There are many ways nurses can involve themselves in policymaking. Participating

There are many ways nurses can involve themselves in policymaking. Participating in national and state nursing associations, attending legislative sessions, building relationships with state law makers, participating in national boards, collaborating with lobbyists, contributing to evidence-based data, subscribing to legislative communications, supporting local candidates, educating the public about the process and policies and running for office are some of the ways nurses can involve in policymaking (Nurses Journal, n. d). If I can mention two most effective ways for nurses to make a difference in policymaking, they would be participating in national and state nursing association and contributing to evidence-based data. I think they are relatively easier, and the average nurse should not have any difficulty doing them.
Firstly, nurses must join professional associations and nursing boards and they should voice as advocates of the patient and the nursing profession. Nursing is the biggest profession in healthcare and nurses are one of the most knowledgeable professionals in healthcare. They know the needs of the patient and his/ her family members more than any other professional. They know the healthcare work environment and lastly, they know nursing. If nurses don’t participate in healthcare policy making, who else can?
Secondly, nurses can involve themselves in policy making by supplying legislators with evidence-based data. Any nurse can write a respective delegate about the changes they need to see along with a piece of evidence. For example, a nurse trying to bring about positive change regarding nurse-patient-ratio in their state can compile data on patient safety and medical errors in a way a lay person can understand. Nurses must learn to communicate with data to back their arguments.
Challenges of Nurses’ Involving Policymaking
In practice however, nurses’ involvement in policy making has not improved over time (Rasheed, Younas and Mehdi, 2020). Hajidazeh et. al (2021) identified lack of time, limited knowledge of political science, heavy workloads, gender issues, inadequate management support, and fear of getting into conflicts as the main reasons why nurses don’t get involved in policymaking.
Strategies to Increase Nurses’ Participation in Policymaking
Firstly, nurses must understand that by not involving in policymaking, they are allowing people of different professions to make policies about nursing. All nurses must understand the idea that in the absence of nurses, policies about the nursing field are made by people outside of nursing. The outcome of such a situation is not good. Hence, the notion that nurses need to involve in policymaking is not an option, it is a must. It is true that nurses are busy, they have heavy workloads, they have family responsibilities, and so on. Yet, they still need to find time for involving themselves in policymaking. I suggest two easy strategies that can help nurses involve themselves in policymaking without a lot of sacrifice. Firstly, join nursing associations and state boards. Most of the meetings nowadays are virtual and the membership fees are not that expensive. Secondly, stay in touch with your representatives (delegates and senators) by calling and emailing them with the problems that need to be addressed. Support your claims with accurate and adequate data.