Every Nurse Can Become an Advocate: Pathways for Meaningful Policy Change

Nurses can advance public policy priorities through advocating for legislative, regulatory, and policy changes. Every nurse and nursing organization can make a meaningful policy contribution even without in-depth advocacy experience. There are pathways for nurse advocates to become involved in the public policy process at the local, state, and federal levels. Through advocacy, nurses can advance the nursing profession, improve health outcomes for their patients and communities, and enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the health-care system. • Textual overview: “Every Nurse Can Become an Advocate: Pathways for Meaningful Policy Change” provides practical guidance to nurses and nursing organizations on becoming policy advocates at the local, state, and federal levels. • Core findings: Nurses and nursing organizations have multiple pathways to becoming policy advocates, even without prior advocacy experience. Nurse advocates are urgently needed in the public policy process, as the health-care system is in the midst of a rapid transformation in the postpandemic environment. Nurses can advance the nursing profession, improve health outcomes for their patients and communities, and enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the health-care system. • Essence of research: N/A. This is not a research article. • Highlight what's distinctive: “Every Nurse Can Become an Advocate: Pathways for Meaningful Policy Change” is distinctive because it provides practical guidance on beginning to engage in policy advocacy. The article provides insight into why nurses and nursing organizations are powerful advocates at the local, state, and federal levels.