One significant barrier to nurses’ participation in policy making is the mindset that views nursing primarily as direct care profession. We often identify as healers and most education is focused on clinical skills and patient care. As a result, there is little to minimal emphasis on policy making. While nursing schools excel at preparing clinicians, they often fail to equip nurses with the skills needed to navigate policy advocacy. For example, a 2017 American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) survey revealed that fewer than half of nursing programs include substantive health policy training. Nurses witness firsthand how policies succeed or fail in practice. We possess a unique instinct for healing that can contribute to valuable insights to policy making processes. By expanding education beyond direct care, nurses can advocate for effective holistic policies and improve healthcare.

Reference:

American Association of Colleges of Nursing. (2017). The essential competencies for nursing policy and advocacy. https://www.aacnnursing.org/Portals/O/PDFs/Publications/Essentials-2021.pdf ↗