Political Competency Development in Nursing

Political Competency Development in Nursing
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Political Competency Development
Introduction
While the enormity of disparities in healthcare equity, especially among socially and economically disadvantaged populations, may appear daunting, DNP graduates possess the education and experience to make changes at the institutional and societal levels. Besides their understanding of evidence-based practice and research, over and above, their leadership skills and clinical familiarity, DNP graduates can help bridge existing healthcare inequalities by partaking in activities that shape healthcare policy and patient advocacy. The political competency development plan presents DNP graduates with the opportunity to reflect on and transfer knowledge and skills acquired through professional nursing experience, life experiences and knowledge of evidence-based practices, and clinical research to improve health outcomes. The purpose of this essay is to examine the significance of nursing expertise and advocacy in addressing healthcare inequalities and the specifics of the competency development plan.
Nursing Expertise & Health Policy Advocacy
Such social determinants of health as income, availability of healthcare, education, racism, stigma, among others, impact everyone’s opportunity to attain their whole health potential. These social determined circumstances limit specific communities from achieving the same health potential as other populations (Melo et al., 2017). Social determinants of health also impact policy in that they are related to drivers of health and wellness such as the availability of public transportation, affordability of healthy foods and health care, employment opportunities, accessibility to health education, etcetera. Consequently, addressing the social determinants of health-promoting health inequity requires extensive policy interventions ranging from transportation to economic stability to community health education.
Nursing has traditionally taken the bystander role in the development, execution, and evaluation of health policies. This uncritical and neutral position contradicts the profession’s commitment to the people and societies it serves. Involvement in healthcare policy and advocacy is central to the vital roles that all nursing scholars, particularly DNP practice scholars, must assume to fulfill their duties to patients and communities (Williams et al., 2018). Understanding health policy allows DNP graduates to influence policymakers through active involvement on boards, committees, and taskforces and enhance individual and population healthcare delivery and outcomes. DNP scholars can also use their knowledge of health policies to educate communities about how specific health policy proposals will impact health outcomes. On the whole, understanding health policy allows DNP graduates to better advocate for social justice, health equity, and ethical strategies within all healthcare arenas and so fulfill professional duties to patients and communities.
Nursing expertise and advocacy affect the ability of DNP practice scholars to participate in health policy development. Nursing exp...