Political Competence

Peer response: Due: Monday, 11:59 pm PT Number: A Minimum of 2 to Peer Posts, at least one on a different day than the main post Length: A minimum of 150 words per post, not including references Citations: At least one high-level scholarly reference in APA per post from within the last 5 years if indicated by APA 7th ed requirements.  Peer post: Political Competence             Throughout this program, it has become increasingly apparent just how important everyday nurses and nurse practitioners are to making policy changes within the healthcare system. Brinkmann (2019), breaks down political competence into two parts: The ability to morally make the right decision and the ability to skillfully make a decision. When considering political competence from a nursing perspective, is essentially using the everyday skills and applying them towards making changes through the law for the betterment of healthcare (Patton, Zalon, & Ludwick, 2019). Nurses naturally balance many tasks simultaneously, make complex decisions quickly, and prioritize needs and tasks adequately. Historically, nurses have not included themselves in policy-making as much as they should. The pieces are there already, and it has never been more important for nurses to stand up to make a difference. Healthcare needs those in practice to speak up for changes that need to be seen in healthcare.              An example of how a nurse leader could demonstrate political competence at the state level is to continue to fight for every state to grant Nurse Practitioners (NPs) Full Practice Authority. There have been strides made, even since the COVID pandemic that have swayed more state governments to move to Full Practice models. Yet, there is still work to be done. A solid first step for a nurse leader would be to gather the data on how Nurse Practitioners have proven to have the same safety outcomes and patient satisfaction ratings as their physician counterparts. The next task is proving that NPs can successfully bridge the gap in the underserved communities and continue to provide high-quality care to patients that would otherwise go without. By clearly explaining the facts, the training, the and the experience that it takes to be a Nurse Practitioner, I believe that we could see all 50 states move to full practice in the very near future, if we have nurses willing to stand up and engage in political competence.   References: Brinkmann, M. (2018). The Concept of Political Competence. Critical Review, 30(3-4), 163–193. https://doi.org/10.1080/08913811.2018.1572974  Patton, R. M., Zalon, M. L., & Ludwick, R. (2019). Nurses making policy: from bedside to boardroom (2nd ed.). Springer Publishing Company.