06 Jan The paper format

NUR4837 Healthcare Policy, Advocacy, and the Political Process

Unit 1 Discussion

1. Sphere of Influence: The Workforce & Workplace: (developing a policy that impacts the workforce or the workplace)

Instructions

Select a current problem, for example, the inability of the profession to establish the BSN as a minimum requirement for entry into practice, or the shortage of nurses in the United States. Using the “Steps of a Political Analysis” found in Box 8-1 as a guide:

1. Identifying and analyzing the problem

2. Outlining and analyzing proposed solutions

3. Understanding the background of the issue: its history and previous attempts to address the problem

4. Locating the political setting and structures involved

5. Evaluating the stakeholders

6. Conducting a values assessment

7. Recognizing the resources (both financial and human) needed to reach the intended goals

8. Analyzing the power bases

2. Sphere of Influence: The Government (practice influencing policy by communicating with a legislator about a current health problem)

Instructions

1. Identify a current health problem that is being debated at the national and/or state level (e.g., the proliferation of “pill mills” and pain clinics), and state why it is of interest.

2. Identify a legislator (state or federal) and state why that person is the appropriate one to contact.

3. Draft a letter to the legislator including the proper salutation.

4. Introduce yourself and your reason for writing.

5. State concisely what you understand to be the current socioeconomic, political, and ethical issues surrounding the problem.

6. Discuss the implications of the problem for nursing or nursing practice.

7. Make a clear request for action.

8. Request a response.

3. Sphere of Influence: Associations and Interest Groups (provides the opportunity to become familiar with different nursing associations.) PLEASE, NO DUPLICATION! There are enough Associations & Interest groups to go around!

Instructions

1. Choose a nursing association.

2. List the mission and purpose of the association

3. How is it governed?

4. What is the legislative agenda of the association?

5. How is that agenda developed? Is the membership involved?

6. How is the agenda communicated to the membership?

7. Does it partner with any coalitions?

8. Does the partnership influence policy on a national or state level? If yes, how?

9. When you graduate will you join the association? If yes, why? If no, why not?

NUR4837 Healthcare Policy, Advocacy, and the Political Process

Unit 2 Discussion

Topic 1. “It was once said that the moral test of government is how that government treats those who are in the dawn of life, the children; those who are in the twilight of life, the elderly; and those who are in the shadows of life, the sick, the needy, and the handicapped.”

United States politician (1911-1978)

1. Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Why or why not?

2. State your reasons based on your knowledge of the health care system, observations in the clinical area, and personal experience. Justify your responses with appropriate resources.

2. There are many issues currently in the political spotlight that can impact you as a nurse, you as a citizen, and your patients. Some of the current topics include: Healthcare reform, safe staffing, nursing workforce development, home health, and gun violence to name a few ~ (hint: You may find some good information on the ANA homepage under “issues” Link (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.)

Topic 2. CHOOSE ONE of these topics and answer the following questions:

1. What is the current legislative or regulatory issue, and why is it being debated?

2. Who is most affected by the legislation?

3. What are the current socioeconomic, political, cultural, and ethical issues surrounding this topic?

4. Who are the stakeholders?

5. What are the positions of professional health care organizations (ANA, AHA, AMA), consumers, and the major political parties on the issue?

6. What are the implications of the policy issue for nursing?

topic 3: Step 1: CHOOSE ONE of the following chapters and answer the corresponding questions:

Chapter 34: Taking Action: Setting Health Care in Its Social Context

Chapter 35: Taking Action: Reimbursement Issues for Nurse Anesthetists: A Continuing Challenge

Step 2: Answer the following questions:

1. Why did you select the chapter?

2. What did you learn about the role of the nurse as an activist?

3. What problems were encountered?

4. Would you have approached the problem differently? If so, how? If not, why not?

5. What did you learn from the chapter about health care delivery and financing?

6. Would you suggest another policy as an outcome? If yes, what would it be? If not, why not? (expand on this using scholarly sources)

NUR4837 Healthcare Policy, Advocacy, and the Political Process

Unit 3 Discussion

Topic 1:

Purpose: To provide students with the opportunity to explore the interface of political influence and a major health issue using tobacco use as a paradigm.

Instructions: Students are to complete the following steps including answering questions:

1. Trace the history of smoking and its effect on health (locate an article from a nursing journal on the hazards of smoking).

