Topic 4 DQ1
Choose a legislator on the state or federal level who is also a nurse and discuss the
importance of the legislator/nurse's role as advocate for improving health care
delivery. What specific bills has the legislator/nurse sponsored or supported that
have influenced health care.
Rep. Lois Capps, RN, a Democrat from California, has worked in Congress to advance
legislation such as the Nurse Reinvestment Act that would address the growing shortage of
nurses in the United States. The Nurse Reinvestment Act, commonly referred to as the NRA, is
legislation that amends the existing Title VIII of the Public Health Service Act – the nursing
education legislation. This legislation was passed to address the growing nursing shortage
resulting from the aging nursing workforce, retention problems due to a stressful work
environment, and problems recruiting young people into nursing in 2002. The bill mandates the
following recruitment and retention measures:
a student loan repayment and scholarship program
nursing internship and residency programs
career ladders to promote career advancement
grants for nurses seeking geriatric care education
loan cancellation programs for students in advanced degree programs who agree to serve
as nursing school faculty
public service announcements promoting the nursing profession.
Although the problem does not been solved yet, The Act draw a lot attention about nursing
shortage crisis. It exposed the problem to the public. It encourages the people to find and
investigate the solution about nursing shortage.
Reference
Grand Canyon University (Ed). (2018). Trends in health care: A nursing perspective. Retrieved
from https://lc.gcumedia.com/nrs440vn/trends-in-health-care-a-nursing-perspective/v1.1/
Larson, J. (2016). Nurse Legislators: Representing Health Care in State Government. Retrieved
from https://www.americanmobile.com/nursezone/nursing-news/nurse-legislators-representing-
health-care-in-state-government/.
Option discussion topic
Describe a policy related issue that is currently in debate within the nursing
profession.
Workplace violence. Another major challenge nurses face is violent behavior while on the job, be
it from patients or coworkers.
This study source was downloaded by 100000847426977 from CourseHero.com on 06-04-2022 04:23:30 GMT -05:00
https://www.coursehero.com/file/54755898/NRS440-Topic-4docx/
, Between 2012 and 2014, workplace violence injury rates increase for all healthcare job
classifications and nearly doubled for nurse assistants and nurses, according to data from the
Occupational Health Safety Network. A total of 112 U.S. facilities in 19 states reported 10,680
Occupational Safety and Health Administration-recordable injuries occurring from January 1,
2012, to September 30, 2014. There were 4,674 patient handling and movement injuries; 3,972
slips, trips and falls; and 2,034 workplace violence injuries.
This year, North Carolina took a stance against workplace violence. Starting Dec. 1, people who
attack hospital workers in North Carolina could be charged with a felony, thanks to a new state
law. The News & Observer reported that the new law passed by "large margins" and was signed
into law last month.
Other states are also cracking down on workplace violence: In Massachusetts, the Massachusetts
Nurses Association union is pushing a workplace violence bill that would add enhanced plans
around workplace safety.
https://ana.aristotle.com/SitePages/nursingworkforcedevelopment.aspx
https://www.nationalnursesunited.org/workplace-violence-prevention-health-care-
and-social-service-workers-act
https://www.nursingworld.org/practice-policy/advocacy/state/workplace-violence2/
https://www.nursinglicensure.org/articles/workplace-violence.html
Topic 4 DQ2
Research legislation that has occurred within the last 5 years at the state or federal
level as a result of nurse advocacy. Describe the legislation and what was
accomplished. What additional steps need to be taken to continue advocacy for this
issue?
Workplace violence consists of physically and psychologically damaging actions that occur in
the workplace or while on duty (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health [NIOSH],
2002). Violence against nurses and other health care workers in hospitals and other health care
facilities is a growing epidemic across the United States. Nurses report being punched, kicked,
bitten, beaten, choked, and assaulted on the job — and some have faced stabbings and shootings.
The Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act would
mandate OSHA to promulgate a standard that would require all covered employers to develop
and implement prevention plans to reduce workplace violence incidents. In 2017, registered
nurses reported more than three times the rate of injuries due to workplace violence than workers
overall. In a 2015 study, 88 percent of respondents had not documented in their employer’s
electronic system an incident of violence that they had experienced in the previous year. In a
survey of hospital employees, 62 percent reported that they were the target of violence within the
last year.
