Provision 7
Nurses advance the profession through multiple approaches to knowledge development, professional standards, and the generation of policies for nursing, health, and social concerns.
7.4 Contributions through Nursing, Health, and Social Policy Development
Nurses are engaged in shaping institutional, community, and social policies. Given their ethical commitments and body of knowledge, nurses have important contributions to make in health-related policy. This includes policies related to transit, climate, clean water, firearm safety, healthcare, food, and more. Nurses are encouraged to share their evidence-based knowledge with the public by serving on shared governance boards and professional, governmental, and community-based committees within local, regional, state, national, and global associations as well as practice settings.
Foundational to this participation is robust professional, political, and civic education. Nurse educators have a particular responsibility to model and foster commitment to the full scope of nursing practice and informed perspectives on health policy for students. Mechanisms of accreditation and assurances of minimum safe practice should reflect this priority. Nurses in leadership roles should foster institutional policies that empower evidence-based practice and enhance ethical comportment. This includes supporting continuing educational opportunities and dedicated time and resources that allow for institutional service and the importance of including nursing’s voice on interprofessional improvement committees. Nurse researchers and scholars contribute expertise to the development and implementation of evidence-based nursing, health, and social policies.