discussion reply NURS 617 WEEK/ UNIT 3 Nicole Fiacco
Responses to Other Students: Respond to at least 1 of your fellow classmates with at least a 300 word reply about their Primary Task Response regarding items you found to be compelling and enlightening. To help you with your discussion, please consider the following points:
- What new information did you learn from your classmate’s posting?
- Do you need additional information or clarification?
- What differences and/or similarities are there between your posting and other classmates’ postings?
- What questions do you have about other classmates postings?
All sources should be cited using APA format. Grammar, spelling, punctuation, and format should be correct and professional.
POST
Nurses should be politically active because healthcare policies directly affect patients, nurses, and the quality of care people receive. Since nurses are the largest group of healthcare professionals, they have the ability to make a real impact on healthcare decisions at the local, state, and national levels. Nurses work closely with patients every day, so they see firsthand the problems people face with access to care, insurance, staffing shortages, and public health issues. Because of this experience, nurses bring an important perspective that policymakers may not fully understand on their own.
Being politically active does not mean nurses have to run for office or be heavily involved in politics. There are many simple ways nurses can get involved, such as voting, contacting legislators, joining nursing organizations, or speaking up about healthcare issues in their communities. Nurses are trusted professionals, and their voices can help influence policies that improve patient care and public safety.
Research supports the importance of nurses becoming involved in healthcare policy. Hernantes (2026) explains that nurses have always played an important role in shaping healthcare and advocating for patients. The article discusses how nurses understand community health needs and barriers to care better than many policymakers because of their direct patient experiences (Hernantes, 2026). Cropley et al. (2022) also emphasize that nursing leadership and policy advocacy are important for improving population health and addressing issues like healthcare access, education, and social inequalities. This shows that nurses can help improve overall community health when they become involved in policy discussions.
Nurses can make a difference in many ways by helping shape healthcare policy. One example is advocating for safe staffing ratios. When hospitals are understaffed, patient care can suffer, and nurses experience burnout. By speaking up about staffing issues, nurses can help create safer environments for both patients and healthcare workers. Nurses also played a major role during the COVID-19 pandemic by advocating for protective equipment, workplace safety, and public health education. Their experiences on the frontlines helped bring attention to important healthcare problems.
Nurses can also improve public health by advocating for programs and policies in their communities. Public health nurses often work with schools, local health departments, and community organizations to support programs focused on prevention, mental health, vaccinations, and healthier lifestyles. Since nurses understand the challenges patients face daily, they are able to identify areas where change is needed and advocate for solutions.
Even though nurses have the ability to influence healthcare policy, many do not get involved because they feel too busy or think their voice will not make a difference. However, even small actions like voting, signing petitions, or participating in professional organizations can create change over time. Nurses have valuable knowledge and experiences that can help improve healthcare systems and patient outcomes.
Overall, nurses should be politically active because healthcare policies impact every part of nursing and patient care. Nurses understand patient needs better than most professionals because they work directly with individuals and communities every day. By becoming involved in healthcare policy and advocacy, nurses can help improve public health, patient safety, and the healthcare system as a whole.
References
Cropley, S., Hughes, M., & Belcik, K. (2022). Engaging leadership competencies through population health policy advocacy: A review of the evidence. Policy, Politics, & Nursing Practice, 23(4), 241248.
Hernantes, N. (2026). Nurses political participation: Going back to our roots. Policy, Politics, & Nursing Practice, 27(2).
Get this or a similar paper done in as fast as 4 hours, 24/7.
NB: We do not sell prewritten papers. All essays are written from scratch according to specific needs and instructions
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.