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My Personal/Professional Strategies to Increase My Power
Borrowing from Abood’s article as a reference, I would use various strategies as a nurse to persuade a busy legislator. First, I will use briefs and meetings with the legislators to influence their decisions. Through these briefs, I will be well placed to present facts of the proposed legislation (Abood, 2007). In a brief, I will consider having discussions when the legislator is not busy, find the most appropriate location, and organize the information to be present to them. I would also ensure that I send them prior information in a manageable length as a summary of the meeting (Abood, 2007). Secondly, I would also adopt the best communication mechanisms that suit the legislator. For example, I would use letters that clearly state my objective, outline why the legislator should support my idea, attest to their ability in the issue, address the concerns in a concise and respectful way (Abood, 2007). This would be boosted by my expert power as I am well conversant with the exiting gas and what needs to be adopted as measures.
I would prepare myself through expanding my knowledge in the concept through researching the position of the legislator and the influence they have on the issue in question (Abood, 2007). Through this, I will be more prepared for any questions that may arise during the scheduled meetings. I will also be prepared to solve any disputes that may occur during briefings.
To boost the validity of my strategies, I will involve other nurses through networking so as to act in one voice. I will also engage potential patients (the public) through petitions on the issues raised. I would also mobilize them through campaigns on the issues raised to the legislators.
Legislator Information Sheet
Adequate nurse-to-patient ratios are useful in providing patients with the best medical care as it assures safe and constant provision of care across hospitals throughout the country, specially in California.
- In March 2015, new nurse staffing standards for patient care and quality were established and they focused on improving the nurse-to-patient ratios in all hospitals (AFL-CIO Department for Professional Employees, 2016).
Nurses in Californian hospitals offer care to fewer patients on average as compared to other states. Statistics show that one patient is always left out during general care giving (Aiken, Flynn, Seago, Spetz, & Smith, 2010). Two fewer patients are attended to in medical and surgical units.
Lower numbers of nurses per patients are linked with significantly higher mortality rates.
In the event that nurses’ workloads match with the requirements of California-mandated ratios, nurses’ fatigue and job frustrations will be no characteristic of California’s medical care. Better quality care will then be witnessed in California’s medical institutions.
The hospital nurse vs patient ratios authorized in California are linked with low death rates (Kinnaird, 2016).
Nurse retention in California is also guarantee; hence, the need to improve their working conditions through improving their nurse-patient ratios.
This move will benefit patients/families as minimal levels of nurse burnout will boost their ability to provide quality of patient care (Aiken et al., 2010).
- Abood, S. (2007). Influencing health care in the legislative arena. Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 12(1), 12.
- AFL-CIO Department for Professional Employees. (2016, May). Fact sheet: Safe- staffing ratios: Benefiting nurses & patients. Retrieved from http://dpeaflcio.org/wp- content/uploads/Safe-Staffing-Ratios-2016.pdf
- Clarke, S.P., Flynn, L., Seago, J.A., Spetz, J., & Smith, H. (2010, April 9). Implications of the California nurse staffing mandate for other states. Health Services Research. Retrieved from http://www.nursing.upenn.edu/chopr/Documents/Aiken.2010.CaliforniaStaffingRatios.
- Kinnaird, L.S. (2016). Staffing: A matter of life or death. The Florida Nurse, 64(2), 1,