Discussion postHealth policy advocacy

DQ :What types of words would you use to build a nursing word cloud?

The word cloud is a device for a question about identity: whether nurses count policy-maker as part of what they are. Then two opportunities, the challenges, and two communication strategies.

Editorial process

Last reviewed · August 18, 2026

Written by

Maren Caldwell

MSN, RN, CNE

Medical-surgical nursing, pharmacology and NCLEX preparation

Reviewed by

Dr. Tessa Redmond

DNP, RN, CNE

Evidence-based practice and clinical education

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Interpret the task
Assignment instructions
Deliverables
Proposed outline
Research plan
Reference shortlist
Final review

Would you put policy-maker in the cloud?

Answer the cloud question honestly before the policy one, because the interesting finding is usually that policy-maker would not be prominent. The words nurses actually supply — caring, advocate, organised, resilient, empathetic, hard-working — cluster around bedside virtue and personal effort, and the ones that would appear rarely if at all are political, influential, legislator, negotiator. Say what that pattern indicates rather than deploring it: a profession that describes itself in terms of individual character rather than collective power will find it harder to act collectively, and the word cloud makes that visible in a way a survey does not. Note the tension worth naming — nursing is repeatedly found the most trusted profession, which is precisely the resource that makes a policy voice effective, and the least used. That pattern is a fact about the profession's self-description rather than about any individual nurse. Naming the absent words is the finding, and the second half of the prompt is built on it.

Then the Day 3 instruction, which is the graded part. Two opportunities, and they should be different in kind: serving on a professional organisation's policy or advocacy committee where the agenda is set, and providing testimony or written comment on a specific bill or proposed rule, are two real ones — as are serving on a hospital or health system board, sitting on a state board of nursing, or joining a regulatory comment process on a proposed rule, which almost nobody does and which anybody may do. The challenges are equally concrete: time and shift work, no training in the legislative process, a workplace culture that treats politics as outside the job, and the belief that individual clinical work is the whole contribution. Propose mechanisms rather than exhortation — protected time, mentorship, starting at organisational rather than state level. Then the two communication strategies: an item on an existing agenda beats a newsletter nobody opens.

Likely learning objectives

Read a word cloud as evidence about professional self-description.
Identify concrete, differentiated opportunities for policy participation.
Name structural rather than attitudinal challenges.
Propose communication strategies with reach rather than good intentions.

Assignment instructions

Read the full question

Review every instruction before using the planning guidance that follows.

NURS 6050 Discussion 2: The Role of the RN/APRN in Policy-Making DQ :What types of words would you use to build a nursing word cloud? Word cloud generators have become popular tools for meetings and team-building events. Groups or teams are asked to use these applications to input words they feel best describe their team or their role. A “word cloud” is generated by the application that makes prominent the most-used terms, offering an image of the common thinking among participants of that role. What types of words would you use to build a nursing word cloud? Empathetic, organized, hard- working, or advocate would all certainly apply. Would you add policy-maker to your list? Do you think it would be a very prominent component of the word cloud? Nursing has become one of the largest professions in the world, and as such, nurses have the potential to influence policy and politics on a global scale. When nurses influence the politics that improve the delivery of healthcare, they are ultimately advocating for their patients. Hence, policy-making has become an increasingly popular term among nurses as they recognize a moral and professional obligation to be engaged in healthcare legislation. To Prepare:  Revisit the Congress.gov website provided in the Resources and consider the role of RNs and APRNs in policy-making.  Reflect on potential opportunities that may exist for RNs and APRNs to participate in the policy-making process. By Day 3 of Week 8 Post an explanation of at least two opportunities that exist for RNs and APRNs to actively participate in policy-making. Explain some of the challenges that these opportunities may present and describe how you might overcome these challenges. Finally, recommend two strategies you might make to better advocate for or communicate the existence of these opportunities to participate in policy-making. Be specific and provide examples. By Day 6 of Week 8 Respond to at least two of your colleagues* posts by suggesting additional opportunities or recommendations for overcoming the challenges described by your colleagues. Click on the Reply button below to reveal the textbox for entering your message. Then click on the Submit button to post your message. *Note: Throughout this program, your fellow students are referred to as colleagues.

Turn the brief into deliverables

01The words you would supply, and what the pattern shows.
02A judgement on whether policy-maker belongs.
03Two opportunities that differ in kind.
04Challenges, with a mechanism for overcoming each.
05Two communication strategies with a stated audience.