, K. L., Leas, B. F., Mitchell, M. D., Mull, N. K., & Umscheid, C. A. (2019). Impact of a Hospital Evidence‐Based Practice Center (EPC) on Nursing Policy and Practice. 
Worldviews on Evidence-Based Nursing
, 
16
(1), 4–11. https://doi-org.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/10.1111/wvn.12346

Milstead, J. A., & Short, N. M. (2019). Health policy and politics: A nurse’s guide (6
th
 ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.

 

Discussion 2: The Role of the RN/APRN in Policy-Making

Word cloud generators have become popular tools for meetings and team-building events. Groups or teams are asked to use these applications to input words they feel best describe their team or their role. A “word cloud” is generated by the application that makes prominent the most-used terms, offering an image of the common thinking among participants of that role.

What types of words would you use to build a nursing word cloud? 
Empathetic, organized, hard-working, or advocate
 would all certainly apply. Would you add policy-maker to your list? Do you think it would be a very prominent component of the word cloud?

Nursing has become one of the largest professions in the world, and as such, nurses have the potential to influence policy and politics on a global scale. When nurses influence the politics that improve the delivery of healthcare, they are ultimately advocating for their patients. Hence, policy-making has become an increasingly popular term among nurses as they recognize a moral and professional obligation to be engaged in healthcare legislation.

To Prepare:

Revisit the Congress.gov website provided in the Resources and consider the role of RNs and APRNs in policy-making.

Reflect on potential opportunities that may exist for RNs and APRNs to participate in the policy-making process.

By Day 3 of Week 8

Post
 an explanation of at least two opportunities that exist for RNs and APRNs to actively participate in 
policy-making
.
 Explain some of the challenges that these opportunities may present and describe how you might overcome these challenges. Finally, recommend two strategies you might make to better advocate for or communicate the existence of these opportunities to participate in policy-making. Be specific and provide examples.

By Day 6 of Week 8

Respond
 to at least two of your colleagues’
*
 posts by suggesting additional opportunities or recommendations for overcoming the challenges described by your colleagues.

The Role of the RN/APRN in Policy-Making

Opportunities that exist for RNs and APRNs to participate in policy-making

The RN and APRN have many different options to help in policy-making. Nurses make up the largest Healthcare profession worldwide. As a large group, they can make changes that will better the health of the patients. According to Carlson (2012), nurses play two roles in direct patient care and advocacy. The first opportunity available to nurses to get involved in policy-making is to comment on current government regulations online or through letters. The second opportunity for nurses to participate in policy-making is by educating those that are in politics on an issue in healthcare. According to Schaeffer and Haebler (2019), nurses can educate new and returning legislators on the scope of our work and the challenges that they face every day.

Explain some of the challenges that these opportunities may present and describe how you might overcome these challenges

There are some challenges that these opportunities may present. The challenge of commenting on regulation is that you may not be fully educated on the regulation. The way to overcome this challenge is to educate yourself through evidence-based research. Continuing education can help nurses stay up to date on skills and knowledge of topics (Lewinski and Simmons, 2018). The other challenge of educating lawmakers is that they often do not know healthcare and health policy. Most lawmakers do not fully understand the profession of nursing and appreciate being educated by nurses (Schaeffer and Haebler, 2019). One way to overcome this challenge is to make an appointment with your representatives and discuss issues in nursing.

Two strategies you might make to better advocate for or communicate the existence of these opportunities to participate in policy-making

The strategies that I would use to better advocate for or communicate the existence of these opportunities are to encourage nurses to join professional organizations and educate fellow nurses on the current legislation regarding healthcare. Nurses that join professional organizations can help fund lobbyists that try to shape healthcare through a nursing voice. The professional organizations also offer opportunities for individual nurses to participate in policymaking. Many nurses do not want to be a part of a professional organization so it would help keep them informed of current legislation that affects them or the patients.

