Communication is a powerful tool in almost every area of life. The need to communicate effectively cannot be overemphasized in the field of nursing especially when it comes to policymaking. On a number of occasions, good policymakers with proposals of innovative policies that could improve situations in the field of nursing have often failed because of being poor communicators. When a good idea is not communicated in a proper way, there is a high chance that it will be misunderstood and rejected. Communication is, therefore, an integral part of policymaking. I was interested in this chapter as I realize that good communication skills are an indispensable part of good policymaking. By going through this chapter, I will most likely become a better policymaker by knowing how to engage people and understand their needs better.

An excellent nurse needs excellent communication skills. A nurse’s ability to communicate and connect with patients and other members of the healthcare community can help build relationships, ensure a high level of care, and prevent mistakes. Today, the nursing profession has an increasing role in developing health policies. This topic helps any nurse to have a comprehensive understanding of how to participate effectively in healthcare policies and politics. A broader understanding of nursing leadership and political activism in complex financial and business matters can be developed when a nurse acquires suitable communication skills. Effective communication in nursing and amongst peers helps to share information and personal perspectives that are necessary for crafting healthcare policy. In my current clinical practice, we have roles as nurses to augment the profession in the area of advocacy, and this means we give suggestions of issues related to the delivery of care. As a nurse, I am an advocate of safe working hours for nurses to avoid burnouts that make nurses less attentive thus causing errors and poor quality of care. This is a policy change that I am actively involved in.

The role of nurses as health policy specialists is becoming more entrenched as part of the practice and profession. Health policy programs are cross-disciplinary programs that prepare students to access policy dimensions of clinical practice issues in the context of the environments they work in and translate these nursing practices into policy issues. This topic has helped me as a student to identify and critically analyze regulations and laws at all levels and they have on the industry of giving care and the nursing profession (Burfeind, 2008). I am also able to develop knowledge in the history of structures and the due process followed in United States policymaking. In the current clinical practice, health care and policy awareness have given a wide spectrum of knowledge on the inner workings of the system of care and how the non-health attributes of healthcare like finances and politics shape and influence levels and quality of care. An understanding of exogenic factors in health is necessary to craft an efficient system that will improve the care industry.

In my future practice, I hope to become an influential policymaker. Public policy is a public action that a policymaker can take at any of the three levels of leadership and administration: federal, state, and local. The actions that constitute and influence policy can be legal actions, legislative changes, or regulatory changes. Initiating and sustaining work in the public policy field includes public discourse on several issues, and this creates demand for a wide range of skills and some attitudes. Before a nurse can become a good advocate for changes in public policy, she should understand the current policies as well as how the health system works. This includes an understanding of the financial incentives related to health care organizations and members.

In conclusion, nursing as a profession is rapidly evolving and nurses are required to keep up with the new changes to ensure that they play a competent role in enforcing improvements that will make the profession better. This topic goes a long way in adding to my academic preparedness in health policy and the interaction between health policy and politics in the nursing profession. As demonstrated, this is an important aspect in preparing nurses to play a critical part and role in enforcing the necessary changes in the care industry.

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