30 Jan Submit documentation of

NR551 Healthcare Systems, Politics, and Policy

Week 7 Assignment

Letter to Legislator or Policy Decision Maker

The Letter to Legislator or Policy Decision Maker assignment is due by Sunday, 11:59 p.m. MT at the end of Week 7.

For this assignment, identify a healthcare policy of interest and research the policy to determine your stand on the issue. You will be advocating for the policy in the form of a letter to be either mailed or e-mailed to a policy decision maker. Policy decision makers may be at the institutional level or at the city, county, state, or federal legislative level. The policy analyzed for Week 5 may be used for this assignment. Additionally, the Library NR 551 LibGuide (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. is an excellent resource for your research.

Purpose

The purpose of this assignment is to: a) identify a healthcare policy to engage in public advocacy for, b) identify healthcare policy decision maker or legislator with which to correspond regarding the identified policy, c) write a professional letter to healthcare policy decision maker or legislator advocating for identified healthcare policy, and d) present ideas in a clear, succinct and scholarly manner.

Course Outcomes

This assignment enables the student to meet the following course outcomes:

(CO#5) Evaluate the relationships among nursing, health, and public policy development within historical and current contexts (PO 1-5)

(CO#6) Demonstrate effective communication with sources of healthcare policy (public, private, voluntary organization) (PO 1-5)

Due Date

Submit to the Dropbox by Sunday 11:59 p.m. MT at the end of Week 7.

Students are given the opportunity to request an extension on assignments for emergent situations. Supporting documentation must be submitted to the assigned faculty. If the student’s request is not approved, the assignment is graded and a late penalty is applied as follows:

Monday = 10% of total possible point reduction

Tuesday = 20% of total possible point reduction

Wednesday = 30% of total possible point reduction

If the student’s request is approved, the student will be informed of the revised due date. Should the student fail to meet the revised due date, the assignment is graded and a late penalty is applied as follows:

Monday = 10% of total possible point reduction

Tuesday = 20% of total possible point reduction

Wednesday = 30% of total possible point reduction

Total Points Possible 200

Requirements

Assignment Criteria for the Letter:

Search current healthcare policy/law initiatives involving nursing and choose an initiative to advocate for. This may be a local, state, or federal level policy and may be the same policy analyzed in Week 5.

Determine your position on the policy.

Identify the policy decision maker or legislator to correspond with regarding the policy. If the policy decision maker is a legislator identify the legislator of whom you are a constituent.

Prepare a professional letter advocating for the policy.

Follow tips/guidelines presented in lecture/lesson for Week 7. A sample letter from a professional organization may be utilized, but must be personalized according to the guidelines presented in Week 7 lecture/lesson.

Letter should be no longer than 1 to 2 pages in length.

Submit documentation of utilization of a minimum of two scholarly references excluding the course text. Citations and references are to be included in the actual letter to the policy maker or legislator to show evidentiary support.

Rules of grammar, spelling, word usage, and punctuation are consistent with formal written work.

Preparing the Letter

Letter should be no longer than 1 to 2 pages in length. Include a minimum of two current references published within the past 5 years, not including your textbook. References may include scholarly websites of organizations or government agencies and must be presented using APA 6th edition format for electronic media.