Discussion Week 3
1.What are the reasons many nurses do not actively engage in lobbying efforts?
2.What actions can nurses take to encourage themselves and their peers to get involved
politically and lobby for specific issues such as healthcare policy changes? Provide a
detailed example.
The reasons many nurses do not actively engage in lobbying efforts is due to insufficient
knowledge on health policy making and the non-involvement. Another reason could be
due to lack of opportunities to get involved or lack of health care education in nursing
policies.
Nurse’s need to be at represented at tables of influence. Nurses can do this by becoming
a leader in a specialty nursing organization that sponsors policy proposals.
Nurses must have political skill that include 4 essential components:
Social astuteness – ability to address one’s own behavior and behavior of others
including ability to address social situation
Interpersonal influences – using oneself to influence others in terms of productivity,
behavior and action
Networking ability– ability to use networks to position oneself to respond to
opportunities / situations as they arise
Apparent sincerity – ability to demonstrate meaningful gratitude, authenticity, and
integrity (WCU 2023)
Nurses can also get involved by:
Nurses have to envision themselves as leaders and find others that will support them.
Get involved by joining policy committees at work / state association, use your
voice/expertise to design car models, participate in workforce planning surveys, stay
informed and participate in activities in professional association (WCU 2023).