COMMENT 507 UNIT 7 TOPIC 2

 Three advocates which I am choosing in regards to bringing about change to public policy are Florence Nightingale, Hildegard Peplau and Dorothea Orem.  Each of these leaders has brought about some form of change to nursing in their own way.  Florence Nightingale focused on the importance of the observational skills of nurses and how the environment impacted health.  Hildegard Peplau was more focused on ways to help people stay well, rather than treating them once they were ill (Nickitas, Middaugh & Aries, 2016).  Dorothea Orem’s model was focused on the individual caring for themselves, rather than being cared for by others.  Orem’s model for changed is composed of three components to make up her model; the theory of self-care; theory of self-care deficit, and theory of nursing system (Petiprin, 2016).  Because of the rapid change and development of healthcare and medicine, it is important that nurses are also moving forward with these changes.  In order for health care and public policy change to be effective, nurses need to able to influence the formation of health care policies rather just the implementation of the policy.  The influence of the nurse upon health policy and public policy reform is important as it protects the interest of the patient and their safety, increases the quality of care, and helps to facilitate access needed to the required resources in order to promote quality in health care (Arabi, Rafil, Cheraghi, & Ghiyasvandian, 2014).  While nurses are used to serving as an advocate for their patients, and putting the patient’s needs and wants first, it is also important that nurses be advocates for each other in the professional aspect of healthcare.  As issues with health care related reform are brought about and evolve, issues sometimes cause stress and fatigue upon the healthcare system and its workers.  With this in mind, it is imperative that we, as nurses continue to recognize commitment to a common goal and being willing to make themselves available for the advancement and promotion of the growth of nursing younger colleagues (Huber, 2015). 

1 REFERENCE.