11A

One post is written in response to fellow learners’ post and are each between 100-150 words. Response is substantive insightful and contain at least one reference.

Role of a DNP in Healthcare Policy and Public Health

The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) qualification is an advanced practice in nursing education that equips learners with unique skills to influence health policies. DNP trained nurses can influence health policies to transform healthcare through development, implementation, and evaluation of policy.  The American Association of Colleges of Nursing states that healthcare policy provides a framework that works to empower healthcare providers to take action to meet the healthcare needs of the people (Doctor of Nursing Practice, 2021). With their unique skills, DNP nurses have the power to change healthcare policies for the benefit of both nurses and patients. The Affordable Care Act is one policy that DNP nurses can influence, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The aim of the Affordable Care Act is to ensure that all Americans have health insurance to reduce their out-of-pocket medical expenses. While it is currently active, the decision on its constitutionality still rests with the Supreme Court (Jodi, n.d). The provisions in the Affordable Care Act seek to improve the healthcare system’s performance, increase access to health insurance for the poor, protect the consumers, minimize household healthcare spending, and expand the healthcare workforce (National Conference of State Legislators, 2011). DNP nurses’ influence on the ACA policy would ensure improved quality of care, patient safety, and nurses’ access to the resources that they need to practice quality healthcare delivery. The DNP’s work in health policy includes providing expert evidence, working as content experts, and mobilizing support from legislators to secure the future of the ACA legislation. 

In a bid to preserve the ACA, nurses stimulate the government to continue to fund healthcare concerns. DNP nurses achieve this through collaborative activities with lawmakers, lobbyists, and policymakers. The value of return in health-related expenses, quality of healthcare, and the need for sufficient resources are all recurring concerns in the nursing profession (Cleveland et al., 2019). This role of DNPs is crucial to healthcare practice because there is a need to reduce the gap between insurance instability and health expenditures.

In addition to improving patient safety and access to health insurance, the ACA is favorable to nurses in terms of employment security and efficient delivery of healthcare services. The ACA increases educational and employment opportunities for nurses (Wakefield, 2020). The ACA made more investments to further increase access to preventive and primary healthcare through opening up more health centers and through the National Health Service Corps (Wakefield, 2020). The Health Resources and Services Administration provides primary and preventative healthcare services to about twenty million patients across America (Wakefield, 2020). Expansion of preventive and primary healthcare radically improves the quality of care and increases employment opportunities through thousands of sites. 

Ever since the expansion of health centers through this ACA initiative, thousands of nurses have accessed work opportunities. When more people gain access to health insurance, the number of health centers increases due to the high demand for primary healthcare services. The role of the DNP trained nurse is to support the ACA due to its benefits for both nurses and patients, as well as the healthcare system as a whole. Support of the ACA aligns with the nursing code of ethics of beneficence, but on a larger scale. DNPs have sufficient influence in this regard owing to their level of expertise, training, work experience, and level of preparedness that they gain through education.   

References

The role of DNP-educated nurses in developing health policy. (2016, June 14). DNP | Doctor of Nursing Practice Programs Online and On-Campus. 

https://www torofnursingpracticednp.org/the-role-of-dnp-educated-nurses-in-developing-health-policy/ (Links to an external site.)

Jodi, L. J. (n.d.). U.S. health care policy. RAND Corporation Provides Objective Research Services and Public Policy Analysis | RAND. https://www.rand.org/health-care/key-topics/health-policy.html