2. Who were the stakeholders in opposition to smoking?

3. Who were the lobbyists in favor of a hands-off approach?

4. What is the current use of tobacco products (e.g., smokeless tobacco)?

5. What is the current research on the use of these products?

6. What are the policy implications?

Topic 2:

Purpose: To provide the opportunity for students to compare and contrast the roles, scope of practice and perspectives of nurse practitioners and physicians and suggest a policy intervention

Instructions: Students are to complete the following steps including answering questions:

1. Select a specialty (e.g., family practice, pediatrics). Define the roles you will be addressing: physician and nurse practitioner.

2. Determine who regulates the scope of practice for the physician and the NP.

3. Summarize the scope of practice including the level of autonomy for each.

4. What are the barriers to practice?

5. What policy change would you suggest?

Topic 3:

Purpose: To provide the opportunity for you to select an area of personal interest in policy and politics in research and nursing science

Instructions: Re-read the following Chapter 49 & 50: Taking Action: Truth or Dare: One Nurse’s Political Campaign; Ch 50: Political Appointments

1. Why would a nurse want to seek an appointed position in government?

2. How would one prepare for consideration to an appointed position?

3. What problems are generally/can be encountered?

4. What topic are you passionate enough about to stand up for and identify a need for policy change? Expand on this.

5. Give an example through a library/internet search of how a nurse has affected public policy through an appointed position. (identify & expand on the policy)

Topic 4:

Purpose: To provide the opportunity for you to select an area of personal interest in policy and politics in research and nursing science

Instructions: Re-read Chapter 54: Nursing Licensure & Regulation ~ Exploring the role of the Board of Nursing

We know that the board of Nursing investigates complaints/charges of gross negligence and unsafe practice, but did you know that failure to repay student loans, failure to pay child support, DUI, or failure to file or pay taxes are also considered professional misconduct and can result in disciplinary action?

1. Review the issue of professional discipline related to the charges of substance abuse.

2. What is an “Alternative-to-discipline (ATD) program” (Hint: see https://www.ncsbn.org/672.htm (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. website) Have these been found to be effective?

3. Identify the ATD available in the state of Florida.

4. What policy(ies) do you believe should be put into place related to substance abuse & nurses to protect patient safety?

5. Do you believe, based on your readings, that the BON is effective in improving nursing practice? Why or why not?

NUR4837 Healthcare Policy, Advocacy, and the Political Process

Unit 4 Discussion

For this assignment and based on your readings, we have LOTS of topic options ~ find ONE that you are passionate about, and RESPOND to TWO different topics. REMEMBER: Keep your sources scholarly, your opinion statements civil & professional, BUT PLEASE: DISCUSS!!

Option 1: IF you are a debater, this option is for you!

Choose ONE of the following topics and conduct the research & topic development, and present one position of the topic up for debate ~ some of these are state-specific. If so, please identify the State of choice (the default is Florida). Peers can respond to address the OTHER side with their won research and development).

Topic 1: Should multiple access points to the profession be allowed for entry into practice?

Topic 2: Do reduced nurse-patient ratios improve patient care?

Topic 3: Should nurses unionize?

Option 2: If you want to explore global nursing ~ Option 2 or 3 may be for you!

Interview a nurse/ nurse recruiter from a clinical site where foreign-born nurses were either recruited in the past (within the last 10 years) or are currently being recruited:

1. What is the institution’s policy on the recruitment of foreign-trained nurses?

2. If the institution does not currently engage in foreign recruitment of nurses, why not?

3. From what countries are/were the nurses recruited and why?

4. How are/were credentials verified?

5. What programs are/were in place to facilitate transition of these nurses into the United States workplace?

6. Are/were programs on cultural competence incorporated into the orientation phase? Describe the audience for the programs.

7. What impact did the recruitment of nurses have on the nurse-to-patient staff ratio?

What is YOUR position on recruiting foreign-trained nurses to address the nursing shortage?

Option 3:

Research one of the countries from which the nurses were/are recruited.

Is it a developing or industrialized nation?

What is the health care system like in that country?

What are the major health problems?

What is the educational system for nurses?

Is the country experiencing a nursing shortage?

What is YOUR position on recruiting foreign-trained nurses to address the nursing shortage?

