Nursing organizations launch campaign to address safety and health issues

Health care has many issues related to nursing. The partnership of organizations to address nursing issues is necessary. Since there is a large number of working nurses, these organizations must speak out to address these global issues. I agree that nursing issues must be addressed by public knowledge, enhancing nurse education, practice, and advancement, and developing nurse-led health care policy. The development of health care policy is shaped by evidence-based research and practice. The article by Kueny, Shever, Lehan, and Titler (2015), reinforce that nurse managers and other leadership influences support the promotion of evidence-based practice. The implementation of evidence-based practice is crucial for high-quality patient care. Evidence-based practice allows the nurse more freedom to make complex health care decisions to create the best high-quality care for the patient (Kueny et al., 2015). Change in practice or policy is not an easy task. Change requires strength in the evidence, practice environment, and method. For nurses to feel comfortable with change using evidence-based practice, three supported factors are needed: supportive leadership, an empowering workplace culture, and measurement of evidence-based practice (Kueny et al., 2015). More support is needed for the gathering of nursing organizations to address global nursing issues. These issues affect nurses, the public, and the patient. Nurses must come together and implement the change of nursing policy to be successful in addressing these crucial issues. Reference Kueny, A., Shever, L. L., Lehan Mackin, M., & Titler, M. G. (2015). Facilitating the implementation of evidence-based practice through contextual support and nursing leadership. Journal of healthcare leadership. 7, 29–39. doi:10.2147/JHL.S45077

The healthcare industry has changed throughout the years and is requiring advanced degrees, mandatory overtime, and work in conditions that are sometimes not safe. Wisconsin recently has been a victim of violence at one of our local hospitals. A Nurse Practitioner was found bleeding, trapped under her car, and barely alive. Unfortunately, she lost her life and investigators ruled it a homicide. As a nursing student, I want to place the importance of the education and skills that need to be taught not only at the academic level, but in our local hospitals, clinics, and other health care organizations regarding our safety and rights against violence. Currently, I am a Nurse Intern are there are several skills that I have been taught from the head of our Security Department to protect myself against being kicked, punched, stabbed or hit. He is a retired law enforcement officer that stated, "health care workers are more at risk than police officers". Initially, his statement didn't make sense until he explained that police officers are trained to protect themselves are expecting negative reactions from perpetrators. In contrast, nurses are not expecting or armed to protect against a patient grabbing our stethoscopes and choking us while listening to their heart. All health care providers need to participate in supporting legislation that is compiling information regarding violence and developing programs to reduce the risk of potential harm or death. Many organizations that are driven by profit and have a management team that strives for patient satisfaction is resulting in nurses that fail to report incidence of violence. I personally believe nurses should not be harassed, bullied, or coerced into underreporting acts of violence because there is a nursing code of ethics that states we will refrain from any types of those same acts when caring for our patients. All nurses need to collaborate and become interactive with policy makers and government regulatory agencies regarding this issue of increased work place violence because one day, it may just save a life! Thank you.

Nursing is an ever-changing field that has made significant advances in the last several decades. With the ever-growing respect of this role we are now positioned to make great changes however, assuring the safety or nursing staff as well as addressing nursing shortages is key to this role really making effective change. Advances in both education and responsibility have helped in positioning nurses to assist in healthcare transformation in a powerful way. Nurses continue to have the most contact and influential ability on the patients served making them a key component in the improvement of quality and safety. Having the ability to be a major player in shaping these changes, nurses must understand the factors driving the change, the mandates for practice change, and the competencies (knowledge, skills, and attitudes) necessary to achieve both personal and systemwide success. Nurses are already poised to assume these roles in advancing health, improving care, and increasing value but we must improve our way of thinking and practicing. Shifting practice from a focus on episodes of disease to a view of promotion and health improvement across the continuum. We must work to partner with our patients and their families to better understand their social context and barriers as well as engage them in care strategies to meet patient-defined outcomes (Samlond & Echevarria, 2017). Gaining a greater awareness of resources across the continuum and within our own communities is necessary in order to assist patients in obtaining the support needed for maximize their wellness. Outcome tracking is also needed to measure our effectiveness and work on ongoing improvement measures to ensure excellence which will require exquisite teamwork across departments, roles, and responsibilities (Samlond & Echevarria, 2017). I really appreciate and relate to the quote by Salmond (2015) stating that “Nurses can no longer take a back seat—the time has come for nursing, at the heart of patient care, to take the lead in the revolution to making healthcare more patient-centered and quality-driven.” Salmond S. (2015). Nurses leading change: The time is now! In Forrester D. A., editor. (Ed.), Nursing's greatest leaders: A history of activism (Chap. 12). New York, NY: Springer. Salmond, S. W., & Echevarria, M. (2017). Healthcare Transformation and Changing Roles for Nursing. Orthopedic nursing, 36(1), 12–25. https://doi.org/10.1097/NOR.0000000000000308