Peer response 1 &2

Registered Nurses and Advanced Practice Registered Nurses play an important role in healthcare policy implementation and evaluation The same principles that nurses use to assess the impact and effectiveness of clinical interventions, procedure, or clinical practices can be applied to program evaluation or policy evaluation (Milstead, J.A., & Short, N.M., 2019, p 117). The opportunity for evaluation of policy for Registered Nurses and Advanced Practice Registered Nurses is everywhere. It is imperative to evaluate policies to determine if they are effective and if the policy adds value (Laureate Education, 2018). 
Policies at our workplace are one easy place to become involved in policy review and evaluation. Although workplace policies may seem minute, they often affect us directly and it is easy to give an honest evaluation. Challenges that may present themselves by evaluating policy in the workplace are being concerned about feeling and not being truthful during the evaluation. If you work closely with these people, you may have a biased opinion. Overcoming this challenge by realizing that a policy needs to work efficiently to make a positive difference, or the policy should be revised.  
Joining nursing associations is a good way to become involved in healthcare policy and thus evaluate policies. Each state has a nursing association that Registered Nurse and Advanced Practice Registered Nurses are able to join and become involved in. I live in the state of Florida and there is a list of events where you can attend meetings and learn more (Florida Nurses Association, 2022). Attending these meetings and events in person is imperative and time can be an obstacle for some nurses who want to become involved. Overcoming this challenge is a matter of prioritizing the importance of getting involved. 
            
 Post #2
   Researchers often look to nurses to have an impact on healthcare policy. Many researchers have studied the nurses’ role in participating in policy evaluation and the importance of nurses being involved in the policy process (Sears & Hogg-Johnson, 2009). Nurses are already familiar and proficient at evaluating the effectiveness of the nursing process and this same principle can be applied to policy evaluation (Milstead & Short, 2019). Nurse engagement in policy ensures patient safety, evidence-based practice, and high-quality care. Many nurses are hesitant to get involved in politics because they lack education and skills for that arena. Nursing leadership and professional nursing organization play a role in increasing the numbers of nurses who are involved in health policy. 
     One way nurses can participate in policy review is to join professional nursing organizations. Nursing organizations provide nurses with the opportunity to attend conferences, network, lobby, advocate through the media, and protect their states’ Nursing Practice Act in order to gain knowledge about policy review (Arkansas Registered Nurses Association (ARNA), 2020). Joining a professional nursing organization may be a challenge for some due to the cost and time required to reap the benefits of being active in the group. Better time management skills and studying the benefits of joining a nursing organization could overcome the barriers of cost and time. What a nurse can gain in experiences and education can far outweigh the challenges of being a member. 
     A second way nurses can participate in policy review is to work with local legislators. When a nurse is able to share expertise and evidence-based care with legislators, it allows nurses to assist in policy evaluation by checking the effectiveness and impact on their patient population (Oestberg, 2013). Challenges to working with legislators are building relationships due to differences of opinion or political views. If working with legislators is not possible, a nurse can get involved in leadership or education at their facility to help form and evaluate policy. 
     Strategies to better advocate for professional nursing organizations and legislative involvement is communication through social media for networking and involvement in nursing groups, such as shared governance. Shared governance engages nurses to accept the role of leadership and excellent practice (Brennan & Wendt, 2021). By teaching nurses to be leaders and advocate for excellence, this method can also be used to engage nurses in policy-making and review. Using social media as a platform gives nurses the ability to reach a large target population in real-time to educate about policy advocacy and how to get involved in policy review to promote better outcomes.