When it comes to participating in health care policy development, nurses face multiple barriers, with the biggest one being the lack of necessary knowledge or training for policy-making, as our education is typically centered around patient care rather than policy or politics. Personally, I wouldn’t know where to even begin. Not to mention the lack of time due to our long hours and demanding schedules, which leave us with little opportunity to engage in policy. I would rather spend my spare time with my wife and kids. They’re a handful as it is.

I also don’t believe we would receive adequate support, as hospitals or health care facilities often do not encourage or allocate resources for nurses to become involved in policy change unless it benefits or aligns with the hospital’s interests. Why would they help us create policies to ensure safe staffing if it’s cheaper to stretch us thin? To address the issue, training, education, and providing nurses with opportunities to overcome these barriers can lead to the development of more effective health care policies.

References:

Maddox, K. E. J. (2024). THE ROLE OF HEALTH POLICY IN IMPROVING HEALTH OUTCOMES AND HEALTH EQUITY. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11316889Links to an external site.