Advocacy Through Legislation 

Nurses often become motivated to change aspects within the larger health care system based on their real-world experience. As such, many nurses take on an advocacy role to influence a change in regulations, policies, and laws that govern the larger health care system.

For this assignment, identify a problem or concern in your state, community, or organization that has the capacity for advocacy through legislation. Research the issue and use the “Advocacy Through Legislation” template to complete this assignment.

You are required to cite to a minimum of three sources to complete this assignment. Sources must be published within the last 5 years and appropriate for the assignment criteria and relevant to nursing practice. 

While APA style is not required for the body of this assignment, solid academic writing is expected, and documentation of sources should be presented using APA formatting guidelines, which can be found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. 

This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion. 

You are required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite. Refer to the LopesWrite Technical Support articles for assistance. 

AttachmentsNRS-440V-RS4-AdvocacyThroughLegislation.docx

  

This week is an APA essay of 1500 words with 500 words for each of the sections. Three scholarly sources are required. Be sure to write all APA papers/essays with correct title page, running head, page #s, introduction, level headings, a conclusion, APA citations, and a reference page. There are three different sections to the paper this week which should be separated using level headings to organize each section. The Rubric for grading this week is an Essay Rubric – please review.

• Identify one aspect of big data and data mining that is interesting to you.
  • Explain the concept and how it might bring value to healthcare.
• Describe the concept of continuity planning.
  • If you were the director or manager for your current workplace, describe the preparedness program you would recommend.
• Locate an article discussing the use of informatics in healthcare education of the general public or of nursing students.
  • Discuss the benefits and drawbacks to using technology in this situation and recommendations from the author.
  • Do you feel this use of technology is a viable method of educating (the public or nursing students)? Why or why not?

At least once a year, the media report on a seemingly healthy teenage athlete collapsing during a sports game and dying of heart complications. These incidents continue to outline the importance of physical exams and health screenings for teenagers, especially those who play sports. During these health screenings, examiners check for cardiovascular alterations such as heart murmurs because they can be a sign of an underlying heart disorder. Since many heart alterations rarely have symptoms, they are easy to miss if health professionals are not specifically looking for them. Once cardiovascular alterations are identified in patients, it is important to refer them to specialists who can further investigate the cause.

Consider the following scenario:

A 16-year-old male presents for a sports participation examination. He has no significant medical history and no family history suggestive of risk for premature cardiac death. The patient is examined while sitting slightly recumbent on the exam table and the advanced practice nurse appreciates a grade II/VI systolic murmur heard loudest at the apex of the heart. Other physical findings are within normal limits, the patient denies any cardiovascular symptoms, and a neuromuscular examination is within normal limits. He is cleared with no activity restriction. Later in the season he collapses on the field and dies.

To Prepare

• Review the scenario provided, as well as Chapter 25 in the Huether and McCance text. Consider how you would diagnose and prescribe treatment for the patient.
• Select one of the following patient factors: genetics, ethnicity, or behavior. Reflect on how the factor you selected might impact diagnosis and prescription of treatment for the patient in the scenario.

Post a description of how you would diagnose and prescribe treatment for the patient in the scenario. Then explain how the factor you selected might impact the diagnosis and prescription of treatment for that patient.

Reply 1

External stressors unique to teens 

According to Faulkner, teenagers mee the definition of a “vulnerable population.” Like children, imprisoned inmates, and cognitively impaired individuals, teenagers may not be able to advocate for themselves to maintain their own health and safety (Faulkner, A. 2018). One external stressor that teenagers may suffer is the impact of online bullying (cyberbullying). As teens grow into new bodies and deeper, more complicated relationships with friends and peers, bullying can have a dramatic effect on a teenager’s self-esteem. With the advent of social media, a new platform has been created where bullied teens can be attacked in the comfort of their own home, not just at school.

