solved Step 1: Reflect on your personal views related to nurses’

Step 1: Reflect on your personal views related to nurses’ being appointed to boards, organizations or other policy forming entities.
Step 2: Post a response to the discussion board by addressing the following questions:

Why would a nurse want to seek an appointed position in government?
How would you prepare for consideration to an appointed position?
Use research and give examples of how nurses can affect public policy in various appointed positions.

Step 3: Read other students’ posts and respond to at least two of them. Cite any sources in 7th ed. APA format.
Response Posts: In your responses to your classmates, contribute to the discussion with your own original opinions about why a nurse would seek an appointed position in government and offer other examples of how nurses can affect public policy.
NUR415 Student Posts:

Student #1: The experiences of many nurses practicing in the real world of healthcare are motivating them to take on some form of an advocacy role to influence a change in policies, laws, or regulations that govern the larger health care system (Abood, 2007).
Successful policy advocacy depends on having the power, the will, the time, and the energy, along with the political skills needed to ‘play the game’ in the legislative arena. Such as a deep understanding of the system of government, resilience, and composure.
The nursing profession has significant power to profoundly impact healthcare policy on a global scale. Additionally, the nurses of today are younger, more educated, and more diverse. They bring more energy, more ideas, and more ingenuity to the nursing profession – perhaps they will even bring more political activism (Brokaw, 2016).
Student #2: Seeking appointments to a governmental agency is one of the most effective ways to influence healthcare policy and uphold public service obligations within the nursing profession. Appointments can lead to a sense of accomplishment, recognition, and prestige and can enhance the prospects of an exciting career in government service. When preparing for consideration to an appointed position, start with an open mind. It is okay to turn down a board opportunity. Be objective in assessing the pros and cons of each option (Mason et al., 2020). You are likely qualified to serve on several boards, making sure it is the right opportunity for you. Understand your mission/passion. One of the best determinants of a good fit is aligning your interests, values, and passion with the organization’s mission (Mason et al., 2020). Think about why and how the role will be meaningful to you personally. Perform a self-assessment and assessment of the organization. First, conduct a self-assessment to determine what specific strengths you will bring to the board (Mason et al., 2020). Write down your skills, qualifications, and experience that will enable you to contribute as a board member. Next, assess the organization’s mission, leadership, culture, and values. Access multiple sources to learn everything you can about their strategic direction, financial position, and organization’s reputation (Mason et al., 2020). Finally, make sure you understand the role and composition of the board. From all you have learned, do you have an initial level of trust and confidence in the leadership and direction of the organization? Will you be proud to be associated with the organization? If you can answer yes to these questions, proceed with confidence (Mason et al., 2020). One example of nurses affecting public policy is the American Nurses Association (ANA). Any graduate nurse can join the ANA. The ANA focuses on many policy issues that affect the nursing profession, such as health policy, health management, nursing practice, and health promotion.
NUR425 Discussion Post
Step 1: In your initial post to this discussion forum, respond to the following prompts. Include personal and practice-related experiences or observations as examples that support your response.

Choose a disaster that has occurred in the United States within the last 20 years
Describe at least 2 actions that were taken in one of the following stages of the disaster response. What stage of disaster response? What was done, and which agency, organization or individuals completed these actions?

Pre-disaster Stage
Impact Stage
Emergency Stage
Recovery Stage
Evaluation Stage

     3. Analyze the impact of these actions on the disaster recovery
Step 2: Your initial post should be 2-3 paragraphs in length. In addition to your original post, be sure to provide a meaningful response to at least two of your peers’ posts. Read other students’ postings and respond to at least two other students’ postings. Responsive posts should further explore the factors influencing the response to the disaster and the functions/roles of the public health nurse in disaster situations. Use a professional tone when interacting with your peers.
NUR425 Student Posts:
Student#1: The disaster investigated in this case is Hurricane Harvey which occurred in 2017 from 17th August to 3rd September in Texas and Louisiana. The hurricane caused more than 100 deaths (68 direct and 39 indirect), catastrophic flooding and became the most expensive tropical cyclone recorded with up to $125 billion in damages. The hurricane also required more than 17,000 rescues and caused displacement of over 30,000 people. (Black Jr, Graham, Black, Uhl, Dulock, Gleason, & Stevens, 2017).
Considering the emergency stage of disaster response, FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) played a significant role in the response. 28 Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) teams were assigned by FEMA to be deployed to aid local agencies and the state with the effort of saving lives. Over 6,000 people and over 200 animals were rescued with the use of high-water trucks and boats. In addition, FEMA provided 10,300 hygiene kits, 3 million liters of water, 3 million meals, 8,840 cots and 9,900 blankets to be distributed to survivors by the state. Furthermore, FEMA quickly supplied 186 million dollars in Public Assistance financing for reimbursement of state and local agencies for the expenditure on protective emergency measures and removal of wreckage. Also, FEMA cooperated with social media institutions in sharing information on the disaster, was engaged in the coordination of National Business Emergency Operations Center calls among 150 private sectors involved in the disaster response, and aided cell service companies in supplying charging stations for survivors of the disaster. (FEMA, 2017).
These actions played by FEMA in the disaster response impacted positively on the recovery from the Hurricane Harvey disaster. Countless lives were saved through rescue efforts that FEMA organized. Survivors were sheltered, fed, clothed, and given healthcare and financial aid as they came into terms with their losses and planned for their next steps. These actions greatly benefited the survivors physically, mentally, and psychologically as they recovered from the disaster.
Student #2: Hurricane Sandy is considered to be one of the deadliest natural disasters that struck the United States in late October 2012. The hurricane took only six days to form, and it resulted in deadly flooding, destructive winds, and mudslides (Force, 2013). Typically, Hurricane Sandy caused massive losses amounting to over $73.5 billion, implying that it was among the most expensive disasters in U.S. (Abramson & Redlener, 2012). This hurricane led to the death of about 150 people and resulted in the closure of the New York Stock Exchange for almost two days. Hurricane Storm also passed over Haiti, Jamaica, and the Dominican Republic and caused massive destruction to properties (Force, 2013). Lives were also lost, and the economy was paralyzed for a significant period.
In the pre-disaster stage, the National Hurricane Center assigned the local weather stations the role of offering advisory warnings to the public regarding the predicted hurricane. Members of the public were advised to relocate to safer places (Force, 2013). A procedure of relocating the people to recommended places was also put in place to reduce the risk of loss of lives. However, most of the residents chose not to evacuate (Abramson & Redlener, 2012). When the hurricane struck, many homes were destructed, and several people lost their lives as others sustained severe injuries. If the people had taken the safety advisory positively, no lives would have been lost. More importantly, the National Hurricane Center’s action of providing early warnings to the people was vital; otherwise, the death toll would have been higher. More than eight million people lost power due to the disaster, a situation that lasted for weeks in some areas (Abramson & Redlener, 2012). The state authorities provided funds to help resettle the victims, and plans were initiated to improve infrastructure to minimize future losses due to poor infrastructure.