Reaching Out a Solution Essay Paper

Please provide an introduction and conclusion Reaching out a Solution
This assignment is designed to assist you in developing a thoughtful process for advocating about an issue as a nurse, from identifying a problem that needs to be solved through articulating a process for doing so.
This assignment consists of answering each of the questions listed below from the “Political Analysis and Strategies” chapter of your course textbook. Write each question as a new topic area; then follow with a paragraph or two to answer the question. Be sure to use APA guidelines for writing style, spelling and grammar, and citation of sources, if any used. This project should be no longer than 4 pages.
Let us assume that you are a school nurse in a high school. At a recent school athletic event, a spectator suffered a cardiac arrest in the stands. A coach of the home team went into the high school to fetch the automatic emergency defibrillator (AED) only to find out that it was not readily available. In the meantime, an emergency squad arrived and resuscitated the spectator. On Monday morning, you learn of the absence of the AED only to find out that it had been locked in the custodian’s closet. Reflect on the following questions outlined in the “Political Analysis and Strategies” chapter:
• What is the issue?
• Is it my issue, and can I solve it?
• Is this the real issue or merely a symptom of a larger one?
• Does it need an immediate solution, or can it wait?
• Is it likely to go away by itself?
• Can I risk ignoring it?
• What are the possible solutions? Are there risks to these solutions?
• What steps would you need to take in order to solve the issue?
• Does anyone else at the school need to be involved in the solution?
• Where is the power leverage in the school to reach the preferred solution?
Reaching a solution requires the use of power vested in the nurse. Review Box 9-1 (Sources of Power) and determine which type(s) of power the school nurse has in this situation. State your reasons for your answer.
Submission Details:
• Submit your response in a 4-page Microsoft Word document.
• Name your document SU_NSG4068_W4_Project_LastName_FirstInitial.doc.
• Submit your document to the Submissions Area by the due date assigned.
• Cite sources in the APA format on a separate page.

Mason, J. D. Gardner, B, D., Outlaw, H., Freida, O\’Grady, T., E.. (2018). Policy & Politics in Nursing and Health Care, 7th edition. St. Louis, Missouri: Elsevier, Inc., Retrieved from https://digitalbookshelf.southuniversity.edu/#/books/9780323241441/.

Reaching out a solution

Nurses have expertise and knowledge that is critical to the political process as well as health policy development. However, the intricacies of politics as a concept will typically evoke negative emotions, particularly the social aspect that does not lend much credence to facts in a bid to solicit support. This set of circumstances has created a situation in which nurses are less inclined to use their competencies in politics. Still, this does not negate the fact that nurses can contribute to the political process, and much be primed to make such contributions (Mason et al., 2015). The present case analysis explores the contributions that nurses can make in the political process.

• What is the issue?

The issue is that the school has an automatic emergency defibrillator (AED) equipment intended for use to address emergencies occurring in the school, and yet the equipment is not easily accessible. To be more precise, the equipment is kept under lock and key, and can only be accessed through permission of the school custodian. This implies that even in an emergency requiring the AED, the emergency squad must be called in even as the AED is accessed.

• Is it my issue, and can I solve it?

This is a school health policy issue that is of interest to the school nurse. That is because of three reasons. Firstly, the school nurse is employed to address health issues and the availability of the AED to address emergencies at the school falls within that purview. The nurse is part of the emergency squad and the availability of the AED facilitates the squad’s efforts to provide care. She has a professional responsibility to ensure that the equipment is available. Secondly, the nurse is a member of the school community and could be considered a potential consumer. It is unknown when the nurse will require emergency care, and it is logical that he/she advocate for the equipment availability. Finally, the nurse has legitimate and expert power that she is expected to use. The nurse has legitimate power owing to his/her position, and expert power owing to professional skills and knowledge. The nurse can solve the issue through using the legitimate and expert power to identify a feasible solution and convince the other stakeholders to apply the solution (Mason et al., 2015).

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• Is this the real issue or merely a symptom of a larger one?

