The primary mandate of nursing practitioners is to deliver healthcare. To execute this mandate, nurses often work with other practitioners to provide patients with appropriate treatment. However, it should be understood that the obligations of nurses are broader. In addition to providing treatment, nurses are also expected to participate in politics. There is a broad spectrum of political initiatives that nurses can either initiate or support. These initiatives range from such simple steps as taking part in elections and advocating for patients to more complex and demanding approaches like running for elected office (Mason et al., 2016). Despite the fact that nurses understand the importance of politics, many either refuse or fail to participate. This failure can be blamed on limited political competencies.
In order to participate in the various activities in the political spectrum, nurses need a variety of essential skills and competencies. They include collaboration, communication, conflict resolution and leadership. I possess some of these skills but I understand that I am not adequately prepared for the demands of politics. It is for this reason that I have developed a framework through which I will develop the competencies that I currently lack. Among the plans that I intend to pursue include harnessing the connections that I have established with my peers to enhance by communication, conflict resolution and communication competencies. I am convinced that by interacting with my colleagues, I will gain critical insights and expand my perspective. Participating in formal training and education programs is yet another plan that I intend to implement. I feel that through the programs, I will acquire knowledge that I can use to better understand how politics and nursing interact. In collaboration with the World Health Organization, the Pan American Health Organization holds regular seminars through which it addresses various issues related to competency in nursing. These seminars are among the programs that I wish to be part of in my quest for enhanced political competency. Another strategy that I will adopt involves taking part in initiatives designed to improve healthcare. For instance, I understand that there are numerous online tools that enable users to create and support petitions. Using these tools, I will support and spearhead petitions whose goals are to push policymakers and elected leaders to develop policies which enhance human health and nursing practice. Change.org and iPetitions are some of the online tools that I intend to employ as I try to make contributions to the profession.
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I understand that in order for plans to be implemented successfully, I need to develop a timeline. The timeline needs to stipulate the milestones that I wish to accomplish and the time-bounds that will guide the implementation process. I plan to either launch or support a petition calling for the imposition of limits on nurse working hours within the next 12 months. I believe that this goal is indeed realistic and attainable. Regarding formal training, I will participate in the seminars mentioned above within three months following my graduation.
References
Mason, D. J., Gardner, D. B., Outlaw, F. H., & O’Grady, E. T. (2016). Policy & politics in nursing and health care. 7 th Edition. Amsterdam: Elsevier.
