Nurse Legislative Day — An Active Learning Experience
Photo (left to right): Mary King, RN, MSN student, Kimberly Barcus, RN, MSN student; Emily Kelly, RN, MSN student; Hunter G. Goodman, JD, secretary of the Senate; Lorraine Walters, RN, MSN student; Yolanda Grandjean, RN, DNP, assistant professor of nursing.
On February 9, a dozen graduate nursing students from Seattle Pacific University traveled to Olympia, Wash., to participate in legislative advocacy efforts. They attended the Washington State Nurses Association’s “Nurse Legislative Day,” which began with a keynote address by Gov. Jay Inslee and ended in meetings and conversations with elected officials. A small number of the graduate students had an opportunity to tour the Senate floor and learn the finer points of the legislative process from the Secretary of the Senate. All of the students who participated in the event felt empowered to share their personal and professional experiences in order to influence issues that mattered to them. They saw firsthand how legislative advocacy can be a powerful tool to bring about change.
Assistant Professor of Nursing Yolanda Grandjean encouraged students in her Healthcare Policy Dynamics course to attend the Nurse Legislative Day. It built upon the course objectives of advocacy and highlighted the role of nurses in shaping public policy as well as the roles of government, lobbyists, and legislation regarding current health and nursing-practice issues.