Nurse Advocacy Research Paper

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Nursing Advocacy
As an Associate in Science in Nursing (ASN) prepared nurse making the transition to a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), the nursing responsibilities for advocacy will increase, as well as the nurse’s role as an advocate. Personal priorities will also change. The nurse’s role as a patient’s advocate will evolve as the nurse move from the ASN to the BSN role. The nurse may face certain challenges when advocating for the patients. It is important for the nurse to take an active role as a political advocate. The nurse can also empower patients along the way.
The Nurse spends a considerable amount of time with their patients. She has been molded into the role of advocating for the patients. Along with skills and knowledge …show more content…

Having a BSN degree helps to heighten critical thinking skills. Lane & Kohlenberg states that the baccalaureate nurse exhibit highly developed skills such as critical thinking, leadership skills, and professionalism are essential to patient satisfaction and overall outcomes (p. 220). Leadership skills will be effective in delegating and managing complex situations as a result improving the quality of care of the patient. The transition from an ASN to RN brings greater responsibility in being a patient’s advocate. The BSN nurse is held at higher standards due to their advance level of education. “The ability to advocate may have a relationship with the level of education and specialized nursing education increased this ability (Hanks, 2010, p. 99)”. The BSN nurse can also contribute to the reduction of health care cost by teaching patients with chronic illnesses preventative measures and at risk behaviors, thus promoting healthy lifestyles and the reducing recurrent hospital visits and …show more content…

Nurses need to speak up about health care policy changes, become politically engaged and active in current events such as elections. “Knowledge about the policy process and active participation in local, state, and national political arenas are necessary for nurses being successful in influencing policy and legislative decisions (Primomo & Bjorling, 2013, p. 1)”. Everyday nurses are faced with the issues regarding patient outcomes, safety and satisfaction plus other workplace issues. If nurses advocate for better working environment changes can come. The role of nurses is advocating for the patients due to their ethics and professional background. Any issue that directly affects the nursing profession comes through the legislative process. Therefore nurses must take a stand and get involved by giving sitting down with legislators and let their voices be heard. “The experiences of many nurses practicing in the real world of healthcare are motivating them to take on some form of an advocacy role in order to influence a change in politics, laws, or regulations that govern the larger health care system (Michigan Nurse, 2014, p.

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