Policy Analysis and Advocacy in Nursing Education, Essay Example

Introduction

Advocacy within nursing practice requires significant practical and technical knowledge of specific issues that are of personal and professional importance to practice settings. This strategy is critical to the success of nurses in supporting specific objectives and in improving patient care quality.  I have learned that advocating for patients and for issues that are important to nursing practice is critical in achieving the desired results, but it requires much thought and consideration in order to utilize resources wisely. Advocacy in nursing also supports the continued growth and development of practice and evidence-based initiatives that will encourage and enhance the quality of nursing and defend its core values. This defense is perhaps the most critical component of advocacy within nursing practice and requires commitment, dedication, and skill on a regular basis.

Analysis

Nursing-based advocacy requires significant focus on specific issues that matter to nursing practice and to the general public as a whole. For example, I strongly support advocacy for adequate staffing and the establishment of appropriate nurse/patient ratios. It is important to identify the resources that are required to advocate in this and other areas, as nurses must serve as creative thinkers and responsible in their efforts to be successful advocates in the chosen area. As a nurse, I must also advocate for my profession and focus on the key areas where I am able to actively contribute to promote change on a continuous basis (Matthews, 2012). I believe that nurses must have a clear focus and mental acuity at all times; therefore, they should not be overloaded with too many patients on any given shift, as this could compromise patient care quality in some cases.

Advocacy for nurse staffing requires a high level of support and encouragement to prevent nurses from poor performance as a result of lack of clarity and fatigue (Reed, 2013). Therefore, as a nurse, I must possess such skills as patience, empathy, motivation, and greater focus so that I am able to effectively advocate for my position. Advocating for nurses also requires an effective understanding of current policies, including their weaknesses, in order to determine how to interpret policies to achieve the intended results (Duncan et.al, 2012). This process supports an ongoing approach to improve advocacy and to demonstrate that nurses must maintain control of their profession through practical strategies to address staffing needs in a timely manner. Staffing is more than a basic concept to fill positions on open shifts; rather, it is an important step toward recognizing staffing as a dynamic process that supports high quality patient care delivery at all times (Gale & Noga, 2013). I believe that staffing is a serious issue for nurses and requires significant attention and focus so as not to compromise the care and treatment that patients receive if there are weaknesses in current staffing models.

Conclusion

As a nursing advocate, I strive to bring issues of importance to the attention of nurses and leaders who supply resources to accommodate staffing needs. I am committed to making staffing an important issue that requires ongoing attention and focus so that patient care is of the best possible quality at all times. Furthermore, staffing is associated with respect for nurses and patients, thereby requiring a level of focus that generates respect and encouragement to enhance staffing and nurse/patient ratios to promote quality. This is an important step towards the discovery of new strategies to support nurses as they struggle with staffing on a regular basis and to overcome some of the primary concerns that impact patient care quality when staffing is inadequate or inappropriate.

References

Duncan, S. M., Thorne, S., Van Neste-Kenny, J., & Tate, B. (2012). Policy analysis and advocacy in nursing education: The Nursing Education Council of British Columbia framework. Nurse education today, 32(4), 432-437.

Gale, S., & Noga, P. (2013). Creating a Transparent and Dynamic View of Staffing as a Foundation for Improving Quality and Efficiency. Nursing administration quarterly, 37(2), 129-135.

Matthews, J. H. (2012). Role of professional organizations in advocating for the nursing profession. Online journal of issues in nursing, 17(1).

Reed, K. (2013). Nursing fatigue and staffing costs: What’s the connection?. Nursing management, 44(4), 47-50.