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Carlson, E.S. (2012). How to comment on government regulations. American Nurse Today, 7(7), 34-36. 
https://www.nursingworld.org/~4ae1d2/globalassets/docs/ana/ant7-regulation-626.pdf

Lewinski, A.A. & Simmons, L.A. (2019). Nurse knowledge and engagement in health policy making: Findings from a pilot study. The Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing, 49(9), 407-415. http://dx.doi.org.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/10.3928/00220124-20180813-06

Schaeffer, R. & Haebler, J. (2019). Nurse leaders: Extending your policy influence. Nurse Leader, 17(4), 340-343. 
https://doi-org.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/10.1016/j.mnl.2019.05.010

response

I agree with you that a lack of education is a crucial factor in why nurses do not get involved in policy-making.  The absence of knowledge hinders the progressive growth of the nursing profession.  You are also correct in your viewpoint that the changes made are by non-nursing individuals (Brokaw, 2016).  While it may be frustrating, we as a profession need to accept more accountability.  We should encourage each other as nurses to become more involved in policy and change.  My union president always encouraged me to come to meetings and to get involved.  Her rationale was we looked much stronger and more unified.  Also, the larger the turnout, the more serious we appeared to the politicians or other constituents we were appealing to NURS 6050 week 8 Discussion: The Role of the RN/APRN in Policy-Making.

Getting involved in professional organizations is another excellent point.  I am guilty of being a member of many organizations yet not been actively engaged in any.  As nurses, we “can play an influential role in health policy-making at local, national, and international levels” if we become more involved (Rasheed, Younas, & Mehdi , 2020).  I read the articles or attend the webinars for CEUs, but I have not to advocate or attend any rallies.

 

References

Ahmed, M. H. (2018, July). Reflection for the undergraduate on writing in the portfolio: where are we now and where are we going? 
Journal of advances in medical education & professionalism, 6
(3), 97 – 101. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6039822/

Brokaw, J. J. (2016, September 22). 
The nursing profession’s potential impact on policy and politics
. Retrieved from American Nurses: https://www.myamericannurse.com/nursing-professions-potential-impact-policy-politics

Rasheed, S. P., Younas, A., & Mehdi , F. (2020, May 25). Challenges, extent of involvement, and the impact of nurses’ involvement in politics and policy making in in last two decades: an integrative review. 
Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 52
(4), 446 – 455. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1111/jnu.12567 NURS 6050 week 8 Discussion: The Role of the RN/APRN in Policy-Making

NURS 6050 Discussion 2: The Role of the RN/APRN in Policy-Making

Policy-making is a key factor of having order in health care professions. There are a few ways that RNs and APRNs can contribute to policy-making. The first opportunity that exists is nursing associations or organizations. When nurses join these organizations, they analyze problems to create resolutions in nursing. According to Koehn, two “ordinary problem” policy issues are analyzed, with the examination of how nurses, individually and organizationally, collaborated and advocated to address these issues by triggering local, state, and national action by stakeholders (2020). There are various professional organizations for RNs and APRNs. Many professional nursing organizations have an explicit commitment to advancing health policy and have established a presence on social media platforms; yet, little is known about what policy topics professional nursing organizations choose to disseminate (Waddell,2019). According to Waddell, the American Nurses Association and the American Academy of Nursing are two organizations that often represent the voice of nurses in policy discussions (2019). Professional organizations warrant that any policy that is implemented is effective and that it has the best interest for nurses. The second opportunity is through administrations in workplaces. The RNs and APRNs are professionals who have the opportunities to sit on boards in facilities where policies are reviewed. According to Rasheed et. al, educational institutions and nurse leaders should adequately prepare nurses for policy-making, and nurses should participate in policy-making at the organization, system, and national levels (2020).Through their workplace, RNs and APRNs have a chance to influence a policy review by having the first-hand experience on if the policy is effective in their places of work NURS 6050 Discussion 2: The Role of the RN/APRN in Policy-Making.
 

The professional organizations and associations may endure challenges when it comes to exposure and getting information out. Many people nowadays receive information thru social media platforms. According to Waddell, organization leaders and members should consider how social media content could enhance nurses’ policy participation and advance the dialogue about health and well‐being in the context of high‐stakes healthcare debates (2019). The opportunity of the workplace has its challenges as well. In most facilities, administrators are the prominent people in policy-making. According to Rasheed et. al, the extent of involvement was inadequate, and nurses mainly worked as policy implementers rather than as policy developers (2020). This statement signifies the limitations nurses may have in policy-making in certain facilities.

