Mission

NURS 6050: Policy and Advocacy for Improving Population Health
Identification of the influence of nursing on important health care decision at all levels.
Main Question Post

Nurses play important role in the lives of Americans. They are very helpful in reducing health care costs. Patient’s safety is primary goals of nurse. They play important role in preventing medical errors, care coordination and providing primary and preventative care to patients. I believe that nursing leadership and influence are important in healthcare decisions. At present nurses have limited influences on health care. The nurses should be able to practice to the full extent of their education. In order to prevent these barriers nurses should get adequate education. The continued education has helped me personally to prepare and learn more about the changes in the healthcare. Nurses should be provided with a leadership position and should give them an opportunity to be a partner of healthcare to make the improvements in the healthcare. As the nurses possess the educational training, experimental background vales, ethics in their health profession, this will help them to participate in health care policy development. As they identify the problems of society, they should work with those who make decisions and with those who have to power to control the resources for the benefits of the community. Therefore, their involvement in the development of health policies ensures an affordable, accessible, high quality and safe health care (McCracken, 2010). The importance of their involvement in the development of policies is continually being appreciated; nurses are continuously being elected and appointed at different levels to engage in health policy development.

As the health care system evolves, it needs leadership and policy skills of nurses to ensure a quality delivery of health care services to the community. Nurses should achieve educational training, experimental background and values, as well as ethics needed in the health profession; to expand their role to participation in health care policy development. “Nurses should have the understanding of their values of the nursing profession because this will impact the nursing decision.” (Sarikonda-Woitas & Robinson 2002 p.74). Nurses have the ability to identify problems in the society, and work together with those who make decisions as well as those in power to control the resources for the benefits of the community. (McCracken, 2010). The organization such as ANA, gives nurses education about to develop better leadership skills. This organization has developed a health policy agenda, which reflects nurses’ passion to provide health care services to communities, families and women and children. (ANA, Nursing Association, 2010). However, nurses need to seek more knowledge and understanding of the process at all levels, as well as the politics involved. There are also the Ohio Nurse Association representatives, who are fighting to make sure that nurses’ voices are heard on policies concerning health.
A nurse is considered as a leader by the community, he or she is able mobilize groups and access resources that are needed to reform the health system. Nurses are also considered as people who deliver social justice and execute concerns of the most vulnerable populations. (McCracken, 2010). This is an important aspect that is required to build policies that include the needs of the vulnerable populations in the community, for instance, the population that is unemployed.

Nurses are the most important people of the health system. They play important roles in the health institution and in the community. Their role in healthcare is increasing as they are getting more involved in the health care policy. The nurses need to actively involve in this process of policy development.
References
McCracken, A. (2010). Advocacy: It is time to be the change. Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 36(3), 15-17.
National Academy of Sciences. (2011) the future of nursing: Leading change, advancing health.
Retrieved from https://download.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12956
Sarikonda-Woitas, C., & Robinson, J.H. (2002). Ethical Health Care Policy: Nursing’s Voice in Allocation. Nurse Administration Quarterly, 26(4), 72-80.
American nurses association. (2010). Scope and standards of practice. Retrieved from http://ezp.waldenulibrary.org/limited/NursingScope.pdf

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References: McCracken, A. (2010). Advocacy: It is time to be the change. Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 36(3), 15-17. National Academy of Sciences. (2011) the future of nursing: Leading change, advancing health. Retrieved from https://download.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12956 Sarikonda-Woitas, C., & Robinson, J.H. (2002). Ethical Health Care Policy: Nursing’s Voice in Allocation. Nurse Administration Quarterly, 26(4), 72-80. American nurses association. (2010). Scope and standards of practice. Retrieved from http://ezp.waldenulibrary.org/limited/NursingScope.pdf .