Nurse Advocacy Paper Nurse Advocacy Paper Nurses can influence change in healthcare and, if given the opportunity, be drivers of innovation. But to reach their full potential in improving quality and

Nurse Advocacy Paper

Nurse Advocacy Paper

Nurses can influence change in healthcare and, if given the opportunity, be drivers of innovation. But to reach their full potential in improving quality and outcomes, enhancing an organization's culture, and reshaping care delivery, they need strong nurse leaders who are willing to advocate for this change. The development of leadership skills requires the advancement of advocacy and influencing skills in professional nurses. Whether advocating for staff you supervise, or for the incorporation of research findings into patient care, or influencing organizational leaders to implement staff retention strategies, or influencing legislators to approve bills for improved mental health services, your ability to advocate and influence will have a significant effect on your success in future nursing roles. Advocacy is a professional nursing role that functions at various levels: the patient level, institutional level, professional level, and societal level. The development of leadership skills requires the advancement of advocacy and influencing skills in professional nurses. Whether advocating for staff you supervise, or for the incorporation of research findings into patient care, or influencing organizational leaders to implement staff retention strategies, or influencing legislators to approve bills for improved mental health services, your ability to advocate and influence will have a significant effect on your success in future nursing roles.

This assignment challenges you to use your “voice” to exert influence at the community or societal level. Buresh and Gordon (2013) found that “practically everyone had more of a public voice on health and health care than nurses” (p. 2).Write a 3-5 page paper with a reference list using APA format. Address the following:

1. Identify a healthcare or nursing issue, such as the Opioid crisis, lack of PPE, Staffing ratios etc....that is of personal or professional interest to you.
2. Investigate the public policy aspects of the health issue, both historical and current. This investigation should include a search for past or present laws, statutes, or administrative rules that regulate the issue. If the health issue is currently being debated in local, state, or national government, you may view transcripts or video recordings of committee meetings at which the issue is discussed. In addition, you may search for position statements published by professional nursing organizations about the issue.
3. Discuss why the issue was selected for this assignment and provide a summary of the policy aspects found through your investigation.
4. Articulate your position on the issue and support your position with scholarly sources.
5. Describe how your position is consistent with your professional philosophy of nursing as well as professional and biblical values.

Identify a specific action that you plan to use to advocate for your position, such as contact with a legislator or a letter to the