Advocacy Issues in Nursing & Healthcare Leadership

For many NPs, advocacy concerns a particular issue close to their heart, one connected to underserved patients who deserve additional support. For Dr. Jessica Peck, the issue is the fight against human trafficking.

The healthcare industry increasingly recognizes the need for diversity, inclusion, and health equity. Physicians face a unique challenge when addressing health disparities among diverse patient populations. To better understand how to create an inclusive environment in healthcare settings, examining the current state of diversity, inclusion, and health disparities is necessary.

There are over 19 million veterans in the United States. Their health needs are largely met by the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), which houses the largest integrated healthcare system in the country. Today’s nurses and nurse practitioners (NPs) are important in caring for our nation’s veterans. But more can be done to serve those who have served.

More than 30 percent of adults and 12 percent of children use alternative or complementary treatments. Such treatments generally fall into three categories: nutritional, psychological, or physical interventions.

A medication shortage is when the projected demand for a certain drug exceeds its supply. Local shortages are common, taking place at a single pharmacy or hospital, and can be resolved relatively easily. National shortages are comparatively rarer, but they do exist, and they can take much longer to resolve.

In June 2022, the US Supreme Court issued a ruling that shook the nation and took away women’s right to privacy in reproductive decisions. The Dobs v. Jackson verdict overturned the long-standing Roe v Wade decision that granted this autonomy to women across the country.

Abuse of nurses and ARPNs is a real, relevant, and widespread problem. The abuse can range from acts of minor bullying and incivility all the way to assault and physical violence.

The Covid-19 pandemic highlighted several problems in how health systems staff their facilities, with one of the starkest consequences being the wage discrepancy between core nursing staff and travel nurses.

Today’s nurse staffing levels are being stretched by an aging Baby Boomer generation, an increase in average patient complexity, and a retiring segment of the nursing workforce. To make matters worse, many healthcare facilities are tempted to cut costs by keeping their nursing staff lean.

The nurse practitioner (NP) role has grown significantly since the first NP program debuted in 1965. From humble beginnings, the profession has come to include more than 355,000 licensed NPs, to whom Americans make over a billion visits every year. Today’s NPs are more educated, capable, and organized than ever, and they’ve become a crucial component of the American healthcare system.