3 RESOURCES– This as one resource: Tracy, M., & OGrady, E. (2019). Advanced practice nursing: An integrative approach (6th ed.). St. Louis: Elsevier

Political Competence

Nursing advanced practice can serve as content experts for policymakers and their staff. Discuss methods that you can use to stay current with your health policy knowledge. Be specific with your response and share names of publications, websites, and other resources.

EXAMPLE:

Political Competence

APRNs must stay abreast with rapid changes in the political climate that ultimately affect healthcare policies. It is important to note that most of the regulations that affect nurses, and the overall healthcare system are made by politicians who do not have knowledge about the industry. Therefore, it is important for APRNs to intentionally be engaged in policy making processes, which has also been indicated to be an essential competency for APRN leadership (Hamric et al., 2019). APNs engagement in police making reinforces patient safety, enhances quality of care, and opens numerous opportunities for nurses and provides access to resources (Arabi et al., 2014; Hamric et al., 2019). While APNs may not have an opportunity of seating at the table with law makers, there are several ways they can make their voices heard and stay updated with current health policy changes. The following are some of the ways:

Local Political Leaders: It is important to know your local political leaders such as the governor, senator, district representatives and their stance on healthcare regulations.

Contacts: Making sure that one knows how to contact them. Most of their contact information is available on their official website (.gov).

https://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/IN#representatives

https://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/IN#senators

My local policy leaders here in the State of Indiana can be reached via phone, email or regular mail. The above websites provides good information on who they are and how to contact them. The website also provides as a good resource for policies that have been passed or still in the process.

Attending Public Meetings: Being aware of when policy makers will be hosting their meetings, make it intentional to attend local leaders meetings. Well, now with the covid pandemic, most meetings are held virtually.

Evidence Based:  Research and publications is another form that will help spread awareness about many challenges that affect the nursing profession. Through research, APNs can present their investigations to law makers about suggestions or changes they want to see (Stone et al., 2012).

Communication: Nurses can utilize their communication skills to increase their impact on health policies. Nurses have a lot of experience when it comes to communicating with families, patients, and other healthcare professionals. The skill that develops over time during their profession (Arabi et al., 2014; Hamric et al, 2019; Stone, et al; 2012).

Collaboration:  Engaging in local and state nursing organizations can help strengthen teamwork amongst APRNs. They can voice their opinions through these organizations as a coalition to policy makers and influence change (Arabi et al., 2014).

References

Arabi, A., Rafii, F., Cheraghi, M. A., & Ghiyasvandian, S. (2014). Nurses’ policy influence: A concept analysis. Iranian journal of nursing and midwifery research, 19(3), 315322.

Hamric, A., Hanson, C., Tracy, M., & OGrady, E. (2019). Advanced Practice Nursing: An Integrative Approach. (6th ed.). St. Louis: Sanders.

Stone, P.W., Smaldone, A.M., Enlow, W.M., Lucerno, R.J., (2012). Health services research: translating research into policy. In: Mason DJ, Leavitt JK, Chaffee MW, eds. Policy and Politics in Nursing and Healthcare. 6th ed. St. Louis, MO: Elsevier Saunders; 2012:322328.

EXAMPLE 2

Staying current with health policy knowledge is necessary when working in the healthcare field, especially if you are going to be a primary provider having the responsibility of advocating for your patients. We need to make sure that the policies that are in place make sense, because often those making the policies have no idea how they affect the everyday worker.  To make a difference in policy making, nurses must be aware of the process of policy making from idea conception to implementation (Tracy & OGrady, 2018, p. 510).  I am going to address two ways that nurses can stay up to date on policies that are pertinent to their field: organizational websites and being involved in committees.

Websites

Many organizations have websites that contain information that can allow a nurse to become more proficient in the knowledge of healthcare policy. The following are a few websites are a few that can help a nurse gain knowledge in healthcare policy.  Health Affairs website is a good resource for delving in to domestic and global health policy.  This site includes blog, briefs, journals, podcasts and events to learn more about healthcare policy.  The American Nurses Association website I believe for nurses is a great site which contains information both on practice, advocacy, and policy.  This website directs nurse practitioners (NP) on how to get certified through the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), contains continuing education information, and has many different policy areas that nurses can research.  Nurses can get involved in the organizations political action committee that works on nurses behalf to get them elected to public office. The American Health Law Association (AHLA) website at is a good resource to learn about healthcare laws.  It contains education and events, practice groups, communities, and publications. The American Journal of Managed Care (AJMC) website is a good resource for knowledge about managed care and it has its own policy area to look through with recent articles that have been posted to keep healthcare workers up to date on current events.  Lastly, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) website is a one government website which allows individuals to update themselves on the HHS top laws and regulations.

Committee Involvement

            By getting involved in committees at the organization we are employed at or through another healthcare association, we can help initiate policies and review the policies that are being considered for regulation and laws.  For example, during the 2015 Research Agenda Roundtable of the American Associate of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) reviewed and prioritized policies and posted them on their website for nurse practitioner to review and give feedback (Buchholz et al., 2018, p. 668).  Committees usually look at the process of the practice and try to find ways of improving the process.  Local committees can help to create policies first locally, and then if this policy is successful others may try the policy for themselves and learn that this would be a good policy for a larger venue, such as state-wide or even nationally.  Often, committee participation also proves to enhance internal accountability and ownership of the process (West, 2016, p. 229).

Buchholz, S. W. , Klein, T. , Cooke, C. , Cook, M. L. , Knestrick, J. & Dickins,

K. (2018). Introduction to four reviews addressing critical topics identified by the 2015 Nurse Practitioner Research Agenda Roundtable. Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, 30(12), 667672. doi: 10.1097/JXX.0000000000000035.

HealthAffairs (2021).  Retrieved from https://www.healthaffairs.org on May 11, 2021.

The American Health Law Association (2021).  Retrieved from

https://www.americanhealthlaw.org on May 11, 2021.

The American Journal of Managed Care (2021).  Retrieved from https://www.ajmc.com on May

11, 2021.

The American Nurses Association (2021).  Retrieved from https://www. Nursingworld.org on

May 11, 2021.

Tracy, M.F, & OGrady, E.T (2019).  Hamric and Hansons Advanced Practice Nursing: An

Integrative Approach.  Elsevier.

United States Department of Health and Human Services (2021).  Retrieved from

https://www.hhs.gov on May 11, 2021.

West, S. K. (2016). Advanced Practice Nursing Committee on process improvement in trauma:

An innovative application of the strong model. Journal of Trauma Nursing, 23(4), 227-E4. https://doi.org/10.1097/JTN.0000000000000220