The two strategies that lead to better communication of the existence of these opportunities are proper training and self-sufficiency. According to Rasheed et. al, nursing institutions and regulatory bodies should prepare and encourage nurses to work as policymakers rather than implementers and advocate for the rightful place of nurses at policy-making forums (2020). With effective training for the nurses, they can better understand their roles and carry out the policies appropriately. Also, leaders of an organization determine whether the nurses will have a chance to review a given policy. Training and good leadership are key elements of a solid, knowledgeable nursing team NURS 6050 Discussion 2: The Role of the RN/APRN in Policy-Making.

References

Koehn, K. (2020). Triggers for nursing policy action: Getting to the critical point to solving “ordinary problems” in nursing. 
Nursing Forum
, 
55
(1), 11–15. https://doi-org.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/10.1111/nuf.12376

 

Rasheed, S. P., Younas, A., & Mehdi, F. (2020). Challenges, extent of involvement, and the impact of nurses’ involvement in politics and policy making in in last two decades: An integrative review. 
Journal of Nursing Scholarship
, 
52
(4), 446. https://doi-org.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/10.1111/jnu.12567

 

Waddell, A. (2019). Nursing organizations’ health policy content on facebook and twitter preceding the 2016 United States presidential election. 
Journal of Advanced Nursing (John Wiley & Sons, Inc.)
, 
75
(1), 119–128. https.//doi-org.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/10.1111/jan.13826

response

Thank you for your post. I agree with you that 
joining professional organizations and sitting on boards enables nurses to help in policy making. 
According to Woodward et al. (2016), nurses possess many qualities that are easily tr
ansferrable to the political side. They are great communicators and advocates for their patients. Nurses 
have valuable expertise when drafting policies that protect and promote public health (Woodward
 et al.
, 2016)
. The nurse has direct contact with patients and understand the needs of the patient and the community. 
The three factors that influence the 
nurses
 
participation
 in politics 
are
 political education in school, 
a personal interest in a topic, and membership in professional organizations (Woodward et al., 2016).
 
 

You had also briefly mentioned the use of social media platform. According to Roland (2017), 
using
 multimedia presentations on social media is a 
cost-effective
 way to promote health policy. There are millions of people that 
use social media on a daily basis and health messages could be easily 
disseminated
. 
Some of the drawbacks of using social media can be the reliability of the information and it may act as a deterrent for a patient to seek care (
Roland, 2017). I honestly believe that social media could be 
better
 used to educate the public about health.
 

Roland, D. (2017). Social media, health policy, and knowledge translation.
 
Journal of the American College of Radiology
, 15(1), 149-152. 
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacr.2017.09.009
 

Woodward, B., Smart, D., & Benavides-
Vaello
, S. (2016). Modifiable factors that support p
olitical participation by nurses.
 
Journal of Professional Nursing
, 32(1), 54-61. https://doi-org.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/10.1016/j.profnurs.2015.06.005
NURS 6050 Discussion 2: The Role of the RN/APRN in Policy-Making

Discussion 2: The Role of the RN/APRN in Policy-Making

Word cloud generators have become popular tools for meetings and team-building events. Groups or teams are asked to use these applications to input words they feel best describe their team or their role. A “word cloud” is generated by the application that makes prominent the most-used terms, offering an image of the common thinking among participants of that role.

What types of words would you use to build a nursing word cloud? 
Empathetic, organized, hard-working, or advocate
 would all certainly apply. Would you add policy-maker to your list? Do you think it would be a very prominent component of the word cloud?

Nursing has become one of the largest professions in the world, and as such, nurses have the potential to influence policy and politics on a global scale. When nurses influence the politics that improve the delivery of healthcare, they are ultimately advocating for their patients. Hence, policy-making has become an increasingly popular term among nurses as they recognize a moral and professional obligation to be engaged in healthcare legislation.

To Prepare:

Revisit the Congress.gov website provided in the Resources and consider the role of RNs and APRNs in policy-making.

Reflect on potential opportunities that may exist for RNs and APRNs to participate in the policy-making process.

  ORDER A PLAGIARISM FREE PAPER NOW

By Day 3 of Week 8

Post
 an explanation of at least two opportunities that exist for RNs and APRNs to actively participate in 
policy-making
.
 Explain some of the challenges that these opportunities may present and describe how you might overcome these challenges. Finally, recommend two strategies you might make to better advocate for or communicate the existence of these opportunities to participate in policy-making. Be specific and provide examples.

