The contribution to maintaining a high level of healthcare depends not only on caregivers but also on those officials who control this sphere of life and, in many respects, influence current changes for the worse or, the better. An opportunity to influence legislators is the prospect that allows attracting the government representatives to specific healthcare problems and improving the quality of treatment and care. I personally will vote in Elections to achieve the retention of nursing staff for specialists’ better training and promoting the idea of rallying employees in professional associations.
My Personal/Professional Strategies to Increase My Power
Influence on legislators is one of the possibilities of improving the level of medical specialists’ work and their satisfaction with current conditions. According to Abood (2007), “very few policy changes take place without the concerted efforts of many advocates working together to bring about a common goal” (p. 4). As a nurse, I would draw the attention of stakeholders to the issues relating to the policy of retaining staff and encouraging executive success.
Many caregivers donate personal time and energy intentionally to provide adequate help. Therefore, I would offer my colleagues to create a collective group and appeal to the authorities with the request to satisfy some of the requirements related to appropriate incentives.
In order to be ready for such work, I would attract as many employees as possible into a single organization that could make a plan for potentially successful changes by joint efforts. As Abood (2007) notes, “it’s a common mistake to assume nurses lack the power to be effective in the legislative arena” (p. 5). Certainly, I would need more knowledge about existing practices that monitor the work of the nursing staff at the state level.
Therefore, the study of the necessary acts and bills could be part of the preparation for the program to amend the current mode of activities. The involvement of stakeholders would take place both locally in a single clinic and at a broader level, for instance, through cooperation with the representatives of other medical institutions. I would tell my colleagues about my plan for changing the reward policy and would provide possible options for contacting legislators. Such an order of work would certainly be a success and have a response among stakeholders.
State Legislator Information Sheet
Dear Legislator,
I am writing to you with an appeal regarding potential changes in the mode of the nursing staff’s activities, in particular, reviewing personnel policies aimed at ensuring appropriate incentives for the most responsible caregivers. This task lies more on the internal leadership of healthcare institutions; however, it is in the power of officials to influence the maintenance of such a course of activity at the state level. My individual program suggests the following list of potentially successful changes to implement in the near future:
- Monetary incentives may help nurses to improve their working performance. It will have a positive impact on patient outcomes (Aiken et al., 2010).
- Attracting the staff to work in different departments should be accompanied by a retention policy. Appropriate techniques can allow employees to cope with the tasks set more readily, which is beneficial for patients (Kinnaird, 2016).
- A high burnout rate among nurses is fraught with a decrease in performance. Increased motivation will allow for more efficient allocation of responsibilities (Department for Professional Employees [DPE], 2016).
- The timely resolution of the identified problem can contribute to improving the reputation of the healthcare sector among the population. Political representatives decide who can count on help from the state, thereby increasing the level of patient care (Aiken et al., 2010).
- The retention of nurses positively influences the perception of this profession among specialists. The recruitment of employees is successful in meeting identified working conditions (DPE, 2016).
- “Nurse recruitment and retention have long been difficult nationally,” and relevant measures are to be taken (Aiken et al., 2010, p. 917).
- Junior medical employees can prove their qualifications constantly to receive sufficient incentives (Kinnaird, 2016).
References
Abood, S. (2007). Influencing health care in the legislative arena. OJIN: The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 12(1).
Aiken, L. H., Sloane, D. M., Cimiotti, J. P., Clarke, S. P., Flynn, L., Seago, J. A.,… Smith, H. L. (2010). Implications of the California nurse staffing mandate for other states. Health Services Research, 45(4), 904-921. Web.
Department for Professional Employees. (2016). Safe-staffing ratios: Benefiting nurses & patients. Web.
Kinnaird, L. S. (2016). Staffing: A matter of life or death. The Florida Nurse, 64(2), 1, 5.