Challenges, extent of involvement, and the impact of nurses’ involvement in politics and policy making in in last two decades

Nurses can ensure policy change for advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) through teamwork and collaboration. Many of the top nursing organizations encourage nurses to actively participate in the creation of policies. For instance, the American Nurses Association (ANA) anticipates that as part of their professional responsibilities, nurses address policy formulation and change. Therefore, nurse leaders should work in teams and collaborate with other nursing personnel to address local and global health policy concerns. Working collaboratively enables nurse leaders to assess how APRNs’ work affects the standard of care for patients and their families across the practice. Per Rasheed et al. (2020), a solid and efficient collaborative framework is essential for effective change to take place. The interdisciplinary team of professionals can actively contribute to the formulation of health policy that ultimately improves patient outcomes. The process also calls for the definition and communication of the relevant practice issues. Nurse leaders can boost the contributions of APRNs and close gaps between strategic political direction and actual nursing practice by working together to influence policy changes.

Nursing Shortage

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) improves education and training while also supporting financial incentives to solve the labor shortage in rural areas. The program permits financial aid for medical schools to attract and train individuals who are most likely to practice medicine in rural areas. The ACA policy supports the Area Health Education Center (AHEC) program, which promotes physician retention and recruitment from rural areas and underserved communities so that they can work in such regions. The ACA renews loan forgiveness and repayment as well as physician scholarships for primary, dental, psychiatric, and behavioral health care (NCSL). All of these are incentives meant to encourage minority nursing students to finish their associate or graduate degrees and return to practice in underprivileged and rural areas.

References

National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL). (n.d). Closing the gaps in the rural primary care workforce. National Conference of State Legislatures. Retrieved June 30, 2022, from https://www.ncsl.org/research/health/closing-the-gaps-in-the-rural-primary-care-workfor.aspx

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), 446–455. https://doi.org/10.1111/jnu.12567

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