Option 4: If you’ve been working for some time and want to address the nursing culture in the workplace, this one may be for you!

This is an option that actually is evolving in the workplace and deserves some attention. Sexism, work place bullying, and sexual harassment were once something as nurses, we were expected to tolerate ~ It was “part of the job”. Trust me, I can speak to this ~ However, times have changed. So let’s brainstorm!

Based on your personal experiences, respond to these questions, then look at the literature and see what is being done, what is being said on a national and international level! (I recognize these questions are broad ~ speak to them from your perspective. There is no “right” perspective ~ when you read to question, what comes to mind? I would challenge you to start this discussion with co-workers ~ it’s time to start talking about it!)

1. What constitutes a workplace culture of safety?

2. How do you recognize workplace abuse?

3. What policies, based on your opinion AND your research, what should be done to prevent workplace abuse? Where do we start?

NUR4837 Healthcare Policy, Advocacy, and the Political Process

Unit 5 Discussion

Choose ONE profession organization to expand on. Use the internet as your primary source as most of these organizations will have up-to-date websites. No additional scholarly resources are required this week, but as always, they are welcome!

Some ideas, but certainly not a comprehensive list: AACN, CCNE, ANA, WOCN, American Psychiatric Nurses Association, Emergency Nurses, Assoc., Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses, AORN, etc.

focus on the theme “Which organization would I join and why”? and then complete the following:

Select a nursing organization & explore its history

Mission of the organization

Who is eligible to join?

Benefits of membership

Continuing education opportunities

Advocacy efforts

What is the organizational structure?

What is the organization’s purpose, mission statement, bylaws, and policies?

What are the committees/task forces and ways to be involved (volunteer)?

Do they match your professional and personal needs?

Are there opportunities for members to be heard?

Can you attend a local or national meeting to explore potential membership?

Are you able to speak with current members?

What are the products and services?

Would you join the organization? If yes, why? If no, why not?

NUR4837 Healthcare Policy, Advocacy, and the Political Process

Professional Experiential Learning Experience Summary Discussion

As a professional and one training to be a leader, you will have the opportunity to participate in an professional experiential learning event. This experience involves attending a professional nursing organization meeting ~ either in person or digitally. This would include something like a meeting hosted by one of the following organizations: AACN, CCRN, TNCC, Florida Board of Nursing ~ That type of thing. This meeting can be attended in person or on-line (If you choose to go to a virtual meeting ~ please make sure it is no older than 90 days, and please make sure to include a working URL).

You’ll have the opportunity to share your experience with your peers. Please include your observations of the meeting, decisions from the meeting, & implications it could have within the scope of application. Address whether or not you feel this organization is impacting the target population.

NUR4837 Healthcare Policy, Advocacy, and the Political Process

Civic Experiential Learning Experience Summary Discussion – Group 2

Currently, many health initiatives are being implemented at the community level. Because of this, the civic experiential learning activity allows you the opportunity to attend a governmental based meeting that affects health of that community from the perspective of a local, state, regional or national agency ~ of course I would love it to be nursing based, but your area of interest is what is important here, not mine. (Again, this can be done online!)

Examples of this would be something like a city council meeting, or a state/national legislature meeting. Submit a formal report on the proceedings to include the observations of the meeting and possible impacts on the health of the associated community.

As with the professional experiential learning, you can attend the meeting virtually. Just access your community’s online archives to see if they have a recorded meeting that interests you ~ Just make sure that it is no older than 90 days. A corresponding working URL must be included in the post.

NUR4837 Healthcare Policy, Advocacy, and the Political Process

Mandatory Check-in: Engagement & Political Voice Survey

By now we all know each other so instead of having a typical ‘introduce yourself’ discussion–we are going to get to know each other in a different way! There are 2 parts to this posting: Answer the 4 opinion-based questions and complete the survey.

