Posted: April 15th, 2015

Topic: Legislative Practicum Paper and Legislative Initiative Plan on Health care topic on an elected official’s policy initiative

NUR 654 Public Policy Strategies for Nursing
Legislative Practicum Paper (35%) and Legislative Initiative Plan (30%)

GUIDELINES AND GRADING RUBRIC
The Legislative Practicum Paper and the Legislative Initiative Plan culminate in one written assignment submitted to faculty at the end of the semester. This paper reflects not only your 9-hour practicum experience and the public/health policy initiative identified by the elected official (Section One), but also the legislative initiative plan developed to help advance the elected official’s policy initiative (Section Two) and nursing’s role/implications in this process (Section Three).
Each student will select an elected official and will volunteer for no less than 9 hours for that individual. (An Internet search of the Supervisor of Elections for your county will give you the names and offices held of elected officials in your voting district. Remember that school board members, judges, police officials, and city officials also serve in an elected capacity.) You may or may not actually meet your elected official (especially if you select the President, Vice President, U.S. Congressman or Senator), but volunteering in their local or district office will acquaint you with their key people and issues. You may be asked to show your Barry ID or for a letter confirming your student status. I will be glad to provide any documentation or verbal confirmation necessary to facilitate securing your practicum placement.

SECTION ONE: Practicum and Policy Background
During your volunteer time, you will identify a public policy initiative important to the elected official that addresses one of the social determinants of health, a vulnerable/marginalized population, or health policy. This narrative- not to exceed 3 pages- will comprise the first section (Practicum and Policy Background) of the final written assignment, and is worth 35% of your final grade in this course. Please write the Practicum and Policy Background in paragraph form, not in a question: answer format, and address the following:
1. How and why did you choose the elected official?
2. What were your volunteer duties? What did you encounter/experience as a result?
3. Identify the policy issue that meets the above criteria and is important to your elected official. Why is this issue of interest to the elected official?
4. What values held by your official are related to this issue?
5. Briefly describe the history/background of the problem related to this issue.
6. What population or group is most affected by this problem? How are they impacted?
What type of power do they have, if any?
7. Address the ethical, social, economic, cultural, and health implications of this problem.
8. What other things have been tried to resolve the problem?
9. How would the proposed policy improve or resolve the problem?
10. Describe any opposition to the proposed policy. What are the perceived/actual barriers to the proposed policy?
11. Where is the proposal currently in the legislative or process? What are the elected official’s goals for the proposal in this legislative session?

Include 3 evidence-based citations in SECTION ONE to support claims/perceptions of the problem and/or the appropriateness of the proposed policy in addressing the issue.

SECTION TWO: Legislative Initiative Plan

The second section (Legislative Initiative Plan) outlines the strategic action plan for moving the proposed policy forward in the current legislative session. This section, along with Section Three (Nursing Role/Implications), comprise the Legislative Initiative Plan component of this course and is worth 30% of your final grade. The criteria are based on the NLN Public Policy Toolkit. Please use a table format (see example below) and limit your Legislative Action Plan to a maximum of 3 pages. Legislative Initiative Plans are necessarily different for each policy, but certain key components are addressed in all Plans. The key areas can be found in the Grading Rubric.

TITLE OF PROPOSED POLICY AND LEGISLATIVE SESSION (SAMPLE FORMAT)
ACTIONS: TIME SENSITIVE PERSON RESPONSIBLE DATE
Identify what worked and did not work during the last session.
Andi, Legislative director Immediately following last session 5/20
Develop and finalize policy fact sheet 3 wks prior to start of session
Develop legislative packet…
Identify supportive organizations & individuals…
Submit news article re: legislative agenda Marie, Communications 1 month prior…
Develop Grassroots phone/email list Jose, Grassroots Coord. 1 month prior…

ACTIONS: ONGOING PERSON RESPONSIBLE DATE
Update website featuring policy initiative… Marie & Nick (Web Dev.) Ongoing
Respond to constituents’ questions re: policy… Ongoing

ACTIONS: DURING SESSION PERSON RESPONSIBLE DATE
Meet with/Contact those who will testify at the Committee hearing…. Andi, Legislative Director When bill is introduced
Update supporters on bill’s legislative status… Jose, Grassroots Coord. Daily/Weekly

SECTION THREE: Nursing Role/Implications

The final section (Nursing Role/Implications) is a narrative- not to exceed 2 pages- addressing why this issue should be important to nurses as healthcare providers and citizens, and explaining nursing’s role in helping to enact this policy. Include 2 current, evidence-based, NURSING citations in SECTION THREE to support nursing’s role in influencing legislative initiative.

GRADING RUBRIC Legislative Practicum Paper and Plan

Section 1: 35% 10 POINTS 0-9 POINTS TOTAL

Questions 1-4 Addressed:
Q1 (+1/+1); Q2 (+2/+2); Q3 (+1/+2); Q4 (+1). Not addressed:
Q1 (-1/-1); Q2 (-2/-2);
Q3(-1/-2); Q4 (-1).
Question 5 Policy history described. Policy history not described.

Question 6 Group identified (+2).
Impact discussed (+4).
Power discussed (+4) Group not identified (-2).
Impact not discussed (-4).
Power not discussed (-4)

Question 7 Implications addressed: ethical (+2), social (+2), economic (+2), cultural (+2), health (+2). Not addressed: ethical (-2),
social (-2), economic (-2),
cultural (-2), health (-2).
Question 8 Prior efforts identified. Prior efforts not identified.
Question 9 Policy potential discussed. Policy potential not discussed.

Question 10 Opposition identified (+5)
Barriers identified (+5) Opposition not identified (-5)
Barriers not identified (-5)

Question 11 Policy position identified (+5)
Legislative goal identified (+5) No position identified (-5)
No goal identified (-5)

Writing Style/
References Professional (+4); Incorporated three evidence-based references (+2 per reference) Unprofessional (-4); Failed to incorporate 3 evidence-based references (-2 per omission)
APA format 0-3 APA Errors 4+ APA Errors
TOTAL: SECTION 1
Sections 2 and 3: 30% 10 POINTS 0-9 POINTS TOTAL
Legislative Goal Legislative goal identified. Legislative goal not identified.

Building Support Addressed:
Coalition building (+4)
Grassroots Initiatives (+4)
Other Legislators (+2) Not addressed:
Coalition building (-4)
Grassroots Initiatives (-4)
Other Legislators (-2)

Education Addressed:
Public/Constituents (+4)
Legislators (+3)
Legislative Committees (+3) Not addressed:
Public/Constituents (-4)
Legislators (-3)
Legislative Committees (-3)
Political Engagement 3 activities identified for: Individuals(+5) & Groups (+5) 0-2 activities identified for:
Individuals(-5) & Groups (-5)
Media Strategy Identified print (+5) and web (+5) strategies. Did not identify print (-5) or web (-5) strategies.
Communication Communication strategies with supporters identified. Communication strategies with supporters not identified.
Session Activities Session-specific activities identified. Session specific activities not identified.
Nursing Role Nursing role identified. Nursing role not identified.

Writing Style/
References Professional (+4); Incorporated two evidence-based NURSING references (+3 per reference) Unprofessional (-4); Failed to incorporate two evidence-based NURSING references (-3 per omission)
APA format 0-3 APA Errors 4+ APA Errors
TOTAL: SECTIONS 2 & 3