This study source was downloaded by 100000847426977 from CourseHero.com on 06-04-2022 04:23:30 GMT -05:00
https://www.coursehero.com/file/54755898/NRS440-Topic-4docx/
Choose a legislator on the state or federal level who is also a nurse and discuss the
importance of the legislator/nurse's role as advocate for improving health care
delivery. What specific bills has the legislator/nurse sponsored or supported that
have influenced health care.
Rep. Lois Capps, RN, a Democrat from California, has worked in Congress to advance
legislation such as the Nurse Reinvestment Act that would address the growing shortage of
nurses in the United States. The Nurse Reinvestment Act, commonly referred to as the NRA, is
legislation that amends the existing Title VIII of the Public Health Service Act – the nursing
education legislation. This legislation was passed to address the growing nursing shortage
resulting from the aging nursing workforce, retention problems due to a stressful work
environment, and problems recruiting young people into nursing in 2002. The bill mandates the
following recruitment and retention measures:
a student loan repayment and scholarship program
nursing internship and residency programs
career ladders to promote career advancement
grants for nurses seeking geriatric care education
loan cancellation programs for students in advanced degree programs who agree to serve
as nursing school faculty
public service announcements promoting the nursing profession.
Although the problem does not been solved yet, The Act draw a lot attention about nursing
shortage crisis. It exposed the problem to the public. It encourages the people to find and
investigate the solution about nursing shortage.
Reference
Grand Canyon University (Ed). (2018). Trends in health care: A nursing perspective. Retrieved
from https://lc.gcumedia.com/nrs440vn/trends-in-health-care-a-nursing-perspective/v1.1/
Larson, J. (2016). Nurse Legislators: Representing Health Care in State Government. Retrieved
from https://www.americanmobile.com/nursezone/nursing-news/nurse-legislators-representing-
health-care-in-state-government/.
Option discussion topic
Describe a policy related issue that is currently in debate within the nursing
profession.
Workplace violence. Another major challenge nurses face is violent behavior while on the job, be
it from patients or coworkers.
This study source was downloaded by 100000847426977 from CourseHero.com on 06-04-2022 04:23:30 GMT -05:00
https://www.coursehero.com/file/54755898/NRS440-Topic-4docx/
, Between 2012 and 2014, workplace violence injury rates increase for all healthcare job
classifications and nearly doubled for nurse assistants and nurses, according to data from the
Occupational Health Safety Network. A total of 112 U.S. facilities in 19 states reported 10,680
Occupational Safety and Health Administration-recordable injuries occurring from January 1,
2012, to September 30, 2014. There were 4,674 patient handling and movement injuries; 3,972
slips, trips and falls; and 2,034 workplace violence injuries.
This year, North Carolina took a stance against workplace violence. Starting Dec. 1, people who
attack hospital workers in North Carolina could be charged with a felony, thanks to a new state
law. The News & Observer reported that the new law passed by "large margins" and was signed
into law last month.
Other states are also cracking down on workplace violence: In Massachusetts, the Massachusetts
Nurses Association union is pushing a workplace violence bill that would add enhanced plans
around workplace safety.
https://ana.aristotle.com/SitePages/nursingworkforcedevelopment.aspx
https://www.nationalnursesunited.org/workplace-violence-prevention-health-care-
and-social-service-workers-act
https://www.nursingworld.org/practice-policy/advocacy/state/workplace-violence2/
https://www.nursinglicensure.org/articles/workplace-violence.html
Topic 4 DQ2
Research legislation that has occurred within the last 5 years at the state or federal
level as a result of nurse advocacy. Describe the legislation and what was
accomplished. What additional steps need to be taken to continue advocacy for this
issue?
Workplace violence consists of physically and psychologically damaging actions that occur in
the workplace or while on duty (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health [NIOSH],
2002). Violence against nurses and other health care workers in hospitals and other health care
facilities is a growing epidemic across the United States. Nurses report being punched, kicked,
bitten, beaten, choked, and assaulted on the job — and some have faced stabbings and shootings.
The Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act would
mandate OSHA to promulgate a standard that would require all covered employers to develop
and implement prevention plans to reduce workplace violence incidents. In 2017, registered
nurses reported more than three times the rate of injuries due to workplace violence than workers
overall. In a 2015 study, 88 percent of respondents had not documented in their employer’s
electronic system an incident of violence that they had experienced in the previous year. In a
survey of hospital employees, 62 percent reported that they were the target of violence within the
last year.
This study source was downloaded by 100000847426977 from CourseHero.com on 06-04-2022 04:23:30 GMT -05:00
https://www.coursehero.com/file/54755898/NRS440-Topic-4docx/
