Patient Advocacy Essay

Every nurse can make a positive impact on the profession through day-to-day advocacy for patients, the nursing profession, and the community. Nurses are essential patient advocates since they are front-line healthcare professionals that interact with patients. This journal defines and describes how nurses advocate for themselves and patients in their workplaces and the community. Advocating for patient health is inherent in nursing roles. In essence, all nurses are essentially patient advocates. The American Nurses Association (ANA) describes Nursing: Scope and Standards of Practice, Fourth Edition, as a guide that provides “authoritative statements of the actions and behaviors that all registered nurses are expected to competently perform, regardless of role, population, specialty, and setting” (ANA, 2021). Advocacy in nursing represents the interest of patients and promotes their health. Patient advocacy can include everything from assisting them in navigating a complex healthcare system and deciphering technical medical words to assisting them in making educated choices regarding their health. Also, nurses can advocate for policies and regulations in hospital

For instance, a nurse can advocate for a secure and healthy working environment for healthcare professionals. In order to bring more attention to the problems that nurses deal with on a daily basis, both inside and outside of hospitals, nurses who are willing to work directly with legislators at the local, state, and federal levels can engage in politics. Safe and equitable working conditions, proper pay, and participation in determining policy and practice are a few examples of these problems. By participating in committees that shape policy and practice as well as by getting involved in professional nursing organizations like the ANA, nurses can advocate for the nursing