1. Answer the following questions and complete the survey below:

1. Do you consider yourself to be politically active? Why or why not?

2. Do you feel that you are knowledgeable of the political process?

3. Should nurses be politically active? Why or why not?

4. How can nurses make a difference in the health of their patients and the public by shaping policy?

2. Please also copy and paste the below survey (with answers) into your mandatory check-in posting:

Engagement and Political Voice Survey

Answer the below questions with Never, Sometimes, or Always:

I work to solve community problems_________

I volunteer regularly for an environmental group _________

I volunteer regularly for a civic or community organization_________

I volunteer regularly for any other organization_________

I belong or donated money to any group or organization_________

Besides donating money, I help raise money for charitable causes_________

I have registered to vote Yes/No

I vote in elections (regular voting)_________

I volunteer for a political campaign or candidate_________

I encourage others to vote_________

I wear a campaign button or have a sticker on my vehicle_________

I volunteer for a candidate, work or contribute money to a political party, or an organization that supports candidates_________

I contacted/visit public officials_________

I contact a newspaper or magazine_________

I contact a radio or television news show_________

I protest_________

I sign an e-mail petition_________

I sign a written petition_________

I boycott companies_________

I buy something to support the values of a company_________

NUR4837 Healthcare Policy, Advocacy, and the Political Process

Topic Approval Midterm Discussion: Current Political Issues Challenging Nurses and Nursing in the Workplace – Group 2

The art of progress is to preserve order amid change, and to preserve change amid order.”

Ladies and gentlemen ~

Let’s look a bit closer at some of the “hot topics” for nurses in the workplace and the workforce as these areas are facing some significant changes in the near future ~ the need for change in these areas are being driven by the patient outcomes and financial impact. Many of us are resistant to change because we don’t know what it may bring ~ but things are changing ~ So, let’s embrace it! However, let’s look at some strategies to bring about change in an orderly fashion in the workplace.

We will be reading a bit more about innovations to address areas facing changes as the semester goes on . Some of these include the emergence of new models of care such as telemonitoring/telehealth, and the emerging role of the advance practice nurse. Additional topics are violence in the workplace and staffing ratios are being discussed at every level.

Your midterm assignment will be looking at a the implications of policy and politics in the workplace from the perspective of a budding nurse activist regarding ONE of the following issues:

Intersection of technology and healthcare ~ implications to policy & practice (ch. 71)

Advocating for Nurses Injured in the Workplace (ch. 65)

Increasing the numbers of Advance Practice Nurses (ch. 66)

Influencing the Workplace by Serving on a Hospital’s Board of Directors (ch. 57)

Financial pressures/Value-driven healthcare and the implications to the nurse (ch. 56,58,63)

Initiative directed at retaining the current nursing workforce/Nursing workforce development programs

Nursing staffing ratio debate (ch. 62)

Implications to the community’s health and the role of the nurse in rural health care (ch. 61)

You will be speaking from the perspective of the nurse’s role in addressing the issue:

1. Clearly identify why this is a hot topic

2. After researching the issue, what have you identified as a possible solution to this issue? Please support your choice with quality, peer reviewed references.

3. How would you suggest that the issue be addressed? What legislation should be passed/ is being proposed to address this? This can be on at the institutional level, the local level, the regional/state level, or at the national level (Use the guidance given in Chapter 64: Collective strategies for change in the workplace.)

