policy making process

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An important part of the policy making process, as discussed last week, is review of the policy being presented.  Policy review consists of those supporting the policy bringing it to the attention of policy makers and explaining the need for this policy.  Registered nurses (RN) and advanced practice registered nurses (APRN) have a unique role in policy review due to their expertise in the field and education.  One way that RNs and APRNs can get involved in policy review is by joining a professional nurse association.  The American Nurse Association (ANA) is known for their policy advocacy in the healthcare workplace and integrity of the nursing role (Catallo et al., 2014).  A nurse may join this organization with the intent of being involved in the policy making process and policy review.  It may be difficult for a nurse to get involved with a professional organization on top of an already full work schedule and possible work burnout (University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences, 2020).

Another way that RNs and APRNs can be involved in policy review is to be involved in different policy review committees at their workplace.  A quality assurance committee is utilized in hospitals to ensure that the policies put into place give the best patient care.  With high turnover rates and short staffing, it can be limited with committees because there may not always be the same staff members to keep up with their committee commitments (Department of Health and Human Services, 2003).