Determining the Nurse’s Role as an Advocate for Social Justice
AACN Essentials provides the following definition for social justice:
“The expectation that everyone deserves equal economic, political, and social rights and opportunities. Equity, access, participation, and human rights are four principles of social justice including to ensure fair distribution of available resources across society, to ensure all people have access to goods and services regardless of age, gender, race, ethnicity etc.; to enable people to participate in decisions that affect their lives, and to protect individual liberties to information about circumstances and decisions affecting them and to appeal decisions believed to be unfair” (Morgaine, 2014; Nemetchek, 2019).
Assignment Deliverable
Write a 700- to 1,050-word paper on social justice in nursing. Address the following in your paper:
o In your own words, explain what social justice is and why it is a core tenant of nursing.
o Describe the responsibility of the nursing profession in advocating for social justice.
o As an advanced practice nurse, describe how you will advocate for social justice.
o Provide 2 examples of social injustices and how they can impact a person’s or a population’s health. Consider the core competencies in AACN Essentials, identify the appropriate competencies that would address the above injustices.
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Social justice can be defined as the expectation that everyone deserves equal economic, political, and social rights and opportunities. It encompasses principles such as equity, access, participation, and human rights. As healthcare professionals, nurses have a core responsibility to advocate for social justice. This is because the nursing profession is deeply rooted in providing compassionate care and promoting the well-being of individuals and society as a whole.
Nurses play a crucial role in advocating for social justice because they have direct contact with patients and their families, and they witness firsthand the disparities and injustices that exist in healthcare. Nurses have a unique perspective and understanding of the social determinants of health, which are the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work, and age. These determinants impact health outcomes and create disparities. Addressing these disparities and promoting social justice is essential to ensuring the health and well-being of individuals and communities.
As advocates for social justice, nurses have several responsibilities. Firstly, they must be knowledgeable about social issues and inequalities that affect health. This includes understanding the social determinants of health, such as poverty, discrimination, and lack of access to healthcare. Nurses must also be aware of systemic and structural factors that perpetuate these inequalities, such as policies, laws, and social norms. With this knowledge, nurses can use their voices and positions of influence to raise awareness, advocate for change, and promote health equity.
As an advanced practice nurse, I would advocate for social justice by utilizing my skills and expertise to address health disparities at both the individual and population levels. This can be done through direct patient care, by providing culturally sensitive and equitable care to individuals from diverse backgrounds. It can also be accomplished through community outreach, education, and policy advocacy.
Two examples of social injustices and their impact on health include:
1. Racial and ethnic disparities in healthcare: Racial and ethnic minorities often face barriers in accessing healthcare, receive lower quality care, and experience higher rates of chronic diseases and poor health outcomes. This injustice can be addressed by advocating for culturally competent care, increasing diversity in the healthcare workforce, and advocating for policies that promote health equity.
2. Socioeconomic inequalities: Individuals from lower socioeconomic backgrounds often have limited access to healthcare, unhealthy living conditions, and higher rates of chronic diseases. Addressing this injustice can involve advocating for policies that support affordable and accessible healthcare, income equality, and affordable housing.
These examples align with several core competencies outlined in AACN Essentials. Competency 3: "Translating and integrating scholarship into practice" can address the need for nurses to be knowledgeable about social issues and inequalities. Competency 6: "Interprofessional collaboration for improving patient and population health outcomes" emphasizes the importance of collaborative efforts to address social injustices in healthcare. Competency 8: "Clinical prevention and population health for improving health" focuses on addressing health disparities and promoting health equity.
In conclusion, social justice is a core tenant of nursing due to the profession's commitment to providing compassionate care and promoting the well-being of individuals and society. As nurses, it is our responsibility to advocate for social justice by addressing health disparities and promoting health equity. Through education, policy advocacy, and culturally competent care, nurses can improve the health outcomes of individuals and populations affected by social injustices.
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