Nurse Protection, Essay Example

Name Here

Address

City/State/Zip

T 000-000-0000

F 000-000-0000

email address

website

August 9, 2012

The Honorable Representative Rush Holt

House of Representatives

1214 Longworth HOB

Washington, D.C. 20515

Dear Congressman Holt,

It is with deepest appreciation for you and many of your colleagues in congress that I write to thank you for supporting nurse title protection legislation. I am aware that this law is critical to maintaining the integrity of our state’s quality of healthcare, and I believe such legislation will provide significant positive benefit to the people of our state.

As I know you are likely aware, thirty-seven states have now enacted nurse protection acts. Obviously there is growing consensus that such legislation helps prevent a dangerous situation where people who may lack credentials, training and knowledge misuse the title of nurse. The public needs consistency and clarity on their medical choices, and they need to know that the person administering medical care to them is a properly trained professional who has the skills necessary to treat them.

In summary, you are working to provide the people of this state with the ability to trust those who practice as nurses in their hospitals, doctor’s offices, and other related health clinics. I applaud you for your wisdom, foresight, and compassion for our public, and I appreciate the support you have shown for all of us who practice medical services in this state.

As The United States continues to age, it is vital for the health of our people and nation to have professional medical practitioners available to improve longevity and quality of life. Through legislative actions designed to confirm the authenticity of those who practice in the medical field, many citizens are benefitting through efforts to ensure the quality of care that these people receive through nurse protection legislation.

Nurse practice act legislation typically ensures quality healthcare by standardizing entry requirements, practice standards, and specific codes of conduct designed to protect the public from practitioners that could be unsafe. Such acts have been successfully implemented in thirty-six states so far (Palatnik, 2012).

With all the new legislation designed to address healthcare needs, it is especially important to ensure the quality of care that is given, and also the proper professionals are administering it. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) acknowledges this need, as it has provisions to encourage further nurse training for growing demand. Fewer physicians are completing primary care residencies, so it will fall to increasing the use of nurse practitioners as those who administer primary care to those in need (Tillett, 2011). Given the significant market demand that will ensue, a firm definition of who is qualified to the title of nurse is an essential, important element to the changing medical field environment.

Further reinforcement of this message can be obtained from the Institute of Medicine (IOM), who in a recent report identified four key messages on how to address a new vision for the future of healthcare. Two of these messages relate to education and training of nurses, where they need to practice at the full extent of their abilities and skill, and to also achieve higher levels of eduction and training, In addition, the IOM report calls for nurses to be full partners in the medical profession alongside doctors and other healthcare professionals, and a need to improve data collection and information gathering techniques Tillett, 2011). All of these points in the IOM report illustrate to the need to protect the authenticity of nurses through legislation designed to ensure quality care for the public.

References

Palatnik, A. (2012). Protecting the Title of “Nurse”. Nursing Critical Care, Vol. 7, No. 2, 4.

Tillett, J. (2011). Practicing to the Full Extent of Our Ability. JPNN Journal, April/June 2011. Retrieved from <http://journals.lww.com/jpnnjournal/Citation/2011/04000/Practicing_to_the_Full_Extent_of_Our_Ability__The.2.aspx>