Policy-making Opportunities RN’s and APRN’s like us have the opportunity to advo

Policy-making Opportunities RN’s and APRN’s like us have the opportunity to advocate for our patients and improve the delivery of healthcare on a global scale by participating in policymaking. Healthcare workers a.k.a street-level bureaucrats are described as “frontline workers who interact directly with citizens and have substantial discretion in the execution of their work” (Tummers & Bekkers, 2014). We as medical employees implement public policy by providing quality care to our patients, which comes with a certain level of autonomy. This level of autonomy paired with patient confidentiality gives us substantial discretion. Basic policies and procedures are laid out by Boards of Nursing and healthcare facilities, but it is up to the workers of the institutions to follow through with these policies. RN’s and APRN’s have the opportunity to continue advocating for their patients by engaging with policymakers and staying informed. One way for healthcare practitioners to engage with policymakers is to join the American Nurses Association. The ANA and State membership is just $15 a month or $174 yearly. This membership provides you with the ability to collaborate with other nurses nationwide and gives an opportunity to participate in Health Policy agencies and regulations. “While Congress makes the laws, much of the critical federal-level advocacy that ANA carries out is geared towards those whose role it is to interpret, and enforce, legislation that may affect our profession and its members – the numerous agencies of the federal government,” (ANA, n.d.). By participating with the American Nurses Association, we can also actively participate in the opportunity to impact federal policies that affect our line of work. The second way to engage in policymaking is to stay informed. It is the duty of each and every nurse to participate in lifelong learning. Identifying areas for improvement and growth both personally and professionally are intentional pursuits throughout a nurse’s career. This prepares nurses for new or different roles and enables them to cope and respond to inevitable changes in our practice environment (Bindon, 2017). Gaining an awareness of the political world around us and how policies on the presidential level affect the healthcare work we do is essential in continuing to provide the highest quality of care to our patients, and to provide opportunities for nurses to make a difference nationally. Challenges Some challenges that arise from these opportunities include balancing time commitments and navigating complex policy systems. As both full-time nurses and full-time students it can be difficult balancing a work/school/home life and adding an extra-curricular such as a nurse’s association or finding time to collaborate with other nurses can be overwhelming. Secondly, as health practitioners trying to navigate complex policy systems although we may be well-equipped in medical jargon, we are not usually well-versed in political vernacular. It is important to overcome these challenges in order to succeed as active participants in policymaking. Prioritizing tasks and setting specific goals is crucial in order to balance time commitments. It is also equally important to be adaptable in any environment and try seeing challenges as opportunities to gain an understanding and perspective from a policymaker’s point of view (Khan, et al., 2018). Strategies One strategy to better communicate the existence of these opportunities is to build a professional network based on the common goal of patient advocacy and policy making. This network can include coworkers, colleagues, managers, C-Suite officers, and instructors and can expand to reach government officials such as mayors, city council members, county commissioners, state governors, state senators, and state representatives. It’s important to start this network small and locally, but ‘knowing someone who knows someone’ leads to the growth of this network. A second strategy of communicating these opportunities is to utilize the world’s largest marketing place, social media. Social media contains a variety of platforms used to facilitate idea-sharing, communication, and in addition, provides a place to network. Creating a social media page or platform surrounding the improvement of healthcare and patient advocacy as well as building a professional network, has the potential to influence policy and politics on a global scale. References American Nurses Association. n.d. Retrieved from https://www.nursingworld.org/practice-policy/health-policy/Links to an external site. Bindon, S. 2017. Professional development strategies to enhance nurses’ knowledge and maintain safe practice. AORN Journal. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aorn.2017.06.002Links to an external site. Khan, S., Vandermorris, A., Shepherd, J. et al. 2018. Embracing uncertainty, managing complexity: applying complexity thinking principles to transformation efforts in healthcare systems. BMC Health Serv Res 18, 192. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-018-2994-0 Tummers, L., & Bekkers, V. (2014). Policy implementation, street level bureaucracy, and the importance of discretion. Public Management Review, 16(4), 527–547.