Advocacy Through Legislation

Advocacy through Legislation
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Advocacy through Legislation
Problem
Nurses are multitalented individuals, and their contribution to healthcare touches the lives of everyone in the world. Their contributions are felt in hospitals, in schools, in patient homes, and even in warzones. It is thus crucial that governments do what they can to make sure that there are no shortages of these hardworking individuals. However, the state of California is currently facing a significant shortage, and the government does not look fazed or moved to the point of action. Research done by Zhang et al. (2018) shows that California is among the states with the largest nursing shortages in the country. The researchers project that if the current state of affairs prevails, by 2030, California will have a shortage of 141,348 nurses. Such a number will indeed impact patient healthcare in the State.
Nursing shortage impacts everyone. However, the people who often feel the effects of such shortages are those in the lower-middle-income class and low-level income earners. These individuals cannot afford healthcare in private hospitals and therefore, the majority depend on public hospitals for care. These hospitals are the ones that are greatly affected by the nursing shortage problem, and this means that healthcare outcomes are negatively impacted. If the issue continues, the state of California will be significantly affected, and its plans to enhance healthcare will be hampered as well. Greenhut (2019) writes that if the current state of affairs persists, the state’s plans for universal healthcare will be greatly hampered as demand for nurses will increase.
The idea for Addressing Solution
To help address the problem of nursing shortage in the state of California, the state needs to start issuing scholarships, offering grants, and even offering reimbursement on tuition fees. The goal of this strategy would be to help encourage more students to enroll in nursing courses. Costs for nursing education continue to increase in the country, and this has made it increasingly difficult for those interested to declare an interest and pursue their dreams. In a list provided by RNtoBN Online Program, the top 10 best nursing programs in California all charge more than $5500 annually. Well, this figure is not inclusive of what is often referred to as hidden costs. Hidden costs include necessities like books, food, supplies, and transportation. These are essential but will often be ignored while assessing nursing education fees. So, the state of California can decide to offer scholarships, grants, and reimburse tuition fees.
However, the plan will not simply be to get more people to enroll in the nursing field. The bill to offer help more students enroll and pursue nursing should be propagated alongside the bill to prevent the students who get these grants and scholarships from seeking employment in other states for at least three years. So, after completing one’s education, it is only fair that the state of California be the main beneficiary of this program. So, it makes sense to have the graduates help reduce the shortage currently experienced in the state of California as they are also gaining essential work experience.
Research the Issue
Investment in nursing education is one that will pay off in the future. The state of California should not develop cold feet especially when it comes to investing in higher education. The nursing shortage is caused by several things. One of these causes is the lack of educators to train and educate nurses. Nursing educators need to be experienced individuals who have advanced their education and are in touch with the current changes in the nursing field. However, a majority of nurses who would qualify for these positions refuse to consider higher education because it is costly. In his 2017 study, Mehdova reveals investing in nursing education involves “providing grants, offering nursing tuition reimbursement, or any other programs such as assistance of private foundations to fund higher education.” Offering these will guarantee the state of California will have enough educators to help the current and future nursing students.
With regard to the issue of working in California for at least three years before seeking employment in other states, the Affordable Care Act or ACA offers a perfect example of how this can work. Carnevale, Smith, and Gulish (2015) notes that ACA expanded “eligibility for the Nurse Loan Repayment and Scholarship Program (NLRP), formerly limited to nursing students, to include nursing professionals already in the workforce who, in lieu of repaying their students loans, commit to working for at least two years as faculty members at accredited nursing schools.” The State of California only needs to find a replica of the above and implement it to help solve the nursing shortage predicament.
Stakeholder Support
Stakeholders who would be in support of the changes described above include patients as well as nursing students and professionals. In any state, all that patients want is improved or enhanced healthcare outcomes. When a shortage is experienced in a State, healthcare outcomes are greatly hampered. According to Clavreul (2019) “California’s nurse-to-patient ratio has ranked a dismal 48th in the nation for the past 10 years.” Such a statistic means that patients in the State of California have to either wait longer for nurses to tend to them or the nurses have to work overtime. Working in such an environment leads to stress, burnout, and fatigue, which eventually hampers healthcare outcomes. In the end,...