4. What do you see as the primary obstacles in implementing your proposed strategy to address the issue?

5. How would you measure success of your implementation strategy? (Include key players and timeline)

This should be no longer than a 3 page proposal ~ it does not need to meet APA formatting requirements in layout, however it does have to have at least 3 peer reviewed journal references that are < than 3 yrs old. These references should be identified in APA format with corresponding in-text citations (but you're old pros at this!) NUR4837 Healthcare Policy, Advocacy, and the Political Process Unit 2 Assignment 1 Influencing policy at the community level Sphere of influence: The Community Choose one of the two options to explore how to impact one's community. Have fun with this ~ Be creative! Explore the literature and support your ideas with scholarly sources/supporting literature. This should be a 1-2 page paper with at least 2 references that support your ideas. CHOICE 1: You are completing a clinical rotation in a small community agency that provides services to pregnant women or women with children under the age of 3 in an urban area of the southern United States. The racial composition of the community is 78.1% white, 9.6 % African American, 8.0% Hispanic, 0.3% American Indian/Alaska Native, 2.0% Asian, and 2.0% other. In 2009, 110,800 women of child-bearing age resided in the county with 5,300 total births. Recently you and your fellow students learned that current statistics for the county reveal that from 2016 to 2018, the infant mortality (number of deaths per 1000 live births) rate was 8.2%; an increase from 6.5% in 2005-2007. For African Americans, the rates were 10.0% in 2015 to 2017 and increased to 14.4% in 2016 to 2018. The local Healthy Start agency confirms that these data are accurate for the community. In fact, based on a review of deaths by the coroner, in the last year, the major causes of neonatal and infant demise were low birth weight, babies sleeping in bed with an adult (roll over/unintentional deaths), and SIDS. Task: You and your peers decide to take action. With the assistance of the staff from the agency and your nursing faculty, you decide to develop a community awareness campaign. 1. Name your campaign. 2. Identify community partners to help with your campaign. 3. Identify the stakeholders. 4. Name the resources you will need. 5. Establish a task list. 6. Assign responsibilities. 7. Define a timeline. 8. Describe an evaluation process ( you may want to review some ways healthcare organizations evaluate implementing change). You will be evaluated on: 1. Your ability to creatively engage the interest of the community by the name of the campaign………………………………………........…..10 pts 2. Your understanding of the community partners and stakeholders needed to ensure success of your cause ……………………..........30 pts 3. Your ability to cite the extent of the resources needed and the time frame to develop the community awareness campaign.....20 pts 4. Your knowledge of the steps involved in evaluating the success of your campaign or what is needed to improve in the future..40 pts CHOICE 2: Task: You are going to design a health system that addresses a specific health care problem and implements a significant component of Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). (For this assignment, you may incorporate Box 13-2, “Six Drivers of High Performance Health Care Systems” into your responses.) 1. Choose a health care problem. 2. Choose a community, or select an age group most impacted by the problem. 3. Design a Medical Home (Health Home) for patients identified in #2. 4. Who is the current primary care provider and why? 5. Who is the primary care provider in your Medical Home (Health Home) and why? 6. What specialists currently are needed, and what is the accessibility? 7. How will specialists be handled in your Medical Home (Health Home)? 8. How is access to medical information currently handled? 9. How will you ensure that clients have easy access to medical information in your Medical Home (Health Home)? 10. How will you inform the community about your Medical Home (Health Home)? 11. Who are the stakeholders you need to get on board? 12. What opposition do you project will occur with the opening of the Medical Home (Health Home)? You will be evaluated on: 1. Your choice/development of a health care problem……………………………….......……...........................................20 pts 2. Your ability to choose a community or select an age group most impacted by the problem………….…..20 pts 3. Your creativity to design a Medical Home (Health Home) for pts identified in #2 & to determine the following: ...40 pts • The current primary care provider and why you identified that person • The primary care provider you select for Medical Home (Health Home) and why • The specialists currently needed and the accessibility to the specialists • How the specialists will be handled in your Medical Home (Health Home) • How the access to medical information is currently handled • How you will ensure that clients have easy access to medical information in your Medical Home (Health Home) 4. Your ability to engage the community by determining the following: ......................................... 40 points • How you will inform the community about your Medical Home (Health Home) • The stakeholders you need to get on board • The opposition you project to opening the Medical Home (Health Home) NUR4837 Healthcare Policy, Advocacy, and the Political Process Unit 2 Assignment Midterm Assignment Let's look a bit closer at some of the "hot topics" for nurses in the workplace and the workforce as these areas are facing some significant changes in the near future ~ the need for change in these areas are being driven by the patient outcomes and financial impact. Many of us are resistant to change because we don't know what it may bring ~ but things are changing ~ So, let's embrace it! However, let's look at some strategies to bring about change in an orderly fashion in the workplace. We will be reading a bit more about innovations to address areas facing changes as the semester goes on . Some of these include the emergence of new models of care such as telemonitoring/telehealth, and