[Sharon]

Influencing Policies at Your Workplace – Nurses as Leaders

[Valerie]

Nursing organizations like WeRPN and the RNAO have been in the news a lot over the last several years fighting for nursing rights, better funding for patient care, and access to trained help and support for patients.

I am not closely involved with these organizations with not being in practice and working in education, but I do follow these advocacy attempts closely. The more these organizations are in the news and advocating on behalf of patients and nurses the more aware the public becomes of the wide variety of roles in nursing, and the more of a voice nurses have regardless of where they may be.

Nurses should have a say in policy and procedure regardless what setting they work in. I try to bring a nursing perspective into meetings we have about learning plans for students. All students we work with have either physical or mental health issues that affect their learning and I find too often the medical piece of students lives is left out or ignored and the focus ends up being more on government outlined learning goals for the students age and grade as opposed to being centered on the student and their specific needs.

My goal for each student I work with is for them to achieve as much independence as possible, learn how to be flexible, and learn how to be part of a group. I very much take a stand when these things may be compromised for a student. Education is a large part of a persons overall health and well being. Advocating for students in their education by using the lens of the effects of health on learning can make a difference.

[Author]

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