Research Paper on Nursing Leadership Health Policy

Introduction

Policy changes are important in all global societies. That is because it is through policy changes that various public institutions are able to grow and improve their ability to offer better quality services to the public. In the healthcare profession, policy changes are important in upscaling the professionalism of healthcare personnel. Subsequently, the ability of nursing professionals to offer better services directly translates into improved healthcare outcome among the patients. Although it was enacted for a good reason, the S6768/A1842B statute should be amended to accommodate persons who qualify for the nursing profession with a Diploma program to have a chance to labor as an RN.

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Policy Description

The policy was enacted into Law on December 19, 2017, under the support of the Senate Majority leader John J. Flanagan as well as Assembly Majority Leader Joseph D. Morelle (Cherry & Jacob, 2018). In addition, the New York Governor Andrew Cuomo was also in favor of the Statute, a primary reason as to why he was elected into office. Also, the passing of the bill into law in 2017 made New York to be recognized as the first state to note the importance of the Baccalaureate degree in when preparing nursing learners for the nursing profession (Maljevac & Olivieri, 2018).

The purpose of the policy was to elevate the level of education for all professional Registered Nurses (RNs) in the State of New York. The move was viewed as an effective way of heightening the professionalism of all nursing personnel working in hospitals and providing essential healthcare services to the public. According to the policy, all nurses should have a Bachelor of Nursing (BSN) degree at the time of entry into the profession as RNs. Also, RNs that had been licensed prior to the enactment of the policy were required - by the new legislation - to achieve a BSN in a minimum of 10 years from their initial licensure.

Need for Change

The S6768/A1842B State Law should be amended because it will render thousands of RNs who cannot attain a BSN to become jobless. Today, the cost of attaining a BSN is remarkably high especially to individuals who cannot secure an educational scholarship. In addition, when enforced as a profession requirement, most RNs that are currently working in medical institutions in the State might lack fees to pay for the BSN. Subsequently, such RNs may be deregistered for failing to have their BSN within the stated timeline as per the S6768/A1842B State Law guidelines. Subsequently, this might affect the economic position of such RNs and by extension affect the economic performance of the State, since RNs form a massive number of civil servants functioning in the State's public institutions.

Also, requiring all nurses to have BSNs does not guarantee that the quality of healthcare services offered to patients in healthcare institutions will be improved. That is because there is no research executed in the past that can be referenced as proof that BSNs are superior to Diploma certificates for nurses working in healthcare institutions. Also, there are still thousands of nurses who do not possess a Bachelor Degree in nursing working in other States in America and offering high-quality service. Also, the American Nursing Association (ANA) has been vetting nurses for their nursing skills for decades prior to their registration as RNs and has never attained a complaint about professionals' incapability to perform.

Champion for the Bill

The perfect candidate as a a champion for the policy change in the State will be Marc Molinaro. He was vying for the governorship position in the State during the last general election but unfortunately, his vote count was below that of his rival - Governor Andrew Cuomo. However, his popularity and influence in the Senate have remained the same and he is undoubtedly a major contender for the governorship seat in New York in the next general election. The reason for choosing Molinaro as the best champion is because, in the past, he has been majorly involved in supporting other healthcare issues in the State.

Conclusion

In conclusion, although it was enacted for a good reason, the S6768/A1842B statute should be amended to accommodate persons who qualify for the nursing profession with a Diploma program. That is in offering them a chance to labor as an RN. The S6768/A1842B Law was passed in New York in 2017 and it requires all RNs to have a BSN degree. Also, the Law was passed to improve the quality of healthcare surfaces offered to patients in healthcare institutions. Nevertheless, despite its good intentions, the Law should be changed as it will cause a massive loss of jobs particularly among nursing professionals who cannot afford to sponsor themselves for BSN degree. The preferred champion for the policy change will be Molinaro. He is the ideal candidate for the change because he has been involved in other healthcare policy initiatives in New York, in the past. Ultimately, the S6768/A1842B should be amended because it might result in massive loss of jobs for already functioning RNs.

References

Cherry, B., & Jacob, S. R. (2018). PART - Sherpath 1-Color Print for Issues and Trends in Contemporary Nursing (Cherry Version). Edinburgh: Elsevier Health Sciences.

Maljevac, J., & Olivieri, S. (2018). Policy Analysis: BSN in 10. Journal of Nursing & Healthcare, 3 (2), 1-4.