Nursing and policies
Just like any other citizen or professional, a nurse is under the authority of the employer as well as of the government. The electoral process affects the type of a government that gets into power, and at the same time, the government affects the policies which are used in institutions (Greer & Lillvis, 2014). Therefore, it is apparent that a government in place can affect the policies which govern institutions. Putting into consideration that institutions also play a significant role in making the life of the citizens easier, some issues in the policy might affect the lives of nurses in different ways.
Policies which might affect the lives of nurses from different perspectives are policies which deal with the time that a nurse should report and leave work, the policies that dictate the salaries of the nurses, and the policies that are concerned with the employment of nurses (Greer & Lillvis, 2014). The time that a person or rather a nurse reports and leaves work is very paramount when it comes to the nurse discharging his or her duty as a professional and as a family member. When more time is spent at work, a nurse lacks enough time to spend with the family, and that might affect the nurse. At the same time, when it comes to what a nurse should be paid, having a policy in place that decreases the salary of a nurse is likely to influence the life of a nurse negatively. A nurse is a human being and he or she ought to be stressed by the working environment. When there are no enough employees, one might find him or herself in a situation where the working environment affects him or her. With this in mind, a policy that deals with the employment of extra nurses affects the life of nurses both professionally and individually.
Reference
Greer, S. L., & Lillvis, D. F. (2014). Beyond leadership: political strategies for coordination in health policies. Health Policy, 116(1), 12-17.
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Role of Nurses in Policy Making
Electoral system refers to procedures and norms used in an election to decide on which leader will hold a certain position of influence. The electoral process allows democracy to prevail by allowing voters to make decision on who is to be their leader. The type of government that takes office is however influenced by the electoral process. The government is responsible for making laws that influence the lives of people. Laws pertaining health and economics influence our daily. A government that promotes health reforms aimed at availing health care affects people positively.
Nurses are expected to take care of the patients and participate less in policy making. However, there is need for nurses to participate in campaigns politics. The legislators are responsible for making policies in the health sector and in most cases they make misinformed policies that are not beneficial to the nurses and patients. Nurses therefore come on board during political campaigns to enlighten the citizens on what policies are beneficial and which leadership will influence the health sector positively (Oestberg, 2017). Nurses take advantage of the respect they have earned from citizens in advocating for health reforms and policies.
Nurses employ various strategies in making their voice heard. First is by networking with other nurses in making a health decisions. He networking process allows the nurses to interact and discus some of the issues that are affecting the health sector and how they can be improved. Second is the use of evidence-based practice to influence decisions by the legislators. Nurses through research can advocate for changes in policies (Phillips, 2017). Lastly, nurses use their personal experiences in practice as a strategy of influencing decisions.
References
Oestberg, F. (2017). Getting involved in policy and politics. Evidence based journal for acute and critical care nurses. Retrieved 5 October 2017, from http://journals.lww.com/nursingcriticalcare/Fulltext/2013/05000/Getting_involved_in_policy_and_politics.10.aspx
Phillips, R. (2017). Health Care Policy: The Nurse’s Crucial Role | American Academy of Ambulatory Care Nursing. Aaacn.org. Retrieved 5 October 2017, from https://www.aaacn.org/health-care-policy-nurses-crucial-role
