Marlina Mendoza
September 16, 2024
M2: Discussion Question 2 – Nursing Advocacy
Can you describe a specific example of nursing advocacy in action you've encountered
or heard about? What were the nurses' key actions, and what impact did their advocacy efforts
have on patient care or the healthcare system?
As a nurse leader in an adult cardiac critical care unit for the past five years, it is
my responsibility to contribute to a healthy work environment. Finding joy and meaning at work
may be difficult when experiencing burnout or compassion fatigue. Burnout among nurses has
become a critical issue across healthcare systems globally, with effects on the well-being of the
healthcare professional and the quality of patient care (Cooper, 2024). Supporting and
understanding the well-being of my team is crucial for retention and mental well-being.
Moral distress, compassion fatigue, secondary traumatic stress, burnout syndrome, post-
traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and depression are higher among nurses in the critical care
setting (Mealer, 2020). All these factors can lead to nurses leaving the bedside and creating
shortages on an institutional level. Advocacy as a unit leader ensures that the clinicians at the
bedside are being heard individually and connecting with the staff to make the necessary
changes. This involves listening to the nurses and nursing assistants, understanding their
concerns, and giving them a channel to voice their feelings. Doing this will help create
interventions to mitigate distress, improve well-being, build resilience, and improve overall
satisfaction with a healthy work environment (Mealer, 2020).
My key action to help mitigate these changes in my unit is to have several key
components in place. Open communication and transparency amongst the team is essential for
the team to have trust in their abilities and be informed of changes happening. I round
intentionally with the staff and am present on the unit, meaningful recognition of the staff to
show my appreciation for everything they do day in and day out. Communication with staff
occurs at staff meetings, huddles, and in person one-on-one.
Promoting well-being amongst my team consists of paid time off, respected lunchtime
with no interruptions, wellness walks, offering the nurse to step away during a high-intensity
situation with myself or another nurse stepping in for them, not having the same difficult
assignment multiple days in a row, having debriefs after codes or emergencies, adequate staffing,
flexible scheduling, and leadership support on and off the unit, frequent check-ins. Creating these
interventions increases awareness of the prevalence of burnout in the ICU setting and helps
leaders support their teams (Cooper, 2024). These advocacy efforts have had a positive impact on
the team to support each other and collaborate. I have also done unit-based Schwartz Rounds via
TEAMS to be able to talk about difficult cases and remind everyone we are in this together and
they are not alone.
In summary, nursing advocacy for a healthy work environment is crucial for retention
and overall well-being.
References
Mealer, M. (2020). Promoting Well-Being and Resilience in Critical Care Nursing. AACN Adv
Crit Care 15 June 2020; 31 (2): 139–140. doi: [Link]
Cooper, A.S. (2024). High-Level Burnout in Physicians and Nurses Working in Adult Intensive
Care Units. Crit Care Nurse 1 August 2024; 44 (4): 70–71.
doi: [Link]