Nursing Leadership Competencies Applied to Population Health Policy Advocacy
Overview
This is a collaborative assignment that spans community health and leadership and management courses and asks students to work in teams and apply health care policy and leadership concepts to a population-level issue identified within their assigned community. Students analyze the root cause of the issue, propose a policy solution, then create and present a one-page policy pitch.
How to Use
- The assignment is introduced as a collaboration across both community health and leadership/management courses. Teams are comprised of 10-11 students, with each team assigned to a specific population. Within the leadership and management course, the same teams of 10-11 are further divided into policy project groups of 5-6 students. The smaller groups allows for the close collaboration necessary for policy work. It also makes it less overwhelming for community contacts/policymakers as they typically interact with a small group of constituents, and this is what is simulated as part of this assignment.
- The teams must create a Partnership Agreement (see assignment, Team Partnership Agreement) to manage conflict and delineate roles and responsibilities of each team member. Students are asked to reflect on their contribution to the team at the end of the course (see assignment, Team Assessment).
- In the community health course, the students complete a community assessment and create a community health improvement project (CHIP) and a poster. One of the grading criteria within the sample rubric (see assignment, CHIP Part I) asks students to identify a proposed policy, legislation, rule, regulation, or ordinance with potential to impact the community health issue or problem. This aids in helping the students to start to think about a policy that needs modification.
- In the leadership and management course, student policy groups take a step-by-step approach to identifying a policy solution and proposing a change.
- Assignment 1: Policy Change and Fishbone and Force Field Analysis. This is the first of four assignments related to the policy change, which begins with teams completing a fishbone diagram and force field analysis of the identified policy that needs modification.
- Assignment 2: Policy Change Paper. The student teams develop a plan to advocate for policy change with policymakers on the identified issue identified within the population assigned in the community health course.
- Assignment 3: Policy Pitch One-Pager. This is the written policy (one-pager) in which the students design and create a one-page document as a leave-behind to a policymaker.
- Assignment 4: Policy Pitch. This is the verbal policy pitch where one member of the team delivers a policy pitch to the policy maker (can use the one-pager as a visual aid).
- Assignment 1: Policy Change and Fishbone and Force Field Analysis. This is the first of four assignments related to the policy change, which begins with teams completing a fishbone diagram and force field analysis of the identified policy that needs modification.
- The pitch coincides with the community health improvement project poster presentation at the end of the course. (see assignment, CHIP Part II).
Integrative Learning Strategies
This integrative approach requires instructors to collaborate and coordinate extensively across both courses. This teaching strategy could be deployed in a face-to-face classroom, a hybrid classroom, or a virtual classroom.
Assessment Strategies
The students’ assignments should be evaluated using a standardized rubric.
Exemplar
Example Fishbone and Forcefield Analysis
Possible Courses
- Community Health
- Leadership and Management
Additional Resources/Publications
Difference Between Policy and Program
Policy Fishbone FFA Assignment Template
Belcik, Kim, Stacey Cropley, and Monica Hughes. Qualitative analysis of a teaching strategy: Integrating nursing leadership competencies applied to population health policy advocacy. (In progress).
Cropley, Stacey, Monica A. Hughes, and Kim Belcik. “Engaging Leadership Competencies through Population Health Policy Advocacy: A Review of the Evidence.”?Policy, Politics, & Nursing Practice?23, no. 4 (July 18, 2022): 259–71.?https://doi.org/10.1177/15271544221112893.
AACN-ANF Funding Acknowledgment Statement
This project was supported by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing’s (AACN) Competency-Based Education for Practice-Ready Nurses Project funded through the American Nurses Foundation’s (ANF) Reimagining Nursing Initiative. The contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not represent the official views of AACN and ANF.
Sub-competencies for entry-level professional nursing education:
3.1a Define a target population including its functional and problem-solving capabilities (anywhere in the continuum of care).
3.1b Assess population health data.
3.1c Assess the priorities of the community and/or the affected clinical population.
3.1d Compare and contrast local, regional, national, and global benchmarks to identify health patterns across populations.
3.1f Develop an action plan to meet an identified need(s), including evaluation methods.
3.2a Engage with other health professionals to address population health issues.
3.2b Demonstrate effective collaboration and mutual accountability with relevant stakeholders.
3.2c Use culturally and linguistically responsive communication strategies.
3.3a Describe access and equity implications of proposed intervention(s).
3.3b Prioritize patient-focused and/or community action plans that are safe, effective, and efficient in the context of available resources.
3.4a Describe policy development processes.
3.4b Describe the impact of policies on population outcomes, including social justice and health equity.
3.4c Identify best evidence to support policy development.
3.4d Propose modifications to or development of policy based on population findings.
3.5a Articulate a need for change.
3.5b Describe the intent of the proposed change.
3.5c Define stakeholders, including members of the community and/or clinical populations, and their level of influence.
3.5d Implement messaging strategies appropriate to audience and stakeholders.
6.1b Use various communication tools and techniques effectively.
6.1c Elicit the perspectives of team members to inform person-centered care decision-making.
6.1e Communicate individual information in a professional, accurate, and timely manner.
6.2a Apply principles of team dynamics, including team roles, to facilitate effective team functioning.
6.2b Delegate work to team members based on their roles and competency.
6.2c Engage in the work of the team as appropriate to one’s scope of practice and competency.
6.2f Evaluate performance of individual and team to improve quality and promote safety.
6.4a Demonstrate an awareness of one’s biases and how they may affect mutual respect and communication with team members.
6.4b Demonstrate respect for the perspectives and experiences of other professions.
6.4c Engage in constructive communication to facilitate conflict management.
6.4d Collaborate with interprofessional team members to establish mutual healthcare goals for individuals, communities, or populations.
10.1b Manage conflict between personal and professional responsibilities.
10.2a Engage in guided and spontaneous reflection of one’s practice.
10.3c Demonstrate leadership behaviors in professional situations.
10.3d Demonstrate self-efficacy consistent with one’s professional development.
10.3h Communicate a consistent image of the nurse as a leader.
10.3i Recognize the importance of nursing’s contributions as leaders in practice and policy issues.
Posted: October 24, 2024
Submitted by:
Kim Belcik, PhD, APRN, FNP-BC, CNE, Clinical Associate Professor, Texas A&M University
Monica Hughes, DNP, Clinical Associate Professor, Texas State University
Stacey Cropley, DNP, Clinical Assistant Professor, Texas State University