A second stressor unique to teens is dating violence. As teenagers navigate the unfamiliar waters of intimate partner relationships, they can be especially vulnerable to the toxic behaviors associated with dating violence. Some signs of dating violence include physical abuse, seclusion from friends and family, decline in academic performance, and use of emotional control/abuse tactics (Faulkner, A. 2018).

Risk taking behavior related to stressors

As a result of these stressors, teens who fall victim to cyberbullying or dating violence may engage in risky behaviors. These individuals may turn to drug or alcohol abuse. Teens in unhealthy relationships may be pressured into unwanted or unsafe sexual encounters. They also may become at risk for depression or suicide, which are further issues teens need to be screened and monitored for (Faulkner, A. 2018).

Coping mechanisms and support

Support is available for these teenagers. For teens who have falling into physically or emotionally abusive relationships, many public-school programs have been created to educate students and their families about signs of dating violence and how to address it. School nurses head this education in many facilities to create a culture of awareness (Faulkner, A. 2018). Help is also available for teens victimized by bullying who have fallen into depression or are at risk for suicide. Programs like Lifelines Curriculum and Coping and Support Training (CAST) have been instituted to promote systems for identifying students who are at risk and supplying support resources like professional and peer-based counseling to these teens (Faulkner, A. 2018).

References

Faulkner, A. (2018). Adolescent assessment . In Health Assessment Foundations for effective practice . http://dx.doi.org/https://lc.gcumedia.com/nrs434vn/health-assessment-foundations-for-effective-practice/v1.1/#/chapter/3

Reply 2 

Stress is how the body and brain respond to a demand. Human body is meant to handle small amounts of stress, but too much can take a toll on one’s mental and physical health. This means that we should device ways of coping with stress when identified. While every teen faces a unique challenge and different life event, some circumstances are common to most teens.

Relationships and violence are some of the external stressors encountered by teens. Healthy dating relationships and relationship abuse among teens have led to formation of programs to educate them on components of healthy dating relationships. Such programs are initiated in schools and should involve educating teachers and parents regarding warning signs of relationship violence (Fry et al., 2014). Teens would always start feeling new romantic or sexual draw to people. Its normal but can be stressful and confusing. They feel some self- doubt or lack of confidence. This adds stress to them if they face questions about gender identity or sexual orientation. At times teens feel stressed about the right way to respond to friends’ needs. It becomes hard to set boundaries on how their hardships affect own lives. Teenagers should be informed regarding resources if they feel pressured to have sex or are being abused in a relationship, whether sexually, verbally, or physically (Howarth et al., 2015).

Bullying and friendships are considered as external stressors in teenagers. At one point or the other, everyone must admit having been part of this vice in childhood. Within the adolescent community bullying is a concern, affecting nearly 20-30% of students who admit being the perpetrator or victim of such harassment (Jantzer, Haffner, Parzer, Resch, & Kaess, 2015). Bullying is “an aggressive behavior that is intentional, repeated, and involves a power imbalance” (Sampasa- Kanyinga, Roumeliotis, & Xu, 2014).

These stressors may result in suicidal ideations and even committing suicide itself. Some may start indulging in alcoholism, end up with depression, physical illness and poor coping skills as drugs. Teen suicide could result from unresolved crisis from stressors, teenage suicide and teenage depression have increased (Bratsis, 2014), suicide is the second leading cause of death among 10-24 years of age (Lamis, Underwood, & D’ Amore, 2017, p.89).

Nurses direct victims to support groups. This groups offer support and protection of victims and put them through programs for behavior change with psychotherapy. Some involved in drugs are taken to rehabilitation camps and go through behavior change with help of medications.

References

Falkner, A. (2018) Health Assessment: Foundations for Effective Practice retrieved from

https://www.gcumedia.com/digital-resources/grand-canyon-university/2018/health-assessment_foundations-for-effective-practice_1e.php

Break the Silence: Stop the Violence,” by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) retrieved from

http://www.cdc.gov/cdctv/injuryviolenceandsafety/break-silence-stop-violence.html