The Role of APRN in Policy Making

Introduction
Nurses are professionals and experts with the capability and responsibility to have an influence not only in the prevailing but also future healthcare delivery systems. Imperatively, the nursing line of work is founded on the skill of human health and caring. It functions from a structure that values all persons in a holistic manner and endeavours to cultivate and progress persons’ health all the way through their life expectancy and across all societal levels. Through policy work, nurses have the ability and ought to influence practice standards as well as procedures to guarantee quality of care. More than ever, nurses ought to be incorporated in every healthcare environment and also are set in a unique role in the formulation of policy (Burke, 2016).
Opportunities for APRN Participation in Policy Making
There are numerous prospects for APRNs in policy making. The nurse practitioners have the ability to influence numerous individuals all through their state and the nation, reliant on the level of the health policy. Imperatively, nurse practitioners the capability to transform health care for persons for several years to come. They can carry out quality improvement projects within their workplace setting, and can capitalize on their findings to assist in the execution of new policies at the organizations where they work. Secondly, there is the opportunity that nurse practitioners can vastly assist in the writing of health policy bills owing to the reason that they work with patients on an everyday basis. This is in the sense that APRNs have the ability to convey personal experiences regarding how such policies and bills can assist specific patients to aid their ailments and improve care. Participation in health policy is the most significant role that nurse practitioners can have in influencing positive change within policy making in the health care industry that will substantially benefit numerous generations to come (Chilton, 2015).
Challenges and how to Overcome Them
There are a number of challenges that the nurses face in regard to their ability to influence policy decisions. One of the challenges is the feeling of insufficiency and subjection. More often than not, the general practitioners and doctors are the ones included in policy making owing to the customary hierarchical power. This leaves the nurses feeling inadequate and this negatively impacts their capacity to contribute to policy making. One way of overcoming this challenge is becoming more vocal and believing in their potential and significance in the process. A second challenge is the perceived image of nursing. There is the issue of not considering nursing as a key component in policy development. One way of overcoming this challenge is for nurses to alter the image of nursing and illustrate it as a valuable constituent in policy making (Shariff, 2014).
Recommended Strategies
There are different strategies that can be recommended in order to better advocate for or communicate the existence of these prospects to participate in policy-making. In accordance to Hughes (2010), one of these strategies is getting it right. This takes into account being as informed as possible and provide information and insight that is precise and pertinent. It is imperative to demonstrate that when being involved, the insight rendered by the nurses is accurate and relevant in the policies being considered. A second strategy is assertiveness. Nurses invest a significant amount of time and determination in their endeavour to efficaciously come off as competent and dependable institutional members. This work is deemed necessary by nurses if they were to have an influence on decision making and play a more significant and key role in assisting in the shaping and determining of health policy. However, in order to do so, it is imperative to be assertive and point out the significance of the insight they provide in the health care environment (Hughes, 2010).
References
Burke, S. A. (2016). Influence through policy: Nurses have a unique role. Reflections on Nursing Leadership. Retrieved from: https://www.reflectionsonnursingleadership.org/commentary/more-commentary/Vol42_2_nurses-have-a-unique-role
Chilton, L. (2015). Nurse Practitioners Have an Essential Role in Health Policy. The Journal for Nurse Practitioners, 11(2), A19.
Hughes, A. (2010). The challenge of contributing to policy making in primary care: the gendered experiences and strategies of nurses. Sociology of health & illness, 32(7), 977-992.
Shariff, N. (2014). Factors that act as facilitators and barriers to nurse leaders’ participation in health policy development. BMC nursing, 13(1), 20.