What parts of the lawmaking process does a nurse have an opportunity to influence the final bill passage?
A nurse can be politically active and influence the legislative process to help advocate for public health. These parts are not directly related to the passage of a bill, yet they influence its final acquisition. First, nurses can propose bills to some politically important figures, thus launching a bill passage process (Schaeffer & Haebler, 2019). Distinguishing an issue in the current state of the law is an essential part of policy-making. By correctly addressing these issues and proposing economically, socially, and medically acceptable and appropriate policies, a nurse can influence the medicine in a state.
Next, counsel coming from a medical worker might influence a senator’s decision on the efficiency and utility of a bill and its further destiny. Some decisions might seem adequate and valuable in their simplicity to non-medical workers who have access to the legal system of the US (Schaeffer & Haebler, 2019). Yet, an insight from a professional can change the perception of the issue, giving the official a broader perspective. Finally, nurses who actively participate in political associations of medical workers participate in the financial distribution of resources for specific policies (Schaeffer & Haebler, 2019). Thus, there are at least three parts of the bill’s passage that can gain an impact on the nursing side of the medical world.
List at least two ways that this influence can take place. In your opinion, would one way be preferable over the other?
As such, Schaeffer and Haebler (2019) describe the first approach for promoting one’s medical suggestions and policies as an indirect one. Namely, a murse might choose an active senator interested in hearing professional views on the current medicine deficiencies. Then, a nurse can organize a meeting with this official and inform them about the proposed bill’s adequacy. As a result, the person who has access to the legislative process can gain insight into people who specialize in the medical sphere. Next, some nurses might join some official institutions that take part in decision-making, evaluating, and implementing the bills. For example, “one way to promote [a bill] is through support for the federal bill Title VIII Nursing Workforce Reauthorization Act of 2019” (as cited in Schaeffer & Haebler, 2019, p. 342). The participants of this organization can influence the decisions on whether to fund some policies or not. In this way, they affect the actual implementation of a policy and the bill that implies it. Hence, nurses can render some political power to the legislature.
Reviewing the social determinants of health, select one to respond to this question: What role can nurses play in promoting health status through policy changes directly affecting this social determinant?
Nurses can promote health status through policy changes directly as well. Namely, they are able to participate in affecting such social determinants as “socioeconomic status, education, neighborhood and physical environment, employment, and social support networks, as well as access to health care” (Hinton & Artiga, 2019, para. 1). For example, the health care system as a social determinant is the most easily accessible factor that nurses can change for the better since they contact this system directly. Due to the fact that numerous medical facilities are private institutions that have their organizational policies (which state hospitals can obtain as well), the changes in the policies influence the industry in general if they are successful. Namely, churches might gain access to the board where some propositions about the enhancement of the institution are heard. In these, nurses can promote, for instance, provider linguistic and cultural competency. These small steps would be seen as competitive advantages by other hospitals and sooner or later acquired.
References
Hinton, E., & Artiga, S. (2019). Beyond health care: The role of social determinants in promoting health and health equity. KFF. Web.
Schaeffer, R., & Haebler, J. (2019). Nurse leaders: Extending your policy influence. Nurse Leader, 17(4), 340–343. Web.