the  ROLE OF THE RN/APRN IN POLICY-MAKING

Word cloud generators have become popular tools for meetings and team-building events. Groups or teams are asked to use these applications to input words they feel best describe their team or their role. A “word cloud” is generated by the application that makes prominent the most-used terms, offering an image of the common thinking among participants of that role.

What types of words would you use to build a nursing word cloud? Empathetic, organized, hard-working, or advocate would all certainly apply. Would you add policy-maker to your list? Do you think it would be a very prominent component of the word cloud?

Nursing has become one of the largest professions in the world, and as such, nurses have the potential to influence policy and politics on a global scale. When nurses influence the politics that improve the delivery of healthcare, they are ultimately advocating for their patients. Hence, policy-making has become an increasingly popular term among nurses as they recognize a moral and professional obligation to be engaged in healthcare legislation.

RESOURCES

Be sure to review the Learning Resources before completing this activity.
Click the weekly resources link to access the resources. 

WEEKLY RESOURCES

To Prepare:

• Revisit the Congress.gov website provided in the Resources and consider the role of RNs and APRNs in policy-making.
• Reflect on potential opportunities that may exist for RNs and APRNs to participate in the policy-making process.

BY DAY 3 OF WEEK 8

Post an explanation of at least two opportunities that exist for RNs and APRNs to actively participate in policy-making. Explain some of the challenges that these opportunities may present and describe how you might overcome these challenges. Finally, recommend two strategies you might make to better advocate for or communicate the existence of these opportunities to participate in policy-making. Be specific and provide examples.

BY DAY 6 OF WEEK 8

Respond to at least two of your colleagues’* posts by suggesting additional opportunities or recommendations for overcoming the challenges described by your colleagues.

Betty, the chief nursing officer, had to make a decision about buying 120 new hospital beds for patient rooms. After she interviewed nurse mangers at the units where the beds were going to be placed, Betty compiled her findings and decided to contact a well-known equipment company to obtain prices and contracts. The equipment company’s executive salesperson, Jim, discussed options at length with her and invited her and her significant other to an upcoming all-expenses-paid lavish retreat at a five-star hotel in Hawaii to see demonstrations of the beds and to hear a comprehensive sales pitch. Betty thought to herself, “We badly need some relaxation and stress relief. Hawaii would be so much fun. Would it be wrong for us to go?”

• If you were Betty, what would you do? Give your rationale. Justify your answer with an ethical framework—a theory, approach, or principle.
• Do you consider this situation a conflict of interest? Why or why not? Give your rationale.
• What policies, if any, should be in place regarding a scenario such as this one? Do you have any such policies in place at work for similar situations? Do such policies impact day-to-day activities in any way? Explain.

1. What is known and unknown about the topic

2. Discuss the gaps, consistencies, and inconsistencies in the literature

3. What are the strengths and weaknesses of the literature provided?

4. Describe the theoretical/ conceptual framework that guides the study. 

5. Provide recommendations for future research, education, or policy changes in your facility based on your chosen literature review.

suggesti an additional perspective on what it means to be a nurse with a practice doctorate, offer support to the expectations with obtaining the degree that your colleague posted, or expand upon your colleague’s post. Use 2 references 

The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree has only been available to nursing scholars since 2004.  It was deemed necessary by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) because “changing demands of this nation’s complex healthcare environment require the highest level of scientific knowledge and practice expertise to assure quality patient outcomes” (American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 2023).  Because the degree is relatively new, the significance of the DNP is not yet widely understood.  A recent study determined that “DNP-prepared nurses typically function as APRNs in clinical care or as health care system leaders, while there is a low number of DNPs in clinical practice settings” (Beeber et al., 2019).  That being said, there is a great opportunity here for the DNP-prepared nurses of the future.  Tussing (2018) identified that there is “great potential for innovation around new care delivery models, interdisciplinary projects, and community involvement for a healthier society” if healthcare leaders consider the potential of redesigning or creating new roles for the DNP-prepared nurse.

Expectations of Doctor of Nursing Practice versus Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing

            The DNP degree is founded in nursing practice whereas a Ph.D. in nursing is rooted in research and teaching.  I chose to pursue the DNP because I believe it will allow me to effect social change on a larger scale and I enjoy the clinical side of nursing.  As a DNP-prepared nurse, I will “hold a broad foundation of knowledge from nursing, ethics, psychosocial and biophysical sciences, as well as from organizational and change theories” (Hartjes et al., 2019).  My professional goal is to serve as a Healthcare organization’s Chief Nursing Officer (CNO).  Nurses who hold a Ph.D. tend to pursue research opportunities or serve as professors at Universities.  Obtaining my DNP aligned with my professional goal of becoming a CNO.  Additionally, Walden University offers an executive nursing track which will set me up for success.

                                        Addressing a Gap in Practice

            As a nurse executive, it will be my role to identify and address gaps in practice.  At my current organization, one gap I will address is the workflow of admitting patients.  I work at an inpatient psychiatric hospital.  The current practice is that patients arrive to the hospital via ambulance and are rolled directly onto the unit.  There is minimal communication between the intake department, which accepts the patient, and the nurses who receive the patient on the floor.  I aim to create an admissions unit that will house the intake department.  This will help facilitate communication and create a better experience for the patient. 

                                                  References

American Association of Colleges of Nursing. (2023). Fact sheet: The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP). https://www.aacnnursing.org/Portals/0/PDFs/Fact-Sheets/DNP-Fact-Sheet.pdfLinks to an external site.

      Beeber, A. S., Palmer, C., Waldrop, J., Lynn, M. R., & Jones, C. B. (2019). The role of Doctor of Nursing Practice-prepared nurses in practice settings. Nursing Outlook, 67(4), 354–364. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.outlook.2019.02.006Links to an external site.

Hartjes, T. M., Lester, D., Arasi-Ruddock, L., McFadden Bradley, S., Munro, S., & Cowan, L. (2019). Answering the question: Is the Doctor of Philosophy or Doctor of Nursing Practice right for me? Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, 31(8), 439–442.               https://doi.org/10.1097/JXX.0000000000000273

Tussing, T., Brinkman, B., Francis, D., Hixon, B., Labardee, R., & Chipps, E. (2018). The impact of the Doctorate of Nursing practice nurse in a hospital setting. The Journal of Nursing Administration, 48(12), 600–602. https://doi.org/10.1097/NNA.0000000000000688