NHS FPX 6008 Assessment 4 Lobbying for Change

Lobbying for Change

Name of Authority,

Designation

Address

Dear Sir,

California must continue to invest in policies to build and maintain a strong nursing workforce. I strongly call for legislation that supports safe staffing and nursing education, nursing workforce development, and nursing recruitment and retention efforts. They must take these measures to ensure citizens can continue to maintain consistent access to high-quality health services, particularly in rural and other underserved communities with fewer staff resources.

The nursing shortage is not only a job problem, but it’s a patient safety issue. Poor nurse staffing has a negative impact on patient care. With inadequate staffing, assessments, administering medication, patient education, and changes in clinical status can be deferred or overlooked. There is recent evidence that nurse burnout is associated with increased medication errors, patient falls, healthcare-associated infections, adverse events, decreased patient satisfaction, and decreased overall quality of care (Li et al., 2024). These risks can be reduced with safe staffing policies that provide nurses with enough time and staffing to provide thoughtful, personalized care.

Emotional exhaustion, job dissatisfaction and turnover also stem from workforce shortages. Nurses who work multiple shifts with inadequate staffing can be overwhelmed with workload, lack adequate time for recuperation, and have less ability to provide quality care for their patients. Over time, many of the more experienced nurses switch to lower-level roles or move out of their organizations completely. The loss of nurses can create challenges for team cooperation, nursing stability, and health system recruitment, orientation, and training costs (Bae, 2022). Retention of good nurses is a clinical and financial priority.

The demand for workers in California also differs from state to state. While the number of nurses statewide will increase, current forecasts indicate that there is still some degree of RN shortage in nearly every region of California. Geographically remote areas and rural areas are particularly at risk due to limited nursing schools, clinical training, and healthcare professionals and employers. For this reason, there is a need for regional workforce planning to prevent the situation where the communities with the highest healthcare needs are left behind (Spetz, 2026).

Legislative measures should fund nursing scholarships, faculty development, clinical placements, residency programs, continuing education, nurse leadership, mental health services, and incentives for nurses who practice in underserved communities. Employers should also be encouraged to offer flexible work schedules, manageable workloads, supportive leadership, measures to prevent violence, and opportunities for professional growth and development that are meaningful. Employer interventions around workload, teamwork, peer support, and the work environment are shown to have a positive impact on employee well-being and reduce burnout (Cohen et al., 2023).

Such safeguards are also necessary in the profession of nursing. Nurses may be required to carry unsafely heavy workloads during extremely understaffed shifts, and to attend to emergencies, provide medication administration, document care, and track changes for numerous patients. It is hard for even the best and most committed nurses to perform all their tasks safely under these conditions. While temporary staffing may provide a short-term solution, it is not an adequate replacement for long-term workforce planning and organization support.

With this in mind, I urge California policymakers to safeguard safe staffing requirements, as well as to secure long-term support for nursing education, recruitment, and professional development and retention. It is not an indulgence for employees to provide support for nurses. It is a direct investment in patient safety, access to healthcare, organization stability, and the long-term strength of California’s healthcare system.

Yours gratefully,

Name