For each discussion I need 200 words minimum and minimum of two scholarly references in APA format within the last five years published.
on time master level No Plagiarism
Week 8 Section A, group E
by
Yerandy Silva Blanco
Nurses may lobby Congress on a wide range of policy issues related to healthcare, patient care, and nursing practice. However, two critical policy issues that nurses may prioritize are Safe Staffing Ratios and Nursing Workforce Development (Woodforde, 2019). Nurses may advocate for federal legislation mandating safe staffing ratios in hospitals and healthcare facilities. Unsafe staffing levels can compromise patient safety and lead to burnout and high turnover rates among nurses. Strategies for lobbying on this issue may include engaging with congressional representatives, sharing personal experiences and stories, conducting research to support the need for safe staffing ratios, and partnering with other healthcare organizations to increase awareness and support. Nurses may advocate for federal funding to support nursing education and workforce development programs. These programs can help to address the nursing shortage and improve the quality of patient care by ensuring that there are enough trained and qualified nurses to meet the growing demand for healthcare services. Strategies for lobbying on this issue may include building relationships with key policymakers, developing evidence-based arguments to support funding requests, engaging with nursing organizations and other stakeholders, and using social media and other forms of advocacy to raise awareness of the issue among the general public (Elpasiony & Abd-Elmoghith, 2023).
Work place health and safety is very important and has often not been emphasized enough. It is important to note that the backbone of a healthy nation lies within the nurses. When nurses have safe working conditions that prevent them from secondary contaminations, nurses will be healthier thus allowing them to provide better care to the patients. Additionally, ensuring this will not only keep nurses away from work related infections but will also be channeled to their families, co- workers and patients thus improving the general wellness of the society.
Apart from work safety, I believe nurse stuffing is another critical area that necessitates an immediate attention especially from nursing lobbyists. According to Griffiths & Saville et al (2021), adequate nurse staffing results to an increase in nurse’s professional satisfaction and improved patient outcomes. Recently, an economic recession has been felt all over the world and the health care system has not been spared. Cost cutting decisions has resulted to a large number of nursing staff to be laid off. Other groups of recent graduates have been left with no available chances of employment especially in developing countries. ANA should prioritize nurse staffing in the congress as a matter of agency and save our nurses from mental and physical torture.
Nurses can advocate for change in hospital environments, administrations, and governmental agencies or with Congress and designated supervisors. Based on the American nurse association, nurses must advocate for safe patient care, ethical observance, inclusion, and a conducive working environment (Abbasinia et al., 2020). Nurses present their issues to lobbyists, who in turn express their concerns to Congress if individual nurses cannot raise their cases to Congress directly. In this discussion, we will describe policy concerns that may cause nurses to lobby Congress and the strategies they may use to ensure their voices are heard.
More nursing professionals may trigger nursing advocacy. A shortage of personnel in a hospital setting harms the patients and the nurses. Low personnel numbers make the available workers work long or extra hours, which causes fatigue, lack of focus, and anxiety, leading to illness. In addition, the great amount of stress to which nurses are subjected, mostly caused by lack of enough sleep and overworking, may cause clinical errors such as inaccurate diagnosis and prescription, which may harm the patient, cause death, and destroy the hospital’s reputation if the patient decides to sue a nurse. Nurse lobbyists can guarantee their voices are heard by hosting meetings with stakeholders or congresspersons to present their concerns or have peaceful demonstrations if their circumstances are ignored (Cronn et al., 2022).
Nurses also lobby for safe and conducive workplaces. Nurses are often in constant contact with their patients. Nurse practitioners are often involved in procedures such as wound dressing, blood transfusion, injections, and other surgical procedures that may put the nurses to risk of infections. Nurses lobby for sufficient personal protective equipment and training sessions for handling new or advanced hospital equipment. Ensuring policy change, nurse lobbyists can guarantee their voices are heard by visiting the congress offices and discussing the importance of safety and training in the healthcare sector. Nurse lobbyists can also address the matter by speaking in political rallies to ensure the efficient delivery of their concerns as healthcare workers (Groenwald & Eldridge, 2020)
Working for compulsory overtime hours for nurses is a healthcare problem that nurse lobbyists could lobby. Based on studies conducted by the American Nurses Association, nurses mostly work overtime due to insufficient nurses and health emergencies. However, administrative boards can navigate these challenges with proper planning. Nurse lobbyists claim that overtime hours deny nurses their professional right to rest, which is critical in their work. Nurses can lobby for the establishment of internal and external policies that address the issue of working hours and proper shift planning. In emergencies, nurses on leave or who have had enough rest should be the first to arrive at the emergency sites (Watanabe & Yamauchi, 2018). Orderly management and freedom of choice to avoid compulsory overtime work for nurses requires addressing by directly approaching administrations or Congress by formulating petitions online or writing letters to the congresspersons. Making an official phone call to a congressperson may also carry more weight in ensuring their voices are heard.