Teaching public policy in undergraduate nursing education: Highlights from a decade of public policy projects

Preparing nursing students to influence public policy with the goal of improving population health is a critical component of nursing education. Two of the nine “Essentials” of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing document, The Essentials of Baccalaureate Education for Professional Nursing Practice (AACN, 2008), are directly related to this critical component. Both Essential V (Healthcare Policy, Finance, and Regulatory Environments) and Essential VII (Clinical Prevention and Population Health for Optimizing Health) address this increasingly critical aspect of nursing education.

Since 1998, undergraduate public health nursing faculty have implemented a group public policy project to engage students in population focused health policy activities. Over the past ten years, this assignment has evolved into an innovative capstone project. Public health nursing students are guided to think broadly about issues of public health, relate the issues to Healthy People 2010, and focus on disparities and social determinants of health status. Students have become intimately involved in learning activities including interviewing legislators and directors of community organizations, testifying before the state legislature, collaborating with grass roots coalitions, and organizing email/letter-writing campaigns.

Some challenging and successful public policy projects will be highlighted including: gang violence, Medicaid Global Waiver, childhood obesity, lead poisoning, procuring alcohol for under aged drinkers, smoking in public places, fuel poverty, and window safety guards. This educational intervention has resulted in positive learning outcomes for undergraduate nursing students, given a voice to nursing in public policy issues in the state, and positively influenced health policy to promote population health.