2023 Reply 1 Brown 3 posts Re Topic 4 DQ 2 Nurse advocacy is essential in improving our profession and health

Reply 1

Brown 3 postsRe: Topic 4 DQ 2

Nurse advocacy is essential in improving our profession and health care. This is because nurses can take part in political actions and advocacy to improve practice. One of the issues that nurse advocacy has played a role in the New York state is full practice autonomy for nurse practitioners (NPs). Nurse practitioner autonomy has been granted in several states as the result of nurse advocacy. Despite the fact that some states have granted NPs independent practice, some states such as New York still require nurse practitioners to have collaborative agreements with licensed physicians. New York State is a reduce practice state. One of the legislations that was a result of nurse advocacy is the Nurse Practitioner Modernization Action that was enacted in 2015. The act allows nurses with more than 3,600 practice hours regardless of their specialty (“New York State Assembly | Bill Search and Legislative Information,” n.d.). This has given the NPs in New York to practice autonomously without the need for physician supervision or collaborative agreements. Currently, we have an ongoing bill Senate Bill S8936 that aims at make the Nurse Practitioner Modernization Act (“NPMA”) permanent and eliminating certain administrative obligations that create barriers to accessing healthcare (“NY State Senate bill S8936,” 2020). Nurses need to engage in advocacy initiatives to enhance their profession and welfare. This will eliminating the practice barriers and enhancing the provision of quality and safe care (Poghosyan, Norful, & Laugesen, 2018).

New York State Assembly | Bill Search and Legislative Information. (n.d.). New York State Assembly Assembly Home. https://assembly.state.ny.us/leg/?default_fld=&bn=A04846&term=2013&Summary=Y&Text=Y

NY State Senate bill S8936. (2020, September 9). NY State Senate. https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2019/s8936

Poghosyan, L., Norful, A. A., & Laugesen, M. J. (2018). Removing restrictions on nurse practitioners’ scope of practice in New York State: Physicians’ and nurse practitioners’ perspectives. Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, 30(6), 354-360.

Reply 2

COVID-19. Hospitals were not prepared and one of the issues was the scarcity of PPE. Insufficient PPE meant that nurses and other hospital employees were no adequately protected. According to California Legislative Information (2020), “Existing law requires an employer to furnish employment and a place of employment that is safe and healthful for the employees and to establish, implement, and maintain an effective injury prevention program, as prescribed.”

Bill number 2357 would require that there is not only sufficient PPE, but that it is utilized, and that there is a three-month supply on hand at all times. This bill is a direct result of nurses publicizing insufficient protection, and demanding protection for themselves, their patients, and their families. I am sure that we all experienced the atrocities of not being adequately protected at work over the last year. I worked on three different COVID units at three different hospitals and all but the last did not have enough PPE, yet we were still asked to purchase special respirators out of our own pockets if we were concerned for our safety.  I think it will be easy for administration to forget the crisis and risk they put their personnel at once the worst of this pandemic is over.  For this reason it is vital that nurses continue to advocate, make noise, and remind administrators that we demand protection.  

Bill 2357. (2020). Retrieved from https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201920200AB2537