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Healthcare for workers and patients may either improve or decline. As Registered Nurses and Advanced Practice Registered nurses, we should be a part of policymaking on health issues. We know better what is needed by our patients and fellow nurses than those in the legislature. We present our case with evidence-based research and do our best to convince them to approve the policy we support. Whenever a Bill is passed, the resource allocated to that part of healthcare is increased, improving the quality of healthcare delivered. 

One opportunity for RNs and APRNs to actively participate in policymaking is to be a member of professional organizations such as the American Nurses Association. There are many benefits RNs, and APRNs get when joining these organizations. Aside from networking benefits, nurses also become knowledgeable of current and up-to-date news (ANA, n.d.). We can make our voices heard with chances to inform the legislators of our thoughts, ideas, and judgments. There is a challenge to this. Being an active member of a professional organization means spending time on meetings, spending money on membership, and traveling to attend conferences. I have learned how to manage my time and stress to combat this challenge. I always prioritize the things that I must do.  

Another opportunity is to advocate for our patients in our workplace and let their voices be heard. Nurses take care of patients for twelve hours of our shift. They tell us their problems and complaints before we relay them to the doctors and the hospital. As much as possible, if we can resolve it, we should. By being advocates, we can inform our leaders on the issues and our opinions to deliver better quality care to our patients. Leadership is imperative to confirm that all healthcare team members comprehend their roles and work together to achieve their goals (Burnham, 2020). Challenges in this opportunity include having a good leader. Even if a nurse is a good advocate, the person who the nurses’ report to must also be a virtuous leader, and this leader must be updated on the policies and regulations of the workplace and must hear the nurse’s opinions and suggestions. To fight this challenge, I always put myself in their shoes. Leaders have demanding jobs. I work around their weak area. If my supervisor is not updated with the current policy, I proactively inform them of the new policy in case they have yet to hear of it. In the healthcare field, we must work together and support each other. A great team only delivers quality care. No one can do it alone. 

One strategy to better advocate for or communicate the existence of these opportunities to participate in policymaking is to advance our education. Learning is never-ending. To learn is to gain more knowledge. More knowledge means a better understanding of every healthcare issue we are facing. This will provide us with more ideas, and concepts to present to lawmakers. 

Another strategy is to become a bridge to every nurse, enhance networking, and communicate with everyone in the workplace and professional organization. Holding roundtables and conferences for nurses to participate in decision-making, discuss current events, and actively support evidence-based policies on providing better healthcare to patients will also help pass healthcare bills.

SCIENCE
HEALTH SCIENCE
NURSING
NURS 319

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