Nurses Making Policy: From Bedside to Boardroom

Winner of Sigma's 2023 Capstone International Nursing Book Award

Awarded second place in the 2022 AJN Book of the Year Awards in Nursing Management and Leadership

This completely updated third edition challenges nurses to fulfill their critical role and responsibility to society in advancing health policy by providing them with the tools to achieve their goals. This edition addresses the impact of critical issues including COVID-19, diversity, social determinants of health, and social justice. Challenges faced by nurses in care delivery including the safety, health, and well-being of nurses (e.g., suicide) are explored. Recently issued seminal documents, including the Future of Nursing 2020-2030 report, the American Association of Colleges of Nurses’ “Essentials,” and the World Health Organization’s report on the Health Workforce are highlighted. Emphasis is placed opportunities for nurses to leading and taking action in health policy. Robust discussion of strategies with the use of evidence and real-world examples and stories provide nurses with the foundation to be policy influencers.

This pragmatic text helps nurses acquire an in-depth understanding of the intricacies of policy development and the opportunities to shape policy across the larger healthcare landscape and within their communities. It illuminates the steps, strategies, and competencies needed for health policy advocacy in various settings and also incorporates a Health in All Policies approach. Real world examples of policymaking by frontline nurses are provided. Leadership, ethical, and social justice principles are integrated across chapters, which exemplify policy development from the global scale to the local level.

A completely revised chapter describing the trajectories of nurse influencers at different career stages illustrates how nurses can be engaged in policy to address new and perennial challenges faced by nurses. A new chapter, “Transforming Policy Through Innovation,” encompasses the most current technologies and opportunities for creative development within healthcare.

To promote learning about policy, abundant examples, learning activities, and exercises are provided. New Policy Challenges/Solutions, Policies on the Scene, and case examples reflect recent changes to the healthcare environment. A comprehensive Instructor’s Manual also includes strategies for purposeful discourse that facilitate a deeper dive into provocative topics. PowerPoint slides include a faculty version with notes pages to facilitate discussion and a student version.

New to the Third Edition:

• Major revisions and updates to each chapter
• New chapter: Transforming Policy through Innovation
• New lead authors that expand the high standard of content for advanced competencies
• New Policy Challenge/Solution and Policy on the Scene features in step with today's healthcare system
• The impact of COVID-19 on health policy
• Policy implications of key reports impacting health outcomes and nursing
• New illustrations, figures, and exhibits to emphasize key events and concepts

Key Features:

• Features real-world exemplars from distinguished national and international nursing policy leaders
• Illustrates how nurses are leaders across settings in a variety of policy arenas
• Discusses policies to address social and economic inequities impacting health
• Includes Learning Activities and E-resources designed for meaningful engagement
• Patton-Zalon-Ludwick Policy Framework provides a visual guide for the self-assessment of policy competencies
• A comprehensive Instructor's Manual and PowerPoint slides are included!

Rebecca M. Patton, DNP, RN, CNOR, FAAN, is the inaugural Endowed Perioperative Nursing Chair, Lucy Jo Atkinson Perioperative Nursing Professor, and graduate faculty in the Marian K. Shaughnessy Nurse Leadership Academy at Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing, Case Western Reserve University. She is the past, two-term president of the American Nurses Association (ANA; 2006–2010). At a critical time in our nation, Dr. Patton was frequently called upon to present the nation’s nurses’ perspective on healthcare and the necessary reforms. As a nurse, author, and lecturer, she has presented extensively worldwide. Dr. Patton has testified before Congress and met with major policymakers―including Presidents Obama, Bush, and Clinton―when she lobbied on healthcare issues affecting nurses and the public. In response to concerns raised about the ethical treatment of prisoners, she was invited by President Bush to meet with the soldiers and nurses at the Guantanamo Detainee Camp in Cuba. Dr. Patton was selected twice by the U.S. State Department to serve on the U.S. delegation at the World Health Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland. Dr. Patton currently serves on the American Nurse Today (ANT) editorial board and has authored over 75 book chapters, editorials, and compilations that have appeared in a variety of renowned journals, including the American Journal of Nursing, Nursing Outlook, American Nurse, and Policy, Politics, and Nursing. 

Margarete L. Zalon, PhD, RN, ACNS-BC, FAAN, is Professor Emerita, Kent State University College of Nursing; adjunct graduate faculty at Northeast Ohio Medical University; and adjunct professor in the Marian K. Shaughnessy Nurse Leadership Academy at Case Western Reserve University. During her tenure at Kent, she developed and served as the Director of International for the College and held several visiting professor roles at international institutions. After retiring from Kent, she served as Director of Nursing Research at a Magnet-designated hospital in Northeast Ohio. As a scientist and an educator, Dr. Ludwick transformed the standards of nursing care of older people and the gerontological preparation of nurses. She is a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing and a member of its Aging Expert Panel. She has a sustained record of research and was recognized by the Ohio Nurses Association with a Research in Nursing Excellence Award. Her numerous publications focus on challenging and significant gerontological nursing issues such as restraint reduction, health literacy, policy, and advanced care planning. Her funding includes grants from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the National Institute on Aging, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and the National Palliative Care Research Center. 

Ruth Ludwick, PhD, RN-BC, APRN-CNS, FAAN, is Professor Emerita, Kent State University College of Nursing; adjunct graduate faculty at Northeast Ohio Medical University; and adjunct professor in the Marian K. Shaughnessy Nurse Leadership Academy at Case Western Reserve University. During her tenure at Kent, she developed and served as the Director of International for the College and held several international visiting professor roles. After retiring from Kent, she served as Director of Nursing Research at a Magnet-designated hospital in Northeast Ohio. As a scientist and an educator, Dr. Ludwick transformed the standards of nursing care of older people and the gerontological preparation of nurses. She is a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing and a member of its Aging Expert Panel. She has a sustained record of research and was recognized by the Ohio Nurses Association with a Research in Nursing Excellence Award. Her numerous publications focus on challenging and significant gerontological nursing issues such as restraint reduction, health literacy, policy, and advance care planning. Her funding includes grants from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the National Institute on Aging, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and the National Palliative Care Research Center.