nurs 501

Health Policy Issue – Paper Instructions

The Health Policy Issue Paper needs to address a relevant state or federal bill/policy, or local ordinance, that has been introduced but not yet passed, or one that exists and is in need of revision OR elimination.

The paper is to be written in current APA Format. You are encouraged to submit an ungraded draft of the paper in SafeAssign for personal review and edits prior to your final submission. You must include headings and subheadings based on objectives discussed below. You are encouraged to post questions about this assignment in the “Ask the Professor” Discussion Board Forum. Be careful to clearly and thoroughly cite your paper. A good rule of thumb is to cite at least every paragraph or two. Avoid overuse of direct quotations and include page numbers with direct quotes only.

For the background/significance section of the paper, avoid over-reliance on web-based information. Published articles are preferred. Also, do not cite from Wikipedia since this is not an academic source; information is abstracted and not checked for accuracy.

For this paper, page 1 is the title page, page 2 is an abstract, and page 3 begins the body of the paper (the abstract is just a brief summary of the main purpose of the paper and general findings/recommendations). The paper must be 12–15-pages (not including the title page, abstract, and reference page) and include 10–15 references.

Components of Paper

(Include Points I–V as your main headings for the paper)

I. Introduction of Problem/Issue and Related Bill:

A. Briefly discuss the issue and identify the related legislation/bill.

B. Provide the name and number of the bill and note the individual(s) who introduced the bill and current status of the bill, i.e. in committee, passed by house, etc.

II. Background/Significance and Scope of the Problem:

A. Information, history of bill, initial development, impetus for introduction of the bill, etc.

B. Include pertinent literature review relevant to issue/problem (i.e., if bill is related to the issue of HIV or teen pregnancy, present literature that validates this problem).

C. Discuss social, economic, political, and ethical considerations/impact related to issue

III. Proponent and Opponent Arguments:

A. Who (interest groups/individuals) are in favor of the bill. Discuss their position.

B. Who (interest groups/individuals) are against the bill. Discuss their position.

IV. Nursing’s OR Human Services Perspective:

A. Present a “nursing” OR “human services” perspective on the issue and the related bill. Use the Internet, journal sources (i.e., see role of Advanced Practice Nurses (Hamric); ANA position statements, human services oriented institutions, organizations; Virginia Nurse Practice Act; Code of Ethics for Nursing, etc.).

B. What are your personal views about the issue/proposed legislation?

V. Policy/Bill Recommendations:

A. Expand upon introductory comments about the bill made in part I (may also include actual bill document retrieved from Internet as an appendix).

B. Discuss your recommendations—should bill be passed in its current form? If yes, why? If no, why not? And, what are your recommendations for revision–or elimination?

When talking about health care topics it is always a good idea to see what the AMA and the ANA have to say about a topic. If it is a bill or law that impacts hospitals in any way, the AHA may have opinions. If the bill is at the state level, then the state levels of those organizations may have an opinion. As I said earlier students sometimes omit the recommendations piece of the assignment. If it is not yet a law you should identify if you should think it should be passed why or why not? You should also make any suggestions for change to it (whether it is a bill or a law).

This assignment is due by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Sunday of Module/Week 6.