Although it is unclear, it is possible that this is merely a symptom of a larger issue. Critically looking at the issue reveals that the decision on where to store the AED equipment is unlikely to have been made by medical personnel. Instead, non-medical personnel who are more concerned about the equipment security rather than its actual use make deployment decisions. As such, the issue is that non-medical personnel who do not understand how to manage medical equipment deployment. Addressing the larger issue requires the development and application of a better medical equipment deployment plan that ensures equipment security while availing them promptly when required (Milstead & Short, 2019).  Reaching Out a Solution Essay Paper

• Does it need an immediate solution, or can it wait?

The issue requires an immediate solution. That is because it has ‘life and death’ implications. The AED equipment is intended to address emergencies where time is a factor and every second delayed could have huge implications for the patient. Applying a solution immediately (one that addresses the equipment security and availability) ensures that no patient’s life is place in an unnecessary risk, and that the school gains the true capability to handle emergencies (Milstead & Short, 2019).

• Is it likely to go away by itself?

The issue is unlikely to go away by itself. That is because this is the AED equipment management protocol being applied at the school, and good justification must be offered before changes are made. Besides that, the present issue showed that there was an issue, but the school would be hard pressed to make changes since there was no fatality. As a result, the issue is unlikely to go away by itself (Mason et al., 2015).

• Can I risk ignoring it?

The nurse cannot risk ignoring the issue since he/she has an ethical and professional responsibility to address the issue. The nurse has a responsibility to provide the best possible medical care, and this is only possible if the AED equipment is available when required. Through ignoring the issue, the nurse becomes unable to provide the best possible medical care, and ends up risking the lives of patients requiring emergency care (Mason et al., 2015).

• What are the possible solutions? Are there risks to these solutions?

The solution to the issue is to develop an efficient equipment management strategy that ensures both security and availability when required. This is likely to be achieved by providing the emergency squad with a secure closet in which to store medical equipment. This will allow them to have the AED equipment wen responding to an emergency, instead of eating for another party to present the equipment. There are no risks to this solution (Milstead & Short, 2019).

• What steps would you need to take in order to solve the issue?

There is a need to apply deliberate steps to solve the policy issue. Four steps should to undertaken as part of the policy process. The first step is to understand the issue from the perspective of the different stakeholders. This step frames the issue in terms of identifying a purpose and desired outcome. The second step is to formulate a solution that incorporates the opinions of the stakeholders, and is both feasible and acceptable to the majority of them. This step inputs research, ideas, and information from key stakeholders. In addition, it identifies a desired outcome and the required resources. It is important to note that this step identifies many solutions before pointing out an optimal solution. The third step is to implement the optimal solution as described. This step involves translation the policy into a written set of rules that the school has the responsibility of administering. The final step is to evaluate the solution to identify the areas that require improvement. This step involves revisiting the policy and rewriting or amending it to adjust for the changing circumstances (Milstead & Short, 2019).

• Does anyone else at the school need to be involved in the solution?

There is a need to involve other key stakeholders in the solution. The stakeholders include students, parents, teaching staff, management, board, health personnel, community health services providers, politicians, and other interest partners (Mason et al., 2015).

• Where is the power leverage in the school to reach the preferred solution?

The nurse has legitimate, expert, and persuasion power that can be leveraged to reach the preferred solution. Firstly, the nurse has legitimate power by virtue of his/her role as a school nurse. Secondly, the nurse has expert power by virtue of his/her professional skills and experiences. Thirdly, the nurse has persuasion power through the ability to convince others through providing information on the issue (Mason et al., 2015).

Conclusion

One must accept that engaging in the political process would help nurses to provide the best possible care. The process begins when the nurse realizes that a problem exists that affects their capacity to provide the best possible care. Towards this end, they would be required to apply their knowledge to the issue before arriving at a solution that provides the most effective care in each situation. Furthermore, nurses should examine their thought process eliminate the possibility of flaws that could result in poor judgments and inaccurate conclusions. In addition, addressing the issue requires the application of a deliberate stepwise process that makes it easier to develop a feasible solution. Overall, nurses should be keen to leverage their power to address policy issues within their environment.

References

Mason, J. D. Gardner, B, D., Outlaw, H. F. & O’Grady, T. E. (2015). Policy & politics in nursing and health care (7^th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Elsevier.

Milstead, J. A. & Short, N. M. (2019). Health policy and politics: a nurse’s guide (6^th ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.  Reaching Out a Solution Essay Paper