By Day 6 of Week 8

Respond
 to at least two of your colleagues’
*
 posts by suggesting additional opportunities or recommendations for overcoming the challenges described by your colleagues.

One of the most apparent, and possibly one of the easier methods for registered nurses (RN) and advanced practice registered nurses (APRN) to become active in policymaking is by joining nursing organizations. These organizations range from local or regional organizations to national organizations. Within these organizations are often members who work within the legislative process. “These organizations often have lobbyists that bring nursing issues to Capitol Hill” (American Nurses Association, 2016). These lobbyists can also act as an aid for nurses or advanced practice registered nurses to get their foot in the door with legislators to present the concerns they would like to address.

A second opportunity for registered nurses and advanced practice registered nurses to participate in the policy-making process is to write to legislators. As discussed earlier in the semester, this is most effective if the nurse does research prior to and voiced their concerns to policymakers who have similar views on the concern (Laureate Education, 2018).

Challenges that inhibit nurses and APRNs include a lack of understanding in regard to the policymaking process. This may include lacking a full understanding of the relevant knowledge of the specific legislator the nurse is working with (Shariff, 2014). A strategy to overcome this barrier to policymaking would be for the RN or APRN to work with other members of their organizations who have previously done this. A second strategy is for the RN or APRN should also familiarize themselves with the legislators they plan to approach in order to invoke change. As discussed previously in the semester, nurses will be more successful in making changes if they have something to offer the legislator. The nurse or advanced practice registered nurse should find a way they can help the legislator while also pushing for change on the specific issue at hand (Laureate Education, 2018).

References

American Nurses Association. (2016, September 22). The nursing profession’s potential impact on policy and politics. 

The nursing profession’s potential impact on policy and politics

Laureate Education (Producer). (2018). The Policy Process [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Shariff, N. (2014, July 10). Factors that act as facilitators and barriers to nurse leaders’ participation in health policy development. National Institutes of Health. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4105513/

response

Nurses are known to implement policies and rather not be part of the formulation process, not because they are not good advocates but because they lack the awareness. I do agree with you; one of the barriers nurses face is political awareness. Nurses have the skills and courage; they advocate and fight for their patients and families (Anders, 2020). However, to get political confidence, there must be an effort made in the workplace to encourage nurses to participate in the policy-making process. Healthcare professionals need to have expert knowledge, communication skills, active listening, negotiation, and group processes to function in the pollical arena (Milstead & Short, 2019). Nurses are the largest profession in healthcare, and collaborating with other healthcare professionals will speak louder as there is power in numbers NURS 6050 Discussion 2: The Role of the RN/APRN in Policy-Making.

 

References

Anders, R. L. (2020). Engaging nurses in health policy in the era of Covid-19. Nursing Forum, 56(1), 89-94.

https://doi.org/10.1111/nuf.12514

Milstead, J. A., & Short, N.M. (2019). 
Health policy and politics: A nurse’s guide 
(6
th
ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones Bartlett Learning NURS 6050 Discussion 2: The Role of the RN/APRN in Policy-Making.

NURS 6050 week 7 Discussion 1: Evidence Base in Design

The health policy that I have chosen for this week’s discussion is H.R. 4550 (Congres.gov, n.d.). It amends the Public Health Service Act to provide grants for the treatment of minorities with diabetes. The bill was introduced on September 27, 2019, and currently resides in the Committee on Energy and Commerce. The treatments that will be covered for diabetic minorities include routine care, diabetes prevention and control, eye care, foot care, and treatment for other complications of diabetes (Congress.gov, n.d.). The bill also mentions that treatment considerations for language barriers and culture.

Many studies show minorities are more likely to be diagnosed with diabetes than their non-Hispanic white counterparts. According to Joo and Liu (2019), 7.4% of non-Hispanic whites are diagnosed with diabetes, 12.1% of Hispanics are diagnosed with diabetes, and 12.7% of African Americans are diagnosed with diabetes. There must be either availability of services or resources for minorities with diabetes. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is funding ten national organizations to start in-person visits to people with diabetes in underserved areas (CDC, n.d.). Millions of minorities require diabetic preventative care and treatment NURS 6050 week 7 Discussion 1: Evidence Base in Design.

