How a Bill Becomes a Law
SITUATION: IS THIS SOMETHING THAN CAN BE LEGISLATED?
Identify the problem/concern:
Fatigue (commonly compassion related) among caregivers in the health care industry. Many nurses who work in palliative care or with terminally ill patients often suffer from compassion fatigue and burn out. This leads to less motivation among nurses and nurses becoming unsatisfied with their career and or workload.
State your proposal/idea.
Nurses of all types, not those just experiencing compassion fatigue, should be offered and engaged within higher roles. Thus, giving opportunities for leadership roles, management, and problem solving strategies.
BACKGROUND: DO YOUR RESEARCH
Include studies, reports, personal experience, or anecdotal stories related to your proposal.
There is a significant need to increase the education level of all nurses. Ongoing nurse education must be continuously available and provided. Learning at a higher level of education and learning new skills would then provide greater job satisfaction and motivation to the nurses that are currently experiencing fatigue and deter fatigue from those who have not yet encountered it. Emphasis on learning would lead to nurses understanding the value of higher education and lead them to continue their education.
Has there been similar legislation introduced and/or passed in other states? If so, include it.
There has been a similar legislation introduced in the past by The Institute of Medicine (IOM); Recommendation 6: Ensure that nurses engage in lifelong learning. This recommendation, however, did not focus on compassion related fatigue in nursing.
ASSESSMENT: FINANCES AND STAKEHOLDERS
Identify financial impact if any (e.g., added costs, cost savings, increased revenue):
There will be a financial impact on all nurses and organizations. Colleges/Schools would be required to increase the amount of classes offered so that all