“The level of nurses’ education appears to play an important role in developing both an awareness and an integration of professional values into practice” (Sibandze BT, Scafide KN, 2017). In my opinion a nurses’ education level does play a large role in the quality and competence in terms of understanding and knowing the effects of policy making. I do not believe that a nurses’ education level plays a part in their willingness to participate in policy making, as I believe a nurse with an ADN vs BSN is just as capable as participating, but knowing how or the process would be the difference in the education level.
I believe it is important for registered nurses to influence the regulatory process because they are the ones implementing these processes first hand and can determine whether it works or not. Administrators making decisions for nurses without themselves first implementing and seeing if it will work is not the best practice, let alone law makers who have no medical background in itself making policies or laws for the healthcare workers is even a bigger downfall of the current health systems here in the United States.
Lastly, no I do not think a nurses’ education has an influence on their ability to make an impact, while some may think a nurse with a higher education is more equipped to make these decisions, I believe a higher impact comes from those speaking of personal experiences of a nurse vs say an administrative career nurse with a higher education making policies regarding floor nursing.