ANA\C The Nursing Voice Summer 2019

12  . The Nursing Voice . Summer 2019 with the broad interests of all profession- al practice fields. Finally, know your legislative represen- tatives and provide them with nursing intelligence. Nursing practice is often mis- understood by the public and legislators. It is important to help them understand that as an RN you diagnose and treat peo- ples’ response to their health and illness issues. Educating legislators about the do- mains of your practice, such as caring and care coordination are important aspects to point out. These services are imperative in our communities to support AB 890 for improved health care accessibility. The ideal outcome would help improve the likelihood of them connecting with you on critical nursing and other health care related issues. These actions are crucial first steps to a California RN professional political agency. Each of us must take the initiative to educate ourselves and understand the tools for change and action. As we be- come more educated, we can mature as a professional community of nursing associ- ations to advance overall political agency at the Capitol—ultimately improving the care we enable for all Californians. References California Legislation Information April 22, 2019. Retrieved on June 3, 2019 from www.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/ billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=201920200AB890 Cole, Diana. Agency, Political Science. Encyclopedia Brittanca Retrieved on June 3, 2019 from www.britannica.com/topic/ agency-political-theory California Professional RN Political Agency— Where Do We Start? Assemblymember Wood introduced AB 890 to address the lack of primary health care access in his district, which encompasses parts of California’s north coast. AB 890 would allow nurse practitioners to be able to practice to their full extent and training to increase the availability of health care providers (California Legislative Information, April 2019). While many nursing organizations such as ANA\C and the California Association of Nurse Practitioners supported the bill, Assemblymember Wood—as the bill’s author and official sponsor—drove the strategic direction and negotiations that all bills are subject to as they make their way through the Legislature. In fact, the last set of amendments to AB 890, while palatable to the assemblymember, were unsatisfactory to many of the state’s NPs and other stakeholders. Last April AB 890 was introduced by As- semblymember Jim Wood, (D-Santa Rosa), which would give full practice authority to nurse practitioners (NPs), was held on suspense (meaning the bill will not move forward this year) due to opposition from organizations with very strong political agency at the Capitol. Political agency is referenced as the political activities that are carried out by agents that are “respon- sible to make things happen” (Cole, Diana 2019). The organizations that are the most effective political agency act with a unified voice, commit time and money, employ data, activate their expertise, and display strength in membership numbers. The amendments divided NPs into two categories: those independently practic- ing, who would have full voting privileges within a hospital medical staff committee, and those employed by hospitals, who would not have full voting privileges. The How do we mature the professional nursing landscape and cultivate the political agency necessary to make the much-needed changes in nursing practice to successfully care for Californians? two distinctions might have assisted the bill moving forward. It clearly left NPs with unacceptable concessions that might have been avoided if the California pro- fessional nursing community and the NPs themselves sponsored the bill. How do we mature the professional nursing landscape and cultivate the political agency necessary to make the much-needed changes in nursing practice to successfully care for Californians? Where do we start? First, all RNs must educate themselves on the basic principles of the legislative pro- cess. For example, RNs should understand statutes and regulations, and why they form the core elements of policy. This can easily be done by reviewing the California Nurse Practice Acts on the Board of Reg- istered Nursing (BRN) website. Attending BRN meetings in person can also assist in understanding how statutes and regu- lations work in action to guide practice, offering an important opportunity to ask informed questions and see first-hand how decisions affect practice. Second, consider joining a professional nursing organization and become in- volved in policy and advocacy work. The majority of all professional associations have health policy committees that focus on key policy issues relevant to the orga- nization’s members. ANA\C is a perfect example. The organization lobbies the Legislature on behalf of nurses, holds an annual RN political action day, has a legislative arm, and is closely aligned BJ Bartleson, RN, MS, NEA-BC Vice President, Nursing & Clinical Services, California Hospital Association Political Corner