One study by Rodriguez and Campbell (2017) showed that there is also a disparity between minorities and non-Hispanic whites in testing medications to treat diabetes. Some of the medicines that treat diabetes have different reactions to some ethnic groups. Some examples are Sulfonylureas cause arterial stiffness in African Americans; Metformin lowers hemoglobin A1C in African Americans more than non-Hispanic whites; and Sitagliptin dropped Asian Americans hemoglobin A1C by 1% but was not tested on African Americans (Rodriguez and Campbell, 2017). The disparity between treatment and prevention of diabetes in minorities would benefit from the H.R. 4550 Minorities Diabetes Act.

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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (n.d.). 
National diabetes prevention program
. 
https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/disparities.html

Congress.gov (n.d.). H.R. 4550  Minority Diabetes Initiative Act. 
https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/4550/all-actions?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%22diabetes%22%7D&r=20&overview=closed&s=3#tabs

Joo, J.Y. & Liu, M.F. (2019). Experience of culturally-tailored diabetes interventions for ethnic minorities: A qualitative systematic review. 
Clinical Nursing Research
, 30(3), 253-262. 
https://doi-org.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/10.1177%2F1054773819885952

Rodriguez, J. E. & Campbell, K.M. (2017). Racial and ethnic disparities in prevalence and care of patients with type 2 diabetes. 
Clinical Diabetes Journal
, 35(1), 66-70. 
https://doi.org/10.2337/cd15-0048

 

 

response

Diabetes has been a hot topic within health care as of recent especially with the more sedentary lifestyles, working from home, and extensive time sitting in front of computers. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC, (2020) reported that there was increased number of new diagnoses of type 1 diabetes among racial/ethnic minority groups in children/teen populations. With younger generations being diagnosed with diabetes there will be an influx of future health related issues due to being a diabetic long- term issues such as: podiatry needs, poor healing, nerve damage, heart disease and more (Pietrangelo, 2020) NURS 6050 week 7 Discussion 1: Evidence Base in Design.

The health policy H.R. 4550 – Minority Diabetes Initiative Act (Congress, n.d.) would be healthful to public and nonprofit health care providers because it provides funding for diabetic diagnosis and health related issues from the disease in minority/ethnic groups. As you have stated many drugs have not been clinically trialed on ethnic/minority groups, which can create adverse reactions or may not work at all for these individuals’. Minorities/ethnic groups already struggle in today’s society, so creating another barrier for them to hurdle is unfair and unfortunate. I would agree that this Act is supported with evidence-based data and would be a great asset for this group of people. If we are able to treat and help manage this disease at an early stage, we could decrease the amount of future hospital required illnesses.

 

 

References

Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2020). 
Diabetes: Rates of new diagnosed cases of type 1 and type 2 diabetes continue to ruse among children, teens. 
Retrieved April 12, 2021, from https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/research/reports/children-diabetes-rates-rise.html

Congress.gov (n.d.). H.R. 4550 – Minority Diabetes Initiative Act. https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/4550/all-actions?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%22diabetes%22%7D&r=20&overview=closed&s=3#tabs

Pietrangelo, A. (2020). 
The effects of diabetes on your body.
 Healthline. Retrieved April 12, 2021, from https://www.healthline.com/health/diabetes/effects-on-body

 

response 2

Thank you for your research into this topic. It was informative and enlightening. Your discussion about trialing medications on various ethnicities was an eye-opening for me, because it had not occurred to me that a specific diabetic medication would work in one population, but not another. This is especially concerning to me, because it makes me wonder what other medications have this similar effect.  Much of diabetes treatment is self-management and this can be difficult when there are several disparities among ethnicities in development and course of diabetes including behavioral, social, environmental and the healthcare system. Jones and Crowe (2017) found that many participants felt they were not given adequate support through the healthcare system or provided with adequate information relevant to their lifestyle and they also described having difficulty applying the diabetes education they had received to their daily life. One theme discussed that I found interesting was the idea of managing food from a cultural, social, and economical standpoint. These individuals come from backgrounds that cannot afford to make several different meals especially if they have a large family and healthy options tend be more expensive and therefore not affordable. The commitment to the family often makes self-management behaviors difficult. The generalized feelings brought up in this article are powerlessness, inevitability, and fatalism, which can make management even more difficult in minorities. Milstead & Short (2019) state that public uncertainty about personal coverage and methods of financing care are major issues and I hope the bill HR 4550 alleviates some of these issues that afflict minorities with diabetes NURS 6050 week 7 Discussion 1: Evidence Base in Design.

