Amplifying our Voices: The Importance of Sharing Our Stories

Effecting Change by Amplifying Our Voices

In the midst of an overwhelmingly busy shift, challenging meeting, or complex research project, it can be difficult to recall how much we make a difference each day. Patients and their families look to us to provide high-quality, compassionate care, sharing information about diagnoses, disease management, medications, and even helping them tackle challenges such as food insecurity, transportation issues, access to care, and much more.

The qualities that make each of us exceptional in our daily interactions—listening, explaining in clear, patient-friendly terms, tenacity, problem-solving, depth of knowledge, and experience—are the same tools used to effect change on a broader scale. From changing a workflow process in your workplace through changes in a federal law that impacts healthcare, nurses are exceptionally well-suited to effecting change by amplifying our voices.

Effecting Change by Amplifying Our Voices: Moving from ‘I’ to ‘We’

Yes, we are all busy. And yes, there are an abundance of opportunities to make a difference beyond our ‘usual’ activities. How can we start to move the needle on one or more of the many challenges faced by our patients, our team, and broader healthcare policies?

The answer is in our collective voice.

Just like a musical soloist can be remarkable in their own right, partnering with others in various size groups can magnify not only the soloist but the other musicians with whom they play. The strengths of each individual are still present—but are amplified when put together.

The same is true for nursing professionals. You may have experienced it in a shift or a project where your team was tested by an array of challenges that you collectively addressed and can look back to as a success (or series of successes).

But how does this look in effecting change?

Starting Local: Effecting Change in the Workplace

The key is finding a common message, and for the message to be shared by a number of individuals or groups.

Let’s start with an example, a process at your workplace which could be labeled a ‘pain point’ for your team. Perhaps each patient, upon being roomed, has their blood pressure taken and recorded, but the rest of the team that interacts with the patient rarely considers the reading because time for each visit is very limited and often focused on the complaint or concern that caused the patient to come in for an appointment in the first place.

You and your team recognize that this missed information may be leading to underdiagnosed or undertreated hypertension, leading long-term to poorer patient outcomes. Your ad-hoc group brainstorms ways to tackle this missed opportunity, and share them with other appropriate staff, such as a ‘flagging’ system where an initial blood pressure reading above a certain threshold triggers the rooming staff member to add a physical reminder, such as a red or yellow card, to the information for the NP or physician seeing the patient.

Once the idea is suggested or shared with other personnel, be sure to follow-up on the idea as needed.

Beyond the Workplace Walls

Maybe the issue you want to challenge extends beyond the walls of your workplace.

Consider the example of a burdensome prior authorization process for a medication or procedure that is of benefit to patients. There are strategies both in and out of your immediate workflow that may help address the challenge. Again, working with others on sharing the challenges and potential solutions can amplify your voice and ensure that decision-makers recognize the far-reaching impacts of potential changes.

1. Your workgroup may want to investigate the use of AI to internally address the prior authorization process. One object of your efforts could be working with administration and IT professionals to automate some of the steps in the process, with the initial draft of a request for a prior authorization letter for a patient generated by AI and reviewed by a team member before submission to the insurance company.
2. Addressing insurance companies individually, or collectively, could be another action. Sharing data on the impacts of delayed treatment onset on patient outcomes, for example, provides a strong case for consideration. If multiple providers are engaged and data sets are substantial, it provides more support for any changes that your team are suggesting.
3. Partnering with other work groups within your organization—or other similar organizations—can amplify your message even more.

Regional, State, and Federal Impacts

You may be interested in effecting change on a larger scale, such as informing elected officials about the challenges and potential solutions faced by you, your team, and your patients. You may also be interested in running for office.

No matter which stage you choose, using a shared message to amplify your ideas is key to making an impact.

You can find more information in PCNA’s Advocacy Toolkit.

• Utilize social media to generate your own and amplify others’ messages. Be sure to be clear, concise, and professional. Be aware of any limitations of content that are identified by your employer and ensure that you are clear that your comments are your own and do not represent your workplace.
• Sign on to a letter generated by an organization or association on a topic that is important to you or your patients.
• Meet with your elected officials in person, either in their home office nearest to you, or in their state or federal office if you will be in the area. Keep your messages clear and concise, with a clear call to action, and even a leave-behind resource to reinforce your ideas. Teaming up with an organization that is offering a ‘Day on the Hill’ can help amplify your message even more.

Each Small Step Leads to Large-Scale Change

Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu shared that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. PCNA encourages you to take a single step to help make healthcare more accessible and equitable, improve outcomes for our patients, and help you and your colleagues work to the top of your license. By amplifying our voices, we can effect large-scale change.