The Advocacy Through Legislation

Advocacy through Legislation
Student Name
Institutional Affiliation
Advocacy through Legislation
Introduction
Nurses are increasingly becoming aware of the challenges facing the healthcare system in the U.S. The experience nurses have gained in practice in the real world has offered them an opportunity to participate in a form of advocacy so that they can influence the change of policies and regulations for the benefit of the entire healthcare system. Such advocacy dictates that nurses move beyond their practice setting into a less familiar world of policymaking. The move is not usually an easy job since nurses are used to operating in the healthcare setting. This article describes the role of nurses in Texas in advocating for a change in policy to allow nurses to have full practice authority in the state.
Problem
In the state of Texas, nurse practitioners (NP) are not allowed to utilize the full extent of their education and experience (Altman, Butler & Shern, 2016). Texas puts limitations on the ability of NPs to meet the needs of their clients. In most cases, NPs are likely to operate in rural areas compared to physicians. In many states in the U.S., the NPs are meeting the increasing demand for physicians. However, Texas has continued to place limitations on the scope of practice for NPs. For instance, physicians are not allowed to supervise more than four nurses at one time. At the same time, NPs are expected to prescribe strictly under the supervision of a physician. They are also not allowed to prescribe schedule II drugs. Such limitations make it impossible for nurses to meet the needs of their clients.
The idea for Addressing Solution
Legislation has made it challenging for nurses to practice to the full extent of their training and experience. Hence, a change in legislation would be critical in bringing the change needed in Texas. While various ways of advocacy exist, the legislation offers the best approach to addressing the issue. Since it is legislation that has limited the scope of NPs, advocating for the change of the same legislation would be critical.
Research the Issue
IOM’s report on the future of nursing indicates that NPs have the necessary training and can offer a variety of services (Pittman et al., 2015). However, due to restrictions emanating from federal policies, state laws, and institutional practices among other barriers, nurses are unable to offer a variety of services to their clients.
Additionally, the U.S. is experiencing a shortage of healthcare professionals. The aging population in the U.S. is putting more pressure on the healthcare system (McPake & Mahal, 2017). Older adults with chronic diseases need more healthcare services compared to the rest of the population. At the same time, there has been a need for the healthcare system in the U.S. to cater to all individuals. The enactment of the Affordable Care Act has enabled more Americans to access healthcare services. The high demand continues to put more pressure on healthcare professionals, in particular the physicians. Nurses, forming the largest number of healthcare workers need to step in and assist in dealing with the increasing demand for healthcare services. However, legislations are preventing...