Nurse Involvement in Policy and Advocacy Case Study 2022

Running head: NURSE INVOLVEMENT IN POLICY AND ADVOCACY 1
Nurse Involvement in Policy and Advocacy
Name
Institution

NURSE INVOLVEMENT IN POLICY AND ADVOCACY 2
The role of nurses is paramount in health as they have direct contact with clients and
as the most trusted professionals, they are charged with the responsibility of advocating for
the health of all people (Woodward, Smart, & Benavides-Vaello, 2016). Involving nurses at
the political level is important because they are fully knowledgeable of the issues that directly
impact their practice. The need for nurses to act as political activists that advocate for positive
change stems from the stipulations in the standards and code of ethics that guide nursing
practice. Thereby, as ambassadors of health, nurses are ideal representatives of patients’
needs.
Nurses have the desire to work as autonomous entities and based on the mantra that
“success spurs one to do more,” involving nurses at the political level is one of the motivating
factors (Taylor, 2016, p. 242). When nurses are involved at this level, they are able to
highlight issues that have a negative impact on their practice, and by so doing, their
professional needs are addressed. Subsequently, they are able to focus on more issues that
would bring development and improvement to the overall health system. Also, educating
legislators about the essence of nursing helps them to get more involved in issues affecting
the nursing practice. As a result, nurses feel motivated knowing that they have legal and
professional support that acts as the pillar for reforms and change. The fact that nurses learn
about advocacy but remain in the sidelines shows that there is a scarcity of motivational
factors to help nurses in their quest for an improved healthcare system.
Policy development and advocacy require one to be well conversant with the nursing
profession. Nurse practitioners have the expertise in reference to educational background and
clinical skills needed to develop policies and pass bills on health care issues related to nursing
(Chilton, 2015). Thereby, as a nurse practitioner, it is important to be involved at the political
level in policy and advocacy. Nurse practitioners have the capability of taking leadership