Nurses attain adequate levels of nursing education to be comfortable with processes and activities relating to healthcare policies. Nursing education instills knowledge helping nurses to learn how to value and appreciate opportunities presented to influence policies defining the delivery of high-quality care.
Nursing education strengthens a nurse’s political knowledge critical in policy making process. The political knowledge is gained through special educational programs in nursing. Burke (2016) contends that special educational programs increase the political knowledge of nurse leaders. Particularly, Health Care Policy and Finance course module offered as part of baccalaureate nursing degree programs enhances the competence of nurses as it instills nursing advocacy knowledge. The knowledge gained aids nurses to understand their roles as patient advocates. As such, the nurses are adequately prepared to critically analyze proposed policies from perspectives of patients’ needs.
Registered nurses influence the policy regulatory process to ensure that policies formulated define and integrate acceptable standards for delivery of high-quality care. Shariff (2014) asserts that nurses are capable of influencing standards and processes that address nurses’ stress and burnout thereby assuring the delivery of high quality care. The participation of nurses is equally essential in influencing resource allocation to support delivery of healthcare services to the special and vulnerable population. Through education, nurses gain knowledge and skills relating to teamwork and evidence-based practice which are essential in policy-making (Shariff, 2014). Nurses involved in policy making must churn through extensive data and evidence, as well as collaborate with other stakeholders to come up with policies addressing workers’ and patients’ concerns within health systems. In this way, nurse education plays an essential role in bolstering the ability of nurses to make major healthcare impacts through policies.
Nurses require education to gain comprehensive knowledge allowing them to influence and shape healthcare policies. Policies define the nature of health services provided to patients, as well as determine resource allocation to support the delivery of care in healthcare facilities.
References
Burke, S. (2016). Influence through policy: Nurses have a unique role. Reflections on Nursing Leadership. Retrieved from https://www.reflectionsonnursingleadership.org/commentary/more-commentary/Vol42_2_nurses-have-a-unique-role#:~:text=Through%20policy%20work%2C%20nurses%20can,to%20support%20delivery%20of%20healthcare.
Shariff, N. (2014). Factors that act as facilitators and barriers to nurse leaders’ participation in health policy development. BMC Nursing, 13, 20. https://doi.org/10.1186/1472-6955-13-20.