Unleashing the Power of Nurses to Transform Patient Care - Essay Sample

Introduction

Nursing as a profession is given much trust such that patients hugely rely on the expertise as well as competency of the nurses involved. For this reason, nurses are called upon to offer their best selves towards giving quality care to patients; this would end up as the greatest contribution a nurse ever gave not only to patients but also to their employers. Towards achieving the best self, the process will involve tremendous self-growth as well as self-discipline. Self-growth of any worker usually leads to the success of the organization involved (Maxwell, 2018).

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Transforming the Current Healthcare System

Multiple ways exist by which DNP-Prepared nurses can involve or rather engage themselves in the journey of transforming the current healthcare system as well as influence the healthcare policies or rather agenda ("The Role of DNP-Educated Nurses in Advanced Clinical Practice", 2020). Literature review as well as health policy research analysis is done by APRNs at the novice level. The early level or stage is crucial in the development of awareness and knowledge on particular issues involved, thus making this stage more influential in the form of organization, payment, and delivery the healthcare should adopt. From the above stage, nurses start to gain more and more knowledge and comfort towards the process involved such that the DNP-Prepared APRNs are now able to come up with significant contributions towards healthcare policies by involving themselves in a number of practices as discussed below.

Crucial Practices

The first practice has to do with coalition building. This is a crucial and effective approach towards obtainment of legislative as well as regulatory approvals for any organization’s or firm’s policy agenda. The organizations specialized in nursing usually come up with coalitions amongst themselves or they can form coalitions with other healthcare organizations or both. In this case, DNP-Prepared nurses act as leaders of the coalitions, they also organize the work of the coalitions as well as motivate the group to be stronger together while trying to achieve their set goals ("The Role of DNP-Educated Nurses in Advanced Clinical Practice", 2020).

Another crucial practice is the policy intervention. DNP-Prepared nurses are also able to address and engage in policy intervention. The nurses are well equipped with advanced skills and knowledge which make them more prepared, empowered, and informed in supporting healthcare policies aiming for safe, timely, equitable, effective, efficient, and patient centered care. Since expertise is required in the current healthcare system, DNP-Prepared nurses are important at achieving that. Legislative evaluation is another vital practice that DNP-prepared nurses can offer in the current healthcare system. It involves assessment of failure as well as success of legislations through formative evaluation of policy processes in answering questions of such complexity ("The Role of DNP-Educated Nurses in Advanced Clinical Practice", 2020).

The DNP degree is of great impact in a nurse’s career. As it is clear for the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), healthcare policies are used for creation of frameworks that are designed such that there is facilitation of the delivery of services related to healthcare as well as enabling healthcare providers to engage in activities or rather practices that address the needs related to healthcare of people. Nurses involved in development of healthcare policy usually contribute a lot towards creation of healthcare systems that meet the needs of their people or rather the general public; this is regardless of whether the healthcare policies are created through, institutional decision making, organizational standards, or governmental actions ("The Role of DNP-Educated Nurses in Advanced Clinical Practice", 2020).

Increased Autonomy in Health Policy

DNP-Prepared nurses are also front-runners when it comes to matters of discussion on the increased autonomy in health policy for advanced practice, which in turn removes legally-bound barriers preventing nurses from practicing and adopting to their education and training ("The Role of DNP-Educated Nurses in Advanced Clinical Practice", 2020). Master’s-level APRN nursing programs usually prepare students or rather nurses involved towards functioning as effective clinical practitioners. However, most of these level programs do not equip students with knowledge and skills essential in the development of health policy as well as influence in political issues.

Nonetheless, the DNP degree has ended up being the primary source of knowledge and skills for nurses, so education, since it is related to healthcare policy. A good example on the translation of DNP essentials in the current workplace is that of the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties (NONPF), which highlights the following few examples of competencies for the graduates in DNP. First is the analysis of legal, social, and ethical factors in the development of healthcare policy in the current workplace. Second is the evaluation of globalization based on the healthcare policy development. Then third and final (in this case) is the influencing of healthcare policy ("The Role of DNP-Educated Nurses in Advanced Clinical Practice", 2020).

DNP degree program offers a space for program content, which is focused on the role of healthcare policy at different stages, from state level, to national level, and then to international level ("The Role of DNP-Educated Nurses in Advanced Clinical Practice", 2020). Also, the ways in which the healthcare policy influences healthcare systems is elaborated in the program content. Many a times, students engaged in DNP degrees incorporate the healthy policy in their projects (scholar) to further their studies. Examples of field experience related to DNP include spending time with administrators, paying visits to elected officials, engaging in communication with national leaders, and also making contacts with community-based action groups. Through involvement in such practices, students are able to work along with their mentors who are more equipped with skills and knowledge concerning the healthcare policy. Also, a large number of students seek out healthcare or faculty leaders who have already been through advanced process of nursing complexity.

Conclsuion

Thus, APRNs who have interests in serving as healthcare policy experts as well as legislative influences, complete policy fellowships after completion of their DNP degree programs. In this case, policy fellowships are crucial in providing opportunities for DNP-Prepared nurses in brief legislation based on healthcare matters, development of proposals, as well as attending of staff hearings, seminars, and conferences. Therefore, DNP programs are focused on providing value-added exposures for nursing students in issues to do with politics as well as other opportunities related to it; the exposure then enables the students to apply the acquired knowledge and skills in their daily routine work since it is related to healthcare policy ("The Role of DNP-Educated Nurses in Advanced Clinical Practice", 2020).

References

Lucci, A. (2019). A Reflection on the Doctorate of Nursing Practice (DNP). Insight: The Journal of the American Society of Ophthalmic Registered Nurses, 44(1), 27–29. Retrieved from
http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ccm&AN=134133893&site=ehost-live

Maxwell, J. (2018). Developing the leader within you. Nashville, TN: HarperCollins.

The Role of DNP-Educated Nurses in Advanced Clinical Practice. Doctorofnursingpracticednp.org. (2020). Retrieved 9 August 2020, from
https://www.doctorofnursingpracticednp.org/the-role-of-dnp-educated-nurses-in-advanced-clinical-practice/.