the emerging role of the advance practice nurse. Additional topics are violence in the workplace and staffing ratios are being discussed at every level. Your midterm assignment will be looking at a the implications of policy and politics in the workplace from the perspective of a budding nurse activist regarding ONE of the following issues: Intersection of technology and healthcare ~ implications to policy & practice (ch. 71) Advocating for Nurses Injured in the Workplace (ch. 65) Increasing the numbers of Advance Practice Nurses (ch. 66) Influencing the Workplace by Serving on a Hospital’s Board of Directors (ch. 57) Financial pressures/Value-driven healthcare and the implications to the nurse (ch. 56,58,63) Initiative directed at retaining the current nursing workforce/Nursing workforce development programs Nursing staffing ratio debate (ch. 62) Implications to the community's health and the role of the nurse in rural health care (ch. 61) You will be speaking from the perspective of the nurse's role in addressing the issue: 1. Clearly identify why this is a hot topic 2. After researching the issue, what have you identified as a potential solution to this issue? Please support your choice with quality, peer reviewed references. 3. How would you suggest that the potential solution be implemented? What legislation should be passed/ is being proposed to address this? This can be on at the institutional level, the local level, the regional/state level, or at the national level (Use the guidance given in Chapter 64: Collective strategies for change in the workplace.) 4. What do you see as the primary obstacles in implementing your proposed strategy to address the issue? 5. How would you measure success of your implementation strategy? (Include key players and timeline) This should be no longer than a 3 page proposal ~ it does not need to meet APA formatting requirements in layout, however it does have to have at least 3 peer reviewed journal references that are < than 3 yrs old. These references should be identified in APA format with corresponding in-text citations (but you're old pros at this!) NUR4837 Healthcare Policy, Advocacy, and the Political Process Unit Assignment 3 Health care reform Assignment 3: Exploring Health Care Reform The idea of "insurance for all" resulted in healthcare reform. You'll have an opportunity to review in a small way what this reform entails and the implications of signing up for insurance through the "market place" ~ Choose a state, but understand the implication of reform can be different from state to state! The other side of the coin is what is going on in the current administration ~ In June, President Trump signed an executive order to make health costs more transparent~ I have included reviews from CBS news and Keiser News ~ they don't necessarily see eye to eye on this issue... President Trump signed an executive order Monday requiring the cost of health care procedures to be published before patients receive the services, a sweeping overhaul of the health care industry, if implemented. Take a look at Keiser News and tell us what you think: https://khn.org/morning-breakout/proposal-to-force-insurers-hospitals-to-disclose-secretly-negotiated-prices-stirs-such-vocal-opposition-it-may-get-dropped/ (Links to an external site.)Link (Links to an external site.) Access the Website http://www.healthcare.org/ and (Links to an external site.)select the state in which they will reside and seek employment. Based on these sites, answer the following questions: 1. What does the Website reveal about health insurance in the state? 2. What is listed about general health statistics of population in the state? 3. What is the state’s health ranking? 4. Does the ranking have any correlation to health insurance? 5. What are the health highlights? 6. What health statistics surprise you? 7. Would you be able to access a health insurance price quote? If yes, what guidelines are provided? If not, why not? 8. List the state legislator(s) that sit(s) on the health committee. 9. What is the state’s position on health care reform? What is/was the support for reform? Is the debate ongoing? 10. What do you anticipate will be the influence of health care reform on your practice in this state? Give your overall opinion of what you have researched. NUR4837 Healthcare Policy, Advocacy, and the Political Process Unit 4 Assignment Final Assignment Emerging Infectious Diseases Please select an emerging infectious disease that is of concern in your community and answer the following questions in a scholarly paper: 1. Name the disease, its cause, and how it is transmitted -include citation that supports information 2. What is the surveillance process and reporting mechanism? -include citation that supports information 3. Are all areas of the community equally at risk? -include citation that supports information 4. What are the public health policies pertaining to the disease? -include citation that supports information 5. How is the community involved in prevention, marketing information, and teaching? -include citation that supports information 6. If you were employed in an acute care setting, what are the implications for practice? -include citation that supports information 7. What changes would you suggest in public health policy or procedure to address the issue?- -include citation that supports information This scholarly paper should include: The paper format should be approx. 3-5 pages (not incl. title page, reference list), APA 6th Ed. formatted Include at least three scholarly sources, no older than 4 yrs. (at least one needs to be a peer reviewed journal) Prepare a reference list of all resources and websites used in your research using APA 6th ed guidelines (please note: IF you include them in your reference list, you must cite the source in your paper) ~ No abstract needed Limit of 1-2 direct quotations per paper Citations should be a paraphrase of of the information with a properly formatted citation at the end example: (Steury, 2019). If you copy and paste text without quotations and a proper citation it is considered plagiarism I will not look at your paper if your TurnItIn report is above 30% (if your report is above 30% fix it before the due date and resubmit it)