THE ROLE OF THE RN/APRN IN POLICY-MAKING

The Role of the RN/APRN in Policy-Making

The nursing profession is undeniably one of the largest professions in the world in terms
of magnitude and relevance. As such, nurses have the ability And the provision to influence
policies and politics globally. Nurses can positively impact policy-making and politics related to
the healthcare industry. When such a thing happens, the nurses would be advocating for their
patients. In this regard, it is important to note that policy-making has become a very popular term
among nurses, considering that they recognize the professional and moral obligation of being
engaged in healthcare legislation.

Opportunities

While there are many opportunities that one can use to participate in policy-making
decisions at different levels, getting actively involved in nursing organizations and running for
office opportunities can be regarded as the best of chances. Professional organizations, including
but not limited to the American Nursing Association (ANA) and the American Association of
Nurse Practitioners (AANP), play an essential role in advocating for patients and nurses in the
healthcare industry. Considering that such organizations have designated policy teams that are
meant to develop and promote better healthcare outcomes, it would be essential for nurses to
actively participate in such activities for better policy enactment (Hajizadeh et al., 2021). Nurses
can also run for office in different capacities and directly influence policy-making. Basically,
Nurses can bring valuable insights to the policy-making table, which is why running for office is
a good opportunity.

Challenges, Solutions, and Strategies

Nurses might find a hard time participating in policy-making activities, considering that
legislation is not one of their professional strengths. Nurses might meet various challenges as

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policy-making is a complex concept (Rasheed et al., 2020). Policy-making can also be time-
consuming, depending on the prevailing circumstances and the complexity level of the process.
Nurses are often so busy in their professional lives that they might not have the time to get fully
informed about policy-making and other related concepts. Lack of information may affect their
ability to make the right policies, especially if they do not know what kind of policies need to be
created or amended (Zhang et al., 2020). Considering that nurses are not well acquainted with the
policy-making concept, they might lack confidence when approaching or handling such matters.
To solve such problems, it would be important for nurses to be prepared and create
communication channels or networks that would help them stay updated regarding various issues
that affect or impact the nursing profession. Nursing practitioners can also use available
resources that can help them learn about policy-making and advocacy. Two good strategies that
nurses can use to become better advocates and participate in policy-making would include
acquiring education on the essence of policy-making and developing relationships with
professional policymakers (Turale & Kunaviktikul, 2019). When nurses and other health care
practitioners become educated regarding policy-making dynamics, they gain the knowledge
necessary to participate in such activities. Developing constructive relationships with
policymakers can also help nurses get insights on how to present the right policies and Sail them
through to implementation.

Conclusion

Registered nurses can Use various tactics to learn more about policy-making in a way
that would help them advocate for better policies for themselves and their patients. Participating
in policy-making activities and advocating for better policies can help fight for the needs of
nurses and patients in equal measure. Considering that nurses have professional and moral

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obligations to advocate for their patients, taking such steps would help them execute the right
kind of advocacy. Participation in policy-making activities can help nurses make a real
difference in the healthcare industry.

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References

Rasheed, S. P., Younas, A., & Mehdi, F. (2020). Challenges, extent of involvement, and the
impact of nurses’ involvement in politics and policy making in last two decades: an
integrative review. Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 52(4), 446-455.
https://doi.org/10.1111/jnu.12567

Hajizadeh, A., Zamanzadeh, V., Kakemam, E., Bahreini, R., & Khodayari-Zarnaq, R. (2021).
Factors influencing nurses participation in the health policy-making process: a