The Purpose and Goal of the Florida Action Coalition

The Purpose and Goal of the Florida Action Coalition

The purpose of the formation of Florida Action in 2011 was to provide leadership that could advance the nursing profession so that Floridians can access safe and high-quality health care. The goal of the coalition is to enable all Floridians access a healthcare system that is of high quality, safe, and patient-centered.

Challenges Facing Nursing

One of the greatest challenges facing nursing is inadequate staffing, which results in too much workload on the nurses. Research by Boscart et al. (2018) shows that nurses in most American states are subjected to long shifts of about 10 -12 hours due to staffing shortages. Long working hours are physically and mentally taxing and leave many nurses with burnout. Consequently, nurses experiencing burnout are usually unable to offer patient-centered and quality health care to patients.

The nursing practice is also facing the challenge of poor leadership and management that has compromised the quality of patient care provided. Many nurses do not have the leadership and managerial skills needed to cope with emerging trends in nursing, such as technological advancement and outbreaks of new diseases (Ellis, 2021). Additionally, the lack of appropriate leadership and management skills has seen unfavorable policies affecting nursing enacted by the government due to the lack of nurse advocacy.

How can nurses be involved in policy and advocacy at the institutional, local, and state levels

Nurses can be involved in policy and advocacy at the institutional level by either taking up leadership roles or working with the leaders in their areas of work to formulate and advocate for policies championing specific issues affecting nursing. At local and state levels, nurses can be involved in policy and advocacy by supporting nurse leaders who vie for elective positions. Nurses who secure political positions can use their political influence to advocate for policies on high-quality nursing practice.