Audience/Context:
As a nurse practitioner you note that a current or pending
state or federal law has a significant impact on a population of patients that
you work with frequently. As an advocate
and expert in the care of this population you are asked to analyze the
law/policy and make recommendations to your political representative whether or
not to support the legislation. You are asked to keep the analysis precise
and succinct, and the final paper will be no more than 15 pages in length but
at least 12 pages (the title page and
references do not count in the final page count).
Why is this assignment
important?
Nurses see first hand the effects of policy on the
population of patients they serve every day.
Sometimes policies/laws are unfair, outdated or onerous. Sometimes laws
need to be enacted to provide benefit or protect vulnerable populations. This
assignment will prepare you to critically analyze law/policy using a
methodological approach to assure all pertinent information and points of view
are considered.
What is the task?
You will describe a current
or pending state or federal law/policy, and provide pertinent information
to help the reader understand the situation and context. Important information will include: why this
topic is important, a brief history that resulted in the law, identification of
those affected, social and medical facts about those affected, current
political environment (groups for and against the law), economic
considerations, and ethical considerations.
After you have thoroughly researched the above points, you will
determine evaluation criteria that will ultimately be used to analyze the
law/policy. You are to then adding a
discussion of the pros and cons of the law/policy using the evaluation criteria
you established
Finally, based on your analysis you must make a
recommendation. The final paper will be no more than 15 pages in length but at least 12.
APA format is expected (this includes in the 3rd person for
scholarly papers). Also, policy implications can be emotional. It is expected
the paper be written objectively.
How should I
complete the task?
1.
Choose a state or federal law that is related to
your clinical specialty area or of personal interest to you. Ideas for where to find a law/policy include:
a.
Sites for pending legislation at the state level
b.
Sites for pending legislation at the federal
level
c.
Read the newspaper / news feeds and look for
articles that discuss pending legislation
d.
Listen to the local and national news
e.
Listen to your patients and talk to social
workers about issues that concern your patient population.
2.
Use the Teitelbaum and Wilensky framework as a
guide for analysis. Consult the rubric for an explanation of the criteria that
will be used for grading this assignment.
Required outline
Paper
I.
Background and number of people affected
a. Brief background
of why analysis of this law/policy is important. Create a sense of urgency by citing one
important fact that will gain the politician’s attention. Cite the law, and the
analysis framework you will be using.
b. Brief description of the
historical factors led to the law/proposed law
c. Who and how many people are affected by
the problem?
II. Describe the landscape of the
situation (see chapter 14 of Wilensky and
Teitelbaum for the questions to be considered under each of these areas)
a. What are the social implications
of the problem?
b. What are the health implications?
c. What are the financial/economic costs?
d. What is the political environment? Are
there organizations that have taken a position on the law, and what do they
say?
III. What are
the most important ethical considerations?
IV. State the goal of the policy/law in one or two sentences.
V. Determine the two policy options you will compare/contrast:
If it is a current law the choices are to: Maintain
status quo or Change the policy in some way.
If it is pending legislation the choices
are to: Pass or Do not pass.
VI. Determine three criteria to evaluate the policy/law. These
should be
determined
from the facts you provided in number II above.
VII. Analyze the policy options in comparison
the evaluation criteria.
VIII. State your final recommendation: Maintain status quo (keep the current law) /
Change or pass/do not pass the legislation. Explain briefly the reasons you chose the
alternative, and what factors weighed most heavily in your decision.
University
of Rochester School of Nursing
Nur 403 Policy Analysis Paper
Assignment Instructions
Audience/Context:
As a nurse practitioner you note that a current or pending
state or federal law has a significant impact on a population of patients that
you work with frequently. As an advocate
and expert in the care of this population you are asked to analyze the
law/policy and make recommendations to your political representative whether or
not to support the legislation. You are asked to keep the analysis precise
and succinct, and the final paper will be no more than 15 pages in length but
at least 12 pages (the title page and
references do not count in the final page count).
Why is this assignment
important?
Nurses see first hand the effects of policy on the
population of patients they serve every day.
Sometimes policies/laws are unfair, outdated or onerous. Sometimes laws
need to be enacted to provide benefit or protect vulnerable populations. This
assignment will prepare you to critically analyze law/policy using a
methodological approach to assure all pertinent information and points of view
are considered.
What is the task?
You will describe a current
or pending state or federal law/policy, and provide pertinent information
to help the reader understand the situation and context. Important information will include: why this
topic is important, a brief history that resulted in the law, identification of
those affected, social and medical facts about those affected, current
political environment (groups for and against the law), economic
considerations, and ethical considerations.
After you have thoroughly researched the above points, you will
determine evaluation criteria that will ultimately be used to analyze the
law/policy. You are to then adding a
discussion of the pros and cons of the law/policy using the evaluation criteria
you established
Finally, based on your analysis you must make a
recommendation. The final paper will be no more than 15 pages in length but at least 12.
APA format is expected (this includes in the 3rd person for
scholarly papers). Also, policy implications can be emotional. It is expected
the paper be written objectively.
How should I
complete the task?
3.
Choose a state or federal law that is related to
your clinical specialty area or of personal interest to you. Ideas for where to find a law/policy include:
f.
Sites for pending legislation at the state level
g.
Sites for pending legislation at the federal
level
h.
Read the newspaper / news feeds and look for
articles that discuss pending legislation
i.
Listen to the local and national news
j.
Listen to your patients and talk to social
workers about issues that concern your patient population.
4.
Use the Teitelbaum and Wilensky framework as a
guide for analysis. Consult the rubric for an explanation of the criteria that
will be used for grading this assignment.
Required outline
Paper
II.
Background and number of people affected
a. Brief background
of why analysis of this law/policy is important. Create a sense of urgency by citing one
important fact that will gain the politician’s attention. Cite the law, and the
analysis framework you will be using.
b. Brief description of the
historical factors led to the law/proposed law
c. Who and how many people are affected by
the problem?
II. Describe the landscape of the
situation(see chapter 14 of Wilensky and
Teitelbaum for the questions to be considered under each of these areas)
a. What are the social implications
of the problem?
b. What are the health implications?
c. What are the financial/economic costs?
d. What is the political environment? Are
there organizations that have taken a position on the law, and what do they
say?
III. What are
the most important ethical considerations?
IV. State the goal of the policy/law in one or two sentences.
V. Determine the two policy options you will compare/contrast:
If it is a current law the choices are to: Maintain
status quo or Change the policy in some way.
If it is pending legislation the choices
are to: Pass or Do not pass.
VI. Determine three criteria to evaluate the policy/law. These
should be
determined
from the facts you provided in number II above.
VII. Analyze the policy options in comparison
the evaluation criteria.
VIII. State your final recommendation: Maintain status quo (keep the current law) /
Change or pass/do not pass the legislation. Explain briefly the reasons you chose the
alternative, and what factors weighed most heavily in your decision.
THE TOPIC/POLICY THAT INTERESTS ME:
S.1346 – Improving Mental Health Access from the Emergency Department Act of 2023
