QUESTION 1: Zoraida – Advocacy is a very significant pillar of nursing. Nurses h

QUESTION 1:
Zoraida – Advocacy is a very significant pillar of nursing. Nurses have a responsibility to advocate for their fellow nurses and their patients, both in their workplaces and in their communities at large. Advocacy at the legislative and political level is also crucial to improve national health care delivery and develop a safe work environment for health workers (Brent, 2018). Nurses’ input contributes significantly to how policy is introduced, interpreted, and finally implemented. In 2018, The Childhood Cancer Survivorship, Treatment, Access, and Research Act of 2018 (S. 292), also referred to as the STAR Act, was signed into law by the President of the United States, Donald Trump on June 5, 2018. The act created new authorities, expanded and upgraded existing ones relating to childhood and adolescent cancer research, testing, tracking, treatment, and survivorship. It was a piece of bipartisan legislation that was introduced by U.S. Senators Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) and Jack Reed (D-RI) with the help of patients, care providers, and the whole cancer community (Stone, 2018).
The legislation helped to fill specific gaps that were prevalent in the treatment of cancer among children and adolescents. Due to the advancements made in cancer treatment, more than eighty percent of children survive more than the projected five years. The enactment of this bill was a step in the right direction; however, additional effort needs to be put to ensure every individual child affected by cancer can access medical treatment. There needs to be legislation that promotes the prevention of this disease and more rigorous ways to manage it.
Brent, N. J. (2018). The American Nurses Association declared 2018 the Year of Advocacy. Advocacy is defined as pleading for or actively supporting a cause or proposal, but what does it mean to nurses and their patients? Nurse.com.
Stone, A. (2018). Key Federal Health Policy Legislation Updates for 2018. ONS Voice.
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QUESTION 2:
Joshua – Nurses are on the front-lines of healthcare and suffer the brunt of the staffing crisis. When nurses suffer, patients suffer and we need to become advocates for both of us. Most hospital systems, focused on greed, never realized they were contributing to the problem by always understaffing. The Nurse Staffing Standards for Hospital Patient Safety and Quality Care Act seeks to create a national law mandating specific patient-to-nurse ratios for each specialty (Nurse Standards for Hospital Patient Safety and Quality Care Act 2021). This bill was introduced by Senator Sherrod Brown and Representative Jan Schakowski in 2021 and still needs the approval of the house and senate. We need to discuss the elephant in the room that is inherent corruption in our legislative process. Our members of congress, who are privy to information we don’t have, are still able to buy and sell individual health care stocks. During the Covid-19 pandemic, nearly 75 members of congress bought shares of Moderna, Pfizer, and Johnson & Johnson, and then later voted on legislation to give these companies billions of dollars (DeChalus, et al., 2021). Can we really trust these people to do the right thing and pass mandatory ratio requirements? Especially if it means less money for them and the companies that endorse them. We need to rid the system of corruption before we can get something like this passed in both chambers of congress.
References,
DeChalus,, C., Leonard, K., Rojas, W., & Hall, M. (2021). As the pandemic raged, at least 75 lawmakers bought and sold stock in companies that make Covid-19 vaccines, treatments, and tests. Business Insider. https://www.businessinsider.com/lawmakers-bought-sold-covid-19-related-stocks-during-pandemic-2021-12.
Nurse Standards for Hospital Patient Safety and Quality Care Act. nationalnursesunited.org. (2021). https://www.nationalnursesunited.org/sites/default/files/nnu/documents/0421_Ratios_Federal_FactSheet.pdf
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QUESTION 3:
Allison – On December 15, 2022, the VA Employee Fairness Act of 2021 introduced by Mark Takano was passed. This act grants full collective bargaining right to nurses and other clinicians in the Veterans Health Administration (“RNs applaud”, 2022). This Act affects nurses in the workforce directly and their ability to advocate freely for patient safety and care. Prior to this law, nurses were restricted the ability to speak out about poor working conditions and resolve issues with management (“RNs applaud”, 2022). This would often result in poor patient care and multiple problems that would go unaddressed. Nurses are one of the main components that affect patient outcomes, and when they are allowed to advocate freely the needs can be met and care can be optimal.
This issue I think has been especially prominent in recent years with the COVID pandemic. Not only were working conditions at their worst for nurses, but many voices were not heard, and nurses burned out fast. I think that organizations must remember their patient outcomes can directly be linked to nursing care, and nursing care can be affected by a plethora of things…. especially working conditions. I am blessed to work for a facility that truly supports their nurses and always allows for us to voice our opinions. I am learning this is not as common across the country and I think we need to continue to advocate for our fellow nurses in need. Helbig (2018) explains how nurses have an immense influence on the world of healthcare which puts us in a position to speak up when things need change!
Helbig, J. (2018) ‘The future of nursing in an evolving health care system. In Grand Canyon University (Ed.)’ Trends in Health Care: A Nursing Perspective. https://lc.gcumedia.com/nrs440vn/trends-in-health-care-a-nursing-perspective/v1.1/#/chapter/4
H.R.1948 – 117th Congress (2021-2022): VA employee fairness act of 2021 … Congress.gov. (n.d.). https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/1948?s=1&r=54&q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22department+of+veterans+affairs%22%5D%7D
RNs applaud as momentum grows to pass the VA employee Fairness Act. National Nurses United. (2022, September 26). https://www.nationalnursesunited.org/press/rns-applaud-momentum-to-pass-va-employee-fairness-act
For your colleague replies: 1 citation per question. For a total of 3 citations.
Word count is greater than 75 words or at least 5 sentences in length.
Two replies on three different days for a total of six responses per week for full participation points. This is in addition to your DQ replies.
Each colleague response must have a minimum of 1 reference with citations (the best is a peer-reviewed article).
A peer (colleague) response must be substantive by bringing information to the discussion or further enhance the discussion. Responses such as “I agree” or “Great post” do not reflect this requirement.