Nurses' Participation in Policy Making: Challenges and Strategies

This assignment examines the opportunities for Registered Nurses (RNs) and Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs) to participate in healthcare policy-making. It highlights that nurses can influence policy through organizational bodies like the American Nurses Organization and the American Academy of Nursing, as well as through their direct work in healthcare settings, where they are the immediate recipients of policies. The assignment discusses challenges such as nurses' lack of awareness of organizational bodies and insufficient knowledge of current policies. It proposes solutions like educating nurses and simplifying the joining process for organizations, and regularly informing nurses of new policies. Furthermore, it recommends strategies such as sound leadership and proper training to better advocate for and communicate the existence of these opportunities, including the importance of evidence-based policies and mentorship programs. The assignment references Jakobsen et al. (2019), Salvage & White (2017), and Turale & Kunaviktikul (2019).

Running head; Nurses’ Participation in Policy Making 1
Nurses’ Participation in Policy Making
Name of Student
Institutional Affiliation

Nurses’ Participation in Policy Making 2
1. Post an explanation of at least two opportunities that exist for RNs and APRNs
to actively participate in policy-making
Nurses can actively participate in policy-making through their organizational bodies.
Leadership bodies exist to protect the nurses and also are to ensure that nurses' ideas are
channelled to the right authorities. In the U.S, there are bodies such as the American Nurses
Organization and the American Academy of Nursing. Organizational bodies give opportunities
for rigorous synthesis and mapping of new policies (Jakobsen, Karlsson, Skovgaard &
Aro,2019). These bodies are, therefore, there to ensure that there is effectiveness in the
implementation of a policy.
Nurses can also participate in policy-making in the fields. RNs and APRNs work in various
departments of health care. Their major role is to ensure that there is the delivery of quality care
to the clients. Nurses are also in some way, the immediate recipients of policies. They, therefore,
ought to ensure that the policies work well to ensure that the quality of care is improving.
2. Explain some of the challenges that these opportunities may present and
describe how you might overcome these challenges
The major challenge is that a good number of nurses do not belong to any organizational
body. This is brought about by unawareness that these bodies exist and also the huge process of
joining them. This bars nurses from effectively participating in policy-making. This can be
overcome through the education of nurses of their existence and also their importance. The
process of joining these bodies should also be made simpler.
The challenge present in the field lies in the nurses. Some nurses are not up to date on the
knowledge of policies. Lack of knowledge of the latest policies which have been put in place

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makes their success difficult. Nurses should, therefore, be regularly informed of new policies to
endure that they play a role in their implementation and reviews.
3. Recommend two strategies you might make to better advocate for or
communicate the existence of these opportunities to participate in policy-
making.
Sound leadership is a key thing to ensure nurses' participation in policy-making. Proper
leadership will allow nurses to air out their concerns. This will see proper policies being made
and proper implementation. Leaders should ensure that evidence-based policies are
made(Salvage & White, 2017). Good leadership will also ensure proper communication is given
on the latest policies and their implementation.
Proper training of nurses is a critical step. Leaders ought to provide training and mentorship
to their juniors on policy development ( Turale & Kunaviktikul, 2019). Nurses should be trained
in their role in the policy development process. They should be in the knowledge of the need to
have them participating in policy-making. They also should understand their working
environment well. This will ensure the success of the policy-making process and the
achievement of the final goal.

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References
Jakobsen, M. W., Karlsson, L. E., Skovgaard, T., & Aro, A. R. (2019). Organizational factors
that facilitate research use in public health policy-making: a scoping review. Health
research policy and systems, 17(1), 90.
Salvage, J., & White, J. (2019). Nursing leadership and health policy: everybody's
business. International nursing review, 66(2), 147-150.
Turale, S., & Kunaviktikul, W. (2019). The contribution of nurses to health policy and advocacy
requires leaders to provide training and mentorship. International nursing review, 66(3),
302-304.