Nurse Roles in Policy Evaluation: Existing Opportunities for RNs/APRNs to ActivelyParticipate in Review, Challenges, Solutions, and Advocacy Strategies

The first opportunity for nurses (RNs and APRNs) to partake in policy review is by
seeking employment in clinical settings, including hospitals, urgent care clinics, public health
clinics, substance abuse treatment clinics, nursing homes, blood banks, correctional healthcare
facilities, community clinics, inpatient services, prenatal clinics, and primary care settings. Being
always in the front line means nurses understand issues affecting patients, the nursing practice,
the nursing faculty, and healthcare facilities management. This puts them in a better position to
better advocate for industry-wide changes. The second opportunity is joining nursing
associations, including national factions like the American Nurses Association (ANA) or state-
based establishments. By joining these associations, nurses get the best opportunity to review
policies and advocate for the patient and community welfare and their own wellbeing and rights
in the workplace (Milstead & Short, 2019).
Advocacy and policy review is about having your views heard and considered (Williams,
Phillips, & Koyama, 2018). Therefore, the first challenge of joining an association like ANA
with more than 4 million members or a large hospital with thousands of nurses is a sense of
being an insignificant factor or lacking impact in the policy change process. When working in
large associations or care facilities, nurses might sometimes feel their ideas do not count or are
not that necessary, leading to laxity to participate in the policy process. The second setback is
incompetency in the policy process because of ineptness in the particulars of policy review and
writing. It is a daunting task to fully and meaningfully engage in the policy process when nurses
are unaware of the required steps.

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Nonetheless, addressing these two challenges can allow RNs and APRNs to meaningfully
and fully engage in the policy review. For example, creating more awareness in public about the
role of nurses in policy review, making, and advocacy can encourage participation. The role of
nurses is often masked by physicians, which can dampen nurse engagement in activities beyond
clinical work. Increasing the buzz about nurses’ equally important role can encourage more
APRNs and RNs to engage in advocacy efforts. The second strategy of encouraging nurse
participation in the policy review process is by holding educational seminars to improve nurse
knowledge and skills in the policy process (Thomas, Martsolf, & Puskar, 2019). Policy review
experts from national, state and local nursing associations can be invited as guest speakers to
give expert guidance and tutoring.

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References

Milstead, J. A., & Short, N. M. (2019). Health policy and politics: A nurse’s guide (6 th ed.). Jones
& Bartlett Learning.
Thomas, T., Martsolf, G., & Puskar, K. (2019). How to engage nursing students in health policy:
Results of a survey assessing students’ competencies, experiences, interests, and values.
Policy, Politics, & Nursing Practice, 21(1), 12-20.
https://doi.org/10.1177%2F1527154419891129
Williams, S. D., Phillips, J. M., & Koyama, K. (2018). Nurse advocacy: Advocating health in all
policies approach. The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 23(3). doi:
10.3912/OJIN.Vol23No03Man01