By Barb Brady MNA Communications Specialist More than 500 student nurses from schools throughout Minnesota learned the importance of advocating for patients at the bedside and in the public arena at MNA’s Student Day on the Hill on April 4. Leaders advocate for patients, nurses, and the profession in a number of ways. While they don’t leap tall buildings or race speeding bullets, these caregivers seek justice for their patients. Why in the World Would I Spend Time Phone Banking? Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Nurses advocating for patients, a tenet of professional practice, can be exhibited in different ways. By Barb Brady MNA Communications Specialist More than 500 student nurses from schools throughout Minnesota learned the importance of advocating for patients at the bedside and in the public arena at MNA’s Student Day on the Hill on April 4. “Legislators need nurses’ and patients’ perspectives” so they can make decisions that ensure nurses can safely care for their patients, she said. This exchange I felt didn’t end on a particularly positive note, so later in the day I apologised to the doctor saying “I didn’t mean to question his treatment I just wouldn’t feel comfortable if I didn’t make you aware of his concerns to see if we could work together towards a solution”. Marquis & Huston (2009) note that each encounter that the nurse has with his patient presents an opportunity for the nurse to serve as the advocate for the patient. They had passionate discussions with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. Nurses serve as patients advocate by advocating improved health care practices that relate to control of infections and patient care environments as well as access to care. He felt changing his medications the day before discharge might impact on his fitness for discharge. Last week while assisting a patient with his wash (which is often a time when I learn the most about a patient) he told me he hadn’t slept well that evening as he had visited the bathroom over 10 times in the night. I looked through his drug kardex and found he was on very high doses of furosemide, a loop diuretic that is often prescribed to patients with Heart failure to prevent oedema. But, speaking up is our duty. I fed all this back to the patient who was visibly relieved and so grateful we had pursued his concerns and formulated an action plan he understood and would work for him. I have a feeling, he may not have expected me to possess such knowledge. Busloads of student nurses then traveled to the Minnesota Capitol to speak to their elected officials about critical issues. Why do nurses sometimes fail to advocate on behalf of patients whose best interests are being compromised? This encounter wasn’t entirely successful. For example, if a patient receives an inaccurate diagnosis, unsafe accommodation, or unclear instructions for self-care, the nurse must alert the doctor or medical facility and communicate the issue. I have often found, our position as Student Nurses affords us a certain advantage when it comes to patient’s openness right from day 1. When it comes to patient care, nurses consistently play the role of advocate as they support each patient’s emotional well-being, contribute to the healing process and speak on their patients’ behalf. Nurses serve as patients advocate by advocating improved health care practices that relate to control of infections and patient care environments as well as access to care. (More), Minnesota Nurses Association 345 Randolph Avenue Suite 200 St. Paul, MN 55102 651-414-2800 (Toll Free: 800-536-4662), © 2020 Minnesota Nurses Association | Website by HSS, Nursing students learn key role: advocating for patients away from the bedside, Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Important COVID-19 update from MNA Executive Director, Day of Action Calls for Healthcare for All, Back to School with MNA: October Online Education, MNA Nurses Will Deliver Demands to Ramsey County Board of Commissioners Regarding MHealth Fairview’s Plans for Bethesda Hospital. They see practicing nurses as role models and mentors. Student nurses said afterward they found the day a rewarding experience and were excited to go out and advocate for patients and the nursing profession! Modeling positive professional behaviors and helping those new to the profession to acquire these behaviors is a form of advocacy. Advocating for the patient, therefore, means defending patients' right, meeting patients' needs and protecting the patient from injuries both present and anticipated, negative actions and inactions of relatives, colleague nurses, physicians and other healthcare professional that might not promote safety and quick recovery of the patient. Nursing students can be hesitant to speak up about situations that should be addressed. I asked the patient if he was happy for me to discuss this with his doctors and a specialist continence nurse to see if something could be done to help either reduce this frequency or make provisions for his discharge so he isn’t at an increased falls risk, he agreed and I approached his doctor. Because we are often very hands-on, we know our patients very intimately and they feel more able to open-up to us about smaller concerns they may not feel were important enough to raise with their doctor or consultant for example. More than 500 student nurses from schools throughout Minnesota learned the importance of advocating for patients at the bedside and in the public arena at MNA’s Student Day on the Hill on April 4. The ideas expressed in this blog are the personal views of the respective authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the university. Not only was the gentleman’s GP made aware of our concerns and recommendations but I managed to speak to the Trust’s continence specialist nurse and get her recommendations for interim provisions to help the patient transition into community. “As nurses, patient advocacy also means being engaged in the discussion of healthcare’s future and using our voice to guide the decisions that will impact the future of patient care,” Cain said. Nurse patient advocacy also includes speaking up while serving on committees or councils to solve problems and ensure patients receive the best care possible. So many speech bubbles but 1 shared goal – patient’s wellbeing. Nurses can respect patients by not talking down to them, literally or figuratively. Advocating for patients is a vital part of the Nursing role and we can see advocacy in the NMC code in various different guises (see 3.4, 4.1, 8.6, 8.7 & 9.3). This also takes a pinch of courage to have confidence in your instincts and “back yourself” as we say on the Rugby pitch. Reflecting on this scenario I am really pleased with the outcomes we achieved. Advocating for patients, in my opinion, is one of our most privileged roles and one we should take very seriously. Nurses have an opportunity for advocacy when involved in teaching nursing students and new nurses at the bedside. Not long after this, the same doctor stopped me and said he had written a letter to the patient’s GP to recommend reducing his diuretics in the community and observe his response. Are you a MNA Member with something to say? Students and new nurses are excited about the profession they have chosen. Requiring strengths such as courage, compassion, and competence, the role of the nurse as patient advocate is a powerful one. Not exactly the response I was hoping for, but I explained my concerns from a Nursing point of view and emphasised I am aware that his furosemide was prescribed for a reason and it is entirely his decision, I just wanted to advocate my patient’s best interests. Only upon writing this have I realised just how many units of study went into this encounter; Communications, Anatomy and Physiology, Pharmacology, Applied Pharmacology, Nursing Therapeutics, Recovery focused care and Medicines Management all informed my actions in this case. “You need to get your voices out there for patients and the profession,” Essentia Health Duluth RN and MNA member Emily Kniskern told students and faculty, adding that legislators often are not familiar with nurses’ issues. This patient was due for discharge in the coming days so this was concerning for me. Nurses are the superheroes of health care. This project was funded by the Learning Enrichment Fund. Nurses must abide by patients’ wishes regarding healthcare choices, and nurses must also remind patients that they have control over their bodies and their care. Many nurses think of advocacy as the most important role we play in patient care. When a patient in distress refused medical treatment, nursing student Charlotte Callow acted as her advocate to ensure she received holistic care When communication between doctor and patient breaks down, nurses can be instrumental in achieving the best care outcome. Nurses can act as mediators between patients and doctors who may have overlooked certain patient needs or solutions. Nursing Advocacy: Standing Up for Patients and the Profession. Below are direct statements of some participants: This carries a responsibility for us to make sure we take all patient’s concerns seriously and act on/escalate anything that, using our theoretical knowledge, may be of importance to their care.

student nurses advocating for patients

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