References

Jones, V. & Crowe, M. (2017, November). How people from ethnic minorities describe their experiences of managing type-2 diabetes mellitus: a qualitative meta-synthesis. 
International Journal of Nursing Studies, 76
(2017), 78-91. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2017.08.016

Milstead, J. A., & Short, N. M. (2019). 
Health policy and politics: A nurse’s guide
(6th ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning NURS 6050 week 7 Discussion 1: Evidence Base in Design.

NURS 6050 Discussion 1: Evidence Base in Design

Discussion 1: Evidence Base in Design

When politics and medical science intersect, there can be much debate. Sometimes anecdotes or hearsay are misused as evidence to support a particular point. Despite these and other challenges, however, evidence-based approaches are increasingly used to inform health policy decision-making regarding causes of disease, intervention strategies, and issues impacting society. One example is the introduction of childhood vaccinations and the use of evidence-based arguments surrounding their safety.

In this Discussion, you will identify a recently proposed health policy and share your analysis of the evidence in support of this policy NURS 6050 Discussion 1: Evidence Base in Design.

To Prepare:

Review the Congress website provided in the Resources and identify one recent (within the past 5 years) proposed health policy.

Review the health policy you identified and reflect on the background and development of this health policy.

By Day 3 of Week 7

Post
 a description of the health policy you selected and a brief background for the problem or issue being addressed. Explain whether you believe there is an evidence base to support the proposed policy and explain why. Be specific and provide examples.

The proposed health policy I have chosen is the Suicide Training and Awareness Nationally Delivered for Universal Prevention Act of 2021 (STANDUP Act of 2021). The STANDUP Act of 2021 would require state and local agencies to implement evidence-based suicide awareness and prevention training strategies (Congress.gov, n.d.). Suicide ranks tenth in leading causes of death in the United States (National Institute of Mental Health, n.d.). Many of these deaths could be prevented if more Americans had access to appropriate mental health care and varying treatment modalities.

There is an evidence base to support the proposed policy. A study was conducted in Denmark where, following an episode of self-harm, individuals attended various therapy, including cognitive, problem-solving, crisis, dialectical behavior, and integrated care (Page et al., 2018). Following these therapies, there was a lower risk of suicide for these individuals after ten years. It was concluded that 20% of suicide could be prevented after implementing these strategies (Page et al., 2018) NURS 6050 Discussion 1: Evidence Base in Design.

After working in behavioral health for five years, I’ve heard the struggles patients encounter when accessing mental health care. There are not enough resources, and stigmas remain surrounding mental health issues. Nationally recognized awareness and prevention programs would shed more light on this issue and help more individuals come forward to seek help.

References

Congress.gov. (n.d.). H.R. 586- STANDUP Act of 2021. https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/586?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22health+policy%22%5D%7D&s=10&r=4

National Institute of Mental Health. (n.d.). Suicide. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/suicide.shtml

Page, A., Atkinson, J., Heffernan, M., McDonnell, G., Prodan, A., Osgood, N., & Hickie, I. (2018). Static metrics of impact for a dynamic problem: The need for smarter tools to guide suicide prevention planning and investment. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 52(7), 660-667. https://doi.org/10.1177/0004867417752866

By Day 6 of Week 7

Respond
 to at least 
two
 of your colleagues
* on two different days
by either supporting or respectfully challenging their explanation on whether there is an evidence base to support the proposed health policy they described NURS 6050 Discussion 1: Evidence Base in Design.

