Out of the Shadows and Into the Light: Illuminating the Path to a Bright Future for Nurses through Increased Advocacy Training

A lack of knowledge and involvement in grassroots legislative advocacy among nursing professionals adversely affects nurses’ ability to effectively tackle issues impeding the safe and effective delivery of healthcare. The role of primary care nurses in improving health outcomes includes developing substantial legislative relationships that constructively introduce nurserelated issues that are not adequately recognized or understood by legislators. This DNP quality improvement project sought to assess the effectiveness of a four (4) week legislative advocacy training program on the knowledge of, confidence in, and participation in the legislative advocacy process and local legislative outreach among nurse members of the Florida Nurses Association. Following the four (4) week intervention period, self-reported knowledge and confidence improved significantly evidenced by a reported 77.8% increase in advocacy knowledge and an 81.5% increase in advocacy skills. More than 80% of participants documented confidence in their ability to participate in legislative outreach with a 44% increase in contacting a legislator by email or mail, a 7.4% increase in legislative outreach by telephone, and a 7.4% increase with in-person visits. The results of this study suggest that increasing advocacy training, by incorporating frequent, repetitive sessions over a short period of time, is an effective approach to improving legislative outreach among nurse professionals.