Week 4: Advocacy

When we think of advocacy, many nurses think about how they advocate for their patients and/or families. Or you may think of situations where you advocate for a colleague, direct report, or team. Those are all legitimate aspects of advocacy and important for nurses. You’ve probably heard an instructor or mentor say that in aspiring to executive-level leadership, a transition occurs in your outlook. Your view expands exponentially as you become responsible for many teams and sometimes an entire organization. For this week’s discussion about advocacy, think about a policy, cause, or large-scale issue for which you are, or can become, an advocate or champion. As you look at successful nurse leaders and executives, you’ll very likely find that they are involved in some cause such as breast cancer research, childhood obesity, the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Africa, or the heroin epidemic, and so on. In your growth toward senior levels of leadership, begin to think about where and how you will be involved as an advocate or champion.