Policy Making

Discussion
This week you learned about the structures and processes of policy making and the competencies required as a nursing professional to influence stakeholders in positions charged with making policy. In the discussion forum, you will answer the following questions:
• Identify your State and Federal Legislators by name and title. Tell us their political party, when they took office, and something about their background.
• Pick one representative to explore further
o Identify 2-3 committees they serve on (if they chair/co-chair any).
o Find something that they are working on that is of interest to you and tell us about it: Identify the bill; what is the bill about and what does it propose; where is the bill in the process (has it been introduced, is it in committee, has it passed from one house to the other); what committee is the bill in and what is that committee’s purpose; and last, why you found this interesting.
• Reflecting on this activity, how is this related to the competencies discussed in this week’s lessons?
4 Components of Competence:
Social Astuteness
Interpersonal Influence
Networking Ability
Apparent Sincerity

Leadership competencies for health services managers have been identified by the Healthcare Leadership Alliance Association and published by the American Organization of Nurse Leaders (AONL, 2015) and can be found in Health and Healthcare Environment Competencies.

Nursing education and professional nursing organizations have recognized the importance of competence in policy.
All of the nursing education accreditation groups have standards that include policy knowledge and understanding in the curriculum American Association of Colleges of Nursing has included ‘health care policy’ essentials and the level of knowledge that should be present within the different levels of nursing education curriculum.
These standards make the importance of the following apparent:
• Knowledge
• Social astuteness
• Communication skills
• The use of evidence
• Awareness of ability and responsibility to influence policy

Acquiring competence in these areas requires nurses to be life-long learners,
willing to participate with others, and understanding of the role they play in the health of the patients they service, their community, and society.

This unit has reviewed the complex and usually cumbersome processes associated with healthcare policy. Much is found in the literature today of the “evidence-policy” gap or the lag between scientific findings and policies impacting practice. Is it because professionals don’t understand the structures and processes?
Or is it because professionals don’t have the time or inclination to become engaged in the complex, “messy” political process? The same could be asked of the legislator and other administrators charged with making policy — perhaps these individuals don’t know how to evaluate evidence or take the time to understand the ramifications to key stakeholders in policy development. In reality, it is probably true from all sides. It isn’t easy to figure out how to produce the best solution when society’s values and preferences may be at odds with one another.
However, underlying all of these considerations are the values of the professionals who want to do what is most effective for their patients. Likewise, most policy makers would agree that the desire to do what is right drives their efforts. Policy studies suggest that decisions are impacted when persuasion is used. Persuasion or influence is a combination of fact and emotion (Cairney & Oliver, 2017).
As the largest group of healthcare providers, nurses have the ability as well as the responsibility to contribute to the development, implementation, and evaluation of policy at all levels. Understanding how policy gets done — the structure, processes, stakeholders, etc. and the skills required to influence others — are essential elements of being competent as a nursing professional.

My Federal Legislators are as follows:
Senator Jon Ossoff- Democrat
Senator Raphael Warnock- Democrat
US Representative Rick Allen-Republican

Georgia State Legislators:
Georgia State Senator Lee Anderson-Republican
Georgia State Representative Jodi Lott-Republican

When you get to your georgia.gov webpage, find the “Find Your Legislator” or “Who Represents Me” search. You will be able to locate your representatives’ official website which should provide information about their background, and current committees and legislation.

When conducting your research on your legislators at the state and federal levels, I want to provide this tip so you can be successful.
*Federal legislators serve in Washington, the U.S. capitol, in the U.S. Senate
• U.S. Senate –
• U.S. Congress – U
o They are responsible for federal laws and governing the country.
o They are referred to as U.S. Senators and U.S. Representatives or Congressmen/Congresswomen.
o Everyone has 3 federal legislators – 2 U.S. Senators for your entire state and 1 U.S. Representative for your congressional district.
*State legislators serve in your state’s capitol.
• State Senator
• Either State Representative or Congressman/Congresswoman –
o They legislate over your state laws (govern your state).
• You will have 2 representatives, one for each branch, based on the district in which you live.
That makes a total of 5 people you should be identifying and discussing in the discussion this week. The link provided in the DF prompt will take you to a site to easily identify these levels of leadership.

COURSE INFORMATION
4 Components of Competence:
Social Astuteness
Interpersonal Influence
Networking Ability
Apparent Sincerity

Leadership competencies for health services managers have been identified by the Healthcare Leadership Alliance Association and published by the American Organization of Nurse Leaders (AONL, 2015) and can be found in Health and Healthcare Environment Competencies.

Nursing education and professional nursing organizations have recognized the importance of competence in policy.
All of the nursing education accreditation groups have standards that include policy knowledge and understanding in the curriculum American Association of Colleges of Nursing has included ‘health care policy’ essentials and the level of knowledge that should be present within the different levels of nursing education curriculum.
These standards make the importance of the following apparent:
• Knowledge
• Social astuteness
• Communication skills
• The use of evidence
• Awareness of ability and responsibility to influence policy

Acquiring competence in these areas requires nurses to be life-long learners,
willing to participate with others, and understanding of the role they play in the health of the patients they service, their community, and society.

This unit has reviewed the complex and usually cumbersome processes associated with healthcare policy. Much is found in the literature today of the “evidence-policy” gap or the lag between scientific findings and policies impacting practice. Is it because professionals don’t understand the structures and processes?
Or is it because professionals don’t have the time or inclination to become engaged in the complex, “messy” political process? The same could be asked of the legislator and other administrators charged with making policy — perhaps these individuals don’t know how to evaluate evidence or take the time to understand the ramifications to key stakeholders in policy development. In reality, it is probably true from all sides. It isn’t easy to figure out how to produce the best solution when society’s values and preferences may be at odds with one another.
However, underlying all of these considerations are the values of the professionals who want to do what is most effective for their patients. Likewise, most policy makers would agree that the desire to do what is right drives their efforts. Policy studies suggest that decisions are impacted when persuasion is used. Persuasion or influence is a combination of fact and emotion (Cairney & Oliver, 2017).
As the largest group of healthcare providers, nurses have the ability as well as the responsibility to contribute to the development, implementation, and evaluation of policy at all levels. Understanding how policy gets done — the structure, processes, stakeholders, etc. and the skills required to influence others — are essential elements of being competent as a nursing professional.