The health care policy H.R. 586 – STANDUP Act of 2021 is very intriguing. If this Act is passed through legislation where would it be implemented? Schools? Hospitals? Community based programs? All of which would provide a tremendous resource for community members that are struggling with suicidal ideations or struggling with the loss of someone. As someone who has lost a close family member to suicide, I would stand behind this Act especially as a health care worker living in an area with minimal mental health assistance. In my area we have some community-based suicide awareness groups that hosts walks, memorials, and time to share your story or show support for people combating mental health issues. As I previously stated, living in a rural area, our community members rely heavily on the internet and its recourses. One of the recourses I refer people to is the Suicide Prevention Lifeline (National Suicide Prevention Hotline, n.d.), because we have a couple of areas in my state that have direct lines, so you are able to talk to someone local, someone that can relate to your issues causing suicidal ideations.

As you have stated, there is a stigma surrounding mental health, especially suicide. It has been a topic for years that ‘should not be talked about’, which is unhealthy. This act would supply education and training strategies to people suffering, even if it only saves one life. It is better than no lives saved. My instructor for mental health during my undergrad required my class to complete the ‘Mental Health First Aid USA’ from the National Council of Behavioral Health because she felt, as I do as well, that mental health first aid should be as common as CPR (Mental Health First Aid, n.d.). If this Act can provide courses such as this to more people, we can grow a healthier community and eventually a healthy country to live in NURS 6050 Discussion 1: Evidence Base in Design.

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References

Mental Health First Aid. (n.d.). 
Identify. Understand. Respond.
 Retrieved April 12, 2021, from https://www.mentalhealthfirstaid.org/

National Suicide Prevention Hotline. (n.d.). 
National suicide prevention lifeline
. Retrieved April 12, 2021, from https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/

 

response 2

Very informative post! I chose to discuss a similar policy which was the CARES act. However, vaccination issues are the latest topic that everyone is talking about, as far as COVID-19 prevention is concerned. There are myths about the vaccine because people feel it is not genuine, safe, or effective. I have heard some people in my community say that the vaccine might turn them into zombies! The hesitation to get vaccinated is an issue of concern, mainly because people want to get back to ‘the normal’ before the pandemic happened.

I think education regarding the COVID-19 vaccine needs to be done mainly for racial minorities. Most African Americans are hesitant to get the vaccine (Bogart et al., 2021) for several reasons, some of which do not hold water. The democrat who created this act should be reason enough for racial minorities to start having confidence in the vaccine. Furthermore, there is no way for a person to know whether the vaccine is truly safe or effective unless they try it. I think social media can be both a blessing and a curse as far as community education is concerned. My suggestion is to choose social media advocates to spread positive messages and debunk the myths floating on social media. Celebrities can play social media advocates very well because they have millions of followers who value their opinions. As nurses, we can also use our platforms to spread accurate information verbally and on social media NURS 6050 Discussion 1: Evidence Base in Design.

Reference

Bogart, L. M., Dong, L., Gandhi, P., Ryan, S., Smith, T. L., Klein, D. J., … & Bisola, O. O. (2021). What contributes to COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in black communities, and how can it be addressed?

 

sample response 3

I enjoyed reading your post on the need for more mental health access. I work in the emergency room, and we often have to hold patients awaiting inpatient psychiatric care. The emergency room is often a noisy and chaotic environment that does not help those already struggling with psychiatric care.

The struggle with suicide is not just a local issue but a global one as well. Close to 800,000 people die globally, which is the second leading cause of death for 15-29-year-olds (WHO, 2018). The fact that suicide is such a problem requires that countries create a national strategy to prevent suicide. In 2001 the United States created the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (WHO, 2018). The strategies in place nationally may not work for everyone, and sometimes, the individual plan must be put in place. According to Large (2018), the number one predictor to commit suicide is male, and number two is recent hospitalization for psychiatric treatment. People that have been diagnosed with mental disease are also more likely to commit suicide. There needs to be a better strategy to prevent suicide. According to Large (2018), some low-cost prevention efforts could reduce the amount of pain medicine prescriptions, substitute barbituates with benzodiazepines, place safety barriers in areas that could serve as jump sites, and reduce the amount of media attention on suicides. I am glad that Congress is attempting to pass a bill that will increase mental health access.

Large, M.M. (2018). The role of prediction in suicide prevention. Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience, 20(3), 197-205. 
https://doi-org.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/10.31887/dcns.2018.20.3/mlarge

World Health Organization (WHO) (2018). National suicide prevention strategies: Progress, examples and indicators. https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/279765/9789241515016-eng.pdf NURS 6050 Discussion 1: Evidence Base in Design