Post a thoughtful response to at least two (2) other colleagues’ initial postings. Responses to colleagues should be supportive and helpful (examples of an acceptable comment are: “This is interesting – in my practice, we treated or resolved (diagnosis or issue) with (x, y, z meds, theory, management principle) and according to the literature…” and add supportive reference. Avoid comments such as “I agree” or “good comment.”
References:
- Response posts: Minimum of one (1) total reference: one (1) from peer-reviewed or course materials reference per response.
Words Limits
- Response posts: Minimum 200 words excluding references.
Please follow the response part of the attached rubric.
Peer DB1
Advocacy or Lobbying
Nurses have been known for being patient advocates. Nurses are educated on how to advocate for their patients and it is expected to be part of their nursing care. But is there a difference in being a nurse who advocates at the bedside or a nurse who is a political advocate? How do politics and lobbying play a role in nursing? For the purpose of this discussion I will define and discuss the similarities and differences between a lobbyist and an advocate and how they are important. I will then look at the healthcare organization known as The Joint Commission (TJC), and explain how they either lobby or advocate for healthcare and nursing policy.
Nurses are able to assess a patient’s needs and speak on behalf of their patient to make sure those needs are met or refer them to a service that can help. As Hyder & Repka (2019) state, advocacy is all about drawing attention to important issues and influencing policy makers on how to support that issue. Nurses and citizens who participate in advocacy are usually unpaid as they usually work their normal jobs and politically advocate to do the right thing. Nurses are becoming more and more involved in advocacy for healthcare change. Nurses can be vital voices for legislation change and helping to create policies that ensure that their patients have everything available for their healthcare needs. For example, they may voice their concern for timely access and choice to all of the treatments they need, help to address the increasing cost of prescriptions, increase funding for medical research, aid in simplifying physician payment systems, and protect programs for various health services.
It is possible that a nurse could also be a lobbyist? In general, lobbyist try to shape policy and influence the government by gaining the attention of key policymakers and making them aware of and understand the concerns of their citizens (Policy and Politics in Nursing and Health Care, 2015). Lobbying is indeed a form of advocacy but it has its’ differences such as, it can either be paid or unpaid. Lobbying that includes payment or money has been known to have a negative reputation as some lobbyist are able to sway policy makers to do what they want depending on how much money they provide. Typically, professional lobbyists are employed by trade associations, organizations, law firms, companies, public interest groups, and nonprofit agencies. Both advocacy and lobbying can be done by writing letters and emails, calling political member’s offices, making face-to-face visits with lawmakers, writing for a local newspaper, posting a blog, or posting on social media about the significance of a bill or issue can also make a huge impact on policy makers. It is important for nurses to participate in the process.
Professional organizations provide a forum where nurses’ voices can be heard. These organizations are leading innovative healthcare initiatives, and bringing community, local, and state concerns to national and global awareness (Peyerl, 2016). Nurses need to be part of that conversation to create positive change and innovation in both nursing and healthcare. The healthcare organization that I will examine is The Joint Commission (TJC). The purpose of TJC is to regulate the quality and safety of healthcare through advocacy. They provide assistance in improving healthcare through evaluation of healthcare organizations, and increase motivation of practice excellence by providing education and good practice guidelines to healthcare systems by working with the legislative branch of the U.S. Government through congressional offices and MedPAC, the executive branch of the U.S. Government through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Food and Drug Administration, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense, Federal oversight bodies like the Government Accountability Office and Offices of Inspectors General as well as national stakeholder groups and coalitions (TJC, 2014).
In conclusion, both lobbying and advocacy are very similar in that both serve the general public in raising awareness on topics important to policy and lawmakers. They are different in the lobbying usually involves money, fundraising or payments to get their issues brought to light quicker. However they are both equally important as they are the steps that are taken to create real change in healthcare. Nurses can play huge roles in both advocacy and lobbying and it is recommended that most nurses play a role in the politics of their practice. TJC is also a huge advocate in both healthcare and politics. They are there to increase quality and safety for all patients which is essential to continuously evolve healthcare to be the best that it can be for everyone.
Hyder, R., & Repka, M. X. (2019). Why Advocacy Matters. Insight: The Journal of the American Society of Ophthalmic Registered Nurses, 44(1), 4.
Lasater, K. B., Germack, H. D., Small, D. S., & McHugh, M. D. (2019). Hospitals Known for Nursing Excellence Perform Better on Value Based Purchasing Measures. Journal of Nursing Administration, S40–S49. https://doi-org.proxy.library.ohio.edu/10.1177/1527154417698144
Peyerl, C. (2016). Nurse Involvement in Grassroots Organizations Leads to Healthcare Reform. ONS Connect, 31(3), 17.
Policy and Politics in Nursing and Health Care, Elsevier Saunders, 2015, 7th edition
The Joint Commission (TJC). (2014). http://www.jointcommission.org/
Peer DB2
IS THERE A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BEING A LOBBYIST OR ADVOCATE?
In today’s discussion board post I will first, define a lobbyist. Secondly, I will define advocate. Thirdly, I will discuss similarities and differences. Fourthly, I will discuss why they both are important. Fifthly, I will discuss how one of my selected organizations from week one either lobby or advocate for health care policy. According to Mason, Gardner, O’Grady & Outlaw (2016) the purpose of learning ropes of policy, politics and advocacy is to be able to influence health policies.
A lobbyist are people who try to influence legislation, regulation or other government decisions. Majority of the time lobbyist work within a law firm. They work with a law firm because they explain what the organization wants to legislators and are seen as experts by lawmakers. It seems that many of times the lobbyist is hired by the organization or business to persuade legislators to their business or cause.
An advocate is someone who defends another person by speaking up for them, writing or acts in a defensive way. An advocate is usually someone involved within the cause or organization. It is someone who wants their voice to be heard to ensure problems are resolved and that the rights are understood. Advocacy uses activities to influence public policy, laws and budgets by using different sources of media to educate the public and government officials. As a nurse we should all be advocating for our patients. According to Nevidjon (2018), elevating the voice and influence of nursing is the goal of nurses when advocating for coalitions.
One of the organizations that I choose during week one was the The Joint Commission. I think they advocate for the patients, but I think they would be considered nursing lobbyists. I believe they would be nursing lobbyists because they use evidenced-based research to help change the way facilities practice. Therefore, they would be persuading legislators to change the current practice in order to improve the quality of the care individuals are receiving.
In conclusion, lobbyist and Advocate have some similarities and have many differences as stated above. Some of the similarities that I have noticed is that they both have a job to make their voice heard and play a role in public speaking and making others understand the importance of the organization or cause. They both play important roles within the organization because they are the voice of the cause or organization. They are the ones who make the rest of the world understand the purpose for the organization. Without people like lobbyist and advocators things would be different when came to making voices be heard.
Mason, D. J., Gardner, D. B., O’Grady, E. T., & Outlaw, F. H. (2016). Policy & politics in nursing and health care. St. Louis, Missouri: Elsevier.
Nevidjon, B. (2018). How ONS Is Advocating for Our Patients and Our Profession. ONS Voice, 33(2), 13–15.
