Running Head: RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN NURSING 1

Relationship Between Nursing And Public Policy

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN NURSING 2

Relationship Between Nursing And Public Policy

Traditionally, the role of the nurse is to promote individualized patient care and advocate

for the patient’s well being. Public Policies are laws, regulations, or administrative rulings that

are issued by national, state or local governments (Allender, Rector, & Warner, 2010).

Understanding the relationship between health care and public policy is essential for all nurses,

because we as nurses can no longer accept responsibility for the delivery of patient care without

addressing issues that jeopardize the health care system (Cherry & Jacob, 2008). Some public

and health policies help define the scope of practice and influence health decisions that nurses

must follow. There are other policies that go against what we understand to be beneficial to the

public and to our ideals as caretakers. With the help of key interest professional organizations

such as the American Nurses Association or advocacy groups such as the Children’s Defense

Fund, we can have a voice in establishing policies that support initiatives for the public.

Today, the need for nurses in politics and policy development are more important than

ever. Nurses are responsible for the largest workforce in the healthcare field. We are the front-

line caregivers in the healthcare system, which gives us a unique perspective on patient care.

Even though nurses are the largest component of the healthcare workforce, much of the decision

making about the role of the nurse are still made without the input of the nurse. Rather than

being reactive towards many of the policies that we disagree with, we must be involved with

public policy as a means of finding solutions to the problems. That is why it is vital for nurses to

become actively engaged in the policy process and use political action to ensure the development

of health policies that are reflective of the nursing perspective (Cherry & Jacob, 2008). We have

to remember that the absence of action does not mean the absence of policy.
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References

Allender, J.A., Rector, C., & Warner, K. (2010). Community health nursing: Promoting &

protecting the public’s health (7th ed.). Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

Cherry, B., & Jacob, S. (2008). Contemporary nursing: Issues, trends, & management (4th ed.).

St. Louis: Mosby Elsevier.