Nursing Course: Legislative Advocacy

I was contracted to write a Nursing course with Relias on Legislative Advocacy. Below is an exerpt from the course. I created 21 pages of content for Relias over a 12 week period.

OC Pic by Deb McCauley Cherry Blossoms in DC

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Excellence Series: Legislative Advocacy

Section 1: Introduction

About This Course

Legislative advocacy is an effective way for nurses to initiate change in government health policy. Advocacy centers around measures to introduce, implement, or amend legislation that could impact the health of your patients. As part of your nursing responsibility, you advocate daily for your patients and family members. As a legislative advocate, it is important to know the essential building blocks for success and the appropriate processes to follow to get your voice and the voice of your patients heard.

The goal of this course is to provide nursing professionals with information about how legislative rule impacts nursing, and how nurses can advocate for themselves and their patients at the local, state, and national levels.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this course, you should be able to:

Section 2: What is Legislative Advocacy?

Meet Ana

Ana has been working as a nurse practitioner for 2 years. During that time, she has noticed a great disparity in access to good quality care for her rural patients. Hospitals in their local area shut down, and she is concerned that there is not enough effective preventive care for the vulnerable, aging population in the area. Many of her patients have voiced concerns about their options should they need to visit the emergency department (ED). Ana discusses their concerns with her supervisor, but they just shrugged their shoulders and say: “There’s nothing we can do about it at the moment. I have too much on my plate anyway.”

Legislative Advocacy

Advocacy comes in many forms (National Council of Nonprofits, n.d.). In general, it can range from assisting an older adult across the street to networking with key players to broaden the impact that a nonprofit organization has on the community. Legislative advocacy, the highest form of advocacy, has the potential to affect multiple people, from local communities to the entire nation (Davoodvand et al., 2016). The goal of legislative advocacy is to initiate effective and lasting change that serves to positively impact those in your community and beyond.

You have likely seen how health policy has affected your patients. From barriers to care (e.g., insurance coverage) to how organizational policies may contribute to the harm of patients (e.g., high nurse to patient ratios); advocacy is the way for you to be part of positive change.