Nurse Practice Act of Each

¶ … Nurse Practice Act of each state defines rules and policies if nursing, each and every nurse can and should be involved in endeavors to affect the policies if the nurse considers that policy modification is in order.

The first and foremost activity is for the nurse to become a member of some association -- both local and national (if possible) - such as the American Nurses Associations. This helps in terms of sharing views and learning about relevant policy development in the field from staff, legislators, colleagues, and associated members. The nurse is also given an opportunity to express her views regarding the health policies and communicate them to others, as well as to analyze existing developments in the field.

In this manner, the nurse is actively involved in information gathering, an important activity that would help her in her practice since she is constantly informed about developments in her field. More important, however, is the necessity that she be critical about these developments. To that end, she should analyze the information to contemplate existing problems, which problems need to be addressed, and how. Examples of problems may include evidence of infection entering catheter lines resulting in significant morbidity, and, despite, options, no significant replacement yet for the catheter for long-term patients. Other problems may involve issues of staffing levels, the need for additional educational opportunities, or better working conditions for nurses. Stress, for instance, is a huge issue for nurses with nurses being, occasionally, compelled to work over mandatory working time. Nurses, too, need better protection from potentially violent patients, whilst safety procedures of the workplace can be reinvigorated. All of these guidelines and policies are matters in which the nurse can be effectively and productively involved in for the good of her own health care institution and for the wider good of the nursing practice in general.

Information and talk is insufficient. The nurse, too, needs to follow this up with action. Here, she can formulate a plan that may be a personal action plan or a plan for the organization in which she works or otherwise participates. This is where membership in nursing associations becomes useful for she can discuss with colleagues how to implement this plan. Intrinsic in the plan should be control for other strategies. In other words, if certain key ideas do not work out, the nurse will have fallback alternatives to rely on and to attempt to implement then to study their results. The whole should be done in an evidence-based manner so that the nurse can communicate certain ideas to her colleagues and / relevant staff members, win their corroboration, support, and interest, test these ideas and, if unsuccessful, decide whether to proceed with investing alternative strategies.

Input form others, throughout, is essential for successful revelation of polices and possible changes to existent polices, as well as guiding the nurse on feasibility and significance of her plans.

Finally, if the nurse and others concede that her ideas regarding policy change are successful and needed in the medical profession and that other medical professions would benefit from the implementation of these changes to their activities and systems, the nurse can then proceed to implementation of her plan. This she can do by communication with legislators by e-mail, phone, or letter (or in person, if she wishes); by attending forums or other official meetings with political candidates; by working in political campaigns; and by involving herself in similar activities. This would provide the nurse with networking opportunities and enable her to find a platform for and to share her ideas.

An example of just such a successful attempt was that achieved by nurses in 31 organizations (such as the Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses, the American Nurses Association, and the American Organization of Nurse Executives) who, in 2008, pushed for and achieved the Nurses' Higher Education and Loan Repayment Act. Here it was agreed that the student nurse would agree to serve in an accredited school of nursing as faculty member for four years upon her graduation. In return, she would receive a loan that would assist her in her studies.

Another successful endeavor was that of the Americans for Nursing Shortage Relief (ANSR) that was comprised of 51 national nursing organizations resolved to formulate solutions to deal with staff shortage in nursing who, in 2008, banded together and submitted a testimony to a subcommittee of the U.S. senate regarding 2009 appropriations for Title VIII -- Nursing Workforce Development Programs. The ANSR has repeatedly urged Congress for further funds in order to encourage more students to enter nursing. Consistent pleas for this necessary funding have often times been granted.