The Nurse an Advocate

The Nurse as an Advocate Describe What You Believe to be the Drivers for Each of the Individuals?

The will of an individual to become a nurse and participate in patient advocacy activities is influenced by a wide range of factors. These factors, which range from simple to dynamic factors, vary from one person to another. Bethany Hall has highlighted some of the factors that drove her to actively participate in patient advocacy activities. Hall was the first nurse to be elected into the Delaware general assembly. Hall noted that her desire to assist the people started increasing from a tender age. During her childhood, she was involved in volunteer activities in her church and neighborhood organizations.

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Hall also noted that her desire to join politics was most likely drive by her greatgrandfather who served in the Delaware House of Representatives in the 1920s. Hall was also socially motivated through community activities which natured the spirit of assisting those in need. Social motivation created the desire to make positive contributions to public health (Mason et al., 2015). The desire by Marilyn Waugh Bouldin to become an advocate, on the other hand, began during her childhood while taking care of her family members. She was driven by a selfmotivation, interest in meeting new people and accepting the challenge she faced in life. Mason, Leavitt, and Chaffe (2012) pointed out that after being fired due to insubordination, Bouldin did not give up her interests in taking care of the people. The other driving factor for Bouldin is that she is a risk taker. She took the risk to develop an Associate Degree Nursing Program at the local community college after quitting a promising job at a major urban healthcare facility.

Factors that Led Them to Become Advocates A wide range of factors influences the health and the quality of life of the people. These factors vary according to the level at which their impact is felt. The factors that affect the quality of life and the health of the people at the local, community and national levels are believed to drive nurses to become advocates. Hall made it clear that before she joined politics she was actively involved in patient care. Mason et al. (2015) noted that she was serving minority and the vulnerable patient populations at a federal health clinic for the homeless. She has also pointed out that her experience changed her perception toward health policy and public health during the time she worked with the women league of voters and the local government. Her active involvement in veteran activities augmented her desire to become an advocate. She realized that the people she interacted with lacked most of the things they needed. The role she played as a

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public health nurse improved her urge to get into activities that would increase resources available to minority communities and the underserved.

Bouldin, on the other hand, pointed out that her belief that nurses should work as partners with other health care professionals led her to become an advocate. She believed that since nurses have an active role to play in patient care, they should be included in leadership and advocacy activities (Mason et al., 2012).

Discuss the Challenges that Each of them Identified in their Writings Hall and Bouldin have pointed out some of the key obstacles they had to overcome to attain leadership positions. The first challenge identified by Hall was stiff competition from experienced individuals. During her first attempt to run for an elective post she was defeated by a male incumbent. Hall also noted that education, work, and family life balance posed a major challenge to her dreams. As noted by Mason et al. (2015), Hall was unable to properly allocate her time to family and educational activities. As a legislator, one is required to support initiatives that are beneficial to the constituents besides sponsoring relevant bills. The level of commitment to community activities and policy development is far much higher for a legislator that other members of the community. The notion that nurses are usually discriminated against in their quest to be included in the boardroom activities is one of the major challenges identified by Bouldin. Nurses are also held back by the fear of being disappointed by the hospital administration in their attempt to develop collaborations and positive relationships.

Analysis and Comparison of Drivers to Own Experience The belief in oneself appears to be the main driving force for Hall and Bouldin. These professionals were motivated by the belief that despite coming from a humble beginning their potential for growth could not be limited to their social and economic status. They possessed an

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intrinsic desire to take up leadership positions believing they had what it takes for their new roles. It is irrefutable that Hall and Bouldin conducted a comprehensive assessment of the health care system and identified the need to institute novel mechanisms to transform the system. The driving factors and the developmental strategies employed by these professionals are comparable to my life experiences to date as an advocate. For instance, I have participated in numerous advocacy activities to develop health policies that hold the promise of transforming the health system. Social motivation and belief in oneself have been the main drivers of the desire to use advocacy as a tool for transforming the health sector. Social motivation has been propelling my passion for meeting and interacting with new people learning new things and accepted challenges. I have realized that although a myriad of challenges mars the nursing profession, my passion for taking care of the people has never decreased. I have worked with different patient populations including the elderly, the underserved and ethnic minorities. Working with these populations have made it possible to understand their need and interests as well as the changes that can be made in the health sector to serve these populations better. The interaction with experienced individuals has contributed to the success achieved by Bouldin and Hall in their endeavors. I also believe that new skills can be learned through interaction with experienced persons.

Analysis and Comparison of the Challenges to Own Experience Patient advocacy practice is faced by a wide range of challenges which impedes the attainment of the even the least projected outcomes and the role of nurses as advocates. One of the challenges experienced during advocacy is resistance from the stakeholders (Sare & Ogilvie, 2016). Understandably, advocacy involved the development of policies aimed at facilitating system changes. New policies may face resistance if they contradict existing protocol and

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procedures. Furthermore, advocacy may trigger divergent opinions concerning the best interests of different patient populations. The imbalance of power emanating from divergent opinions may turn into the obstacles to policy development if amicable solutions are not found promptly.

Hall and Bouldin identified several challenges that hinder individual progress in the quest for leadership. These challenges are not a preserve of a few individuals but are experienced by all nurses across the continuum. Work-life balance is one of the most challenging issues for many nurses and advocates (Sare & Ogilvie, 2016). These professionals spend a great deal of time developing policies and interacting with healthcare stakeholders thereby leaving limited time for personal issues. Other challenges that impede the professional growth and development of nurses are the fear of taking risks, poor communication and limited support from stakeholders.

Bouldin argued that many nurses fail to influence policy development since they do not communicate effectively with legislators. They also fear to write to their representatives to make known the grievances and positions on critical health care issues.

Expanding Advocacy Skills I believe advocacy skills can be expanded through networking. Strong community networks help to establish platforms through which community-wide health issues can be identified and prioritized. Networking has numerous benefits to advocacy which revolves around identification of the pressing needs of the represented population and supporting initiatives that promote system change and policy development. Active participation in policy development initiatives can also result in the expansion of advocacy skills. Sare and Ogilvie (2016) pointed out that through taking part in advocacy activities, nurses are provided with an opportunity to observe how experienced professionals argue out relevant health issues.

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Mason, D. J., Leavitt, J. K., & Chaffe, M. W. (2012). Policy & politics in nursing and health care (6th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Elsevier/Saunders.

Mason, D., Gardner, D., Leavitt, J., Chaffee, M., & O'Grady, E. (2015). Policy & politics in nursing and health care (7th ed.). St Louis, MO: Elsevier Health Sciences.

Sare, M., & Ogilvie, L. (2016). Strategic planning for nurses: Change management in health care. Sudbury, M.A: Jones & Bartlett.