Policy change, just like change in other contemporary fields is crucial because it is the only way that assures movement from a point of discomfort to where individuals, groups or organizations can feel comfortable. One of the strategies that nurses could use to assure policy change is through formation and/or joining organizations. As an organization, nurses would become a force that bears the potential to make their voices heard by policymakers as compared to when the organization did not exist (Paradiso & Sweeney, 2019). If nurses addressed issues affecting them as a group, the benefits would be viewed to benefit them as a group, hence increasing the chances of affecting the provisions/clauses of a policy as compared to if the policy was considered to be geared by self-interests of a specific individual or a small group of nurses.

Nurses could also strategize to function as advocates for their patients in the quest to bring about policy changes in the healthcare sector. As it is always reported, nurses are trained to attend to the needs of patients, and they actually engage the most with the patients and their families. As a result, they get to know the problems facing patients at a deeper level, which makes them the most appropriate professionals to present the needs of their patients to policymakers (Paradiso & Sweeney, 2019). Nurses can hence identify policies that affect the care delivery strategies that directly and/or indirectly and negatively affect patients and suggest changes to those policies.

Addressing Workforce Shortage

The Affordable Care Act, under the sections that tackles healthcare workforce has four major provisions. Among the provisions which are all aimed at improving the access to care as well as delivery of services among individuals in rural areas include gathering comprehensive information on demand and supply, diversity, skills and distribution of healthcare workers (Chotchoungchatchai et al., 2020). The ACA also aims at increasing the number of healthcare workers who are qualified to provide almost all healthcare services, increase and enhance training and education to increase the number of people who would henceforth be trained healthcare workers, and supporting existing workers so that they continue serving in those areas (Walsh et al., 2020). The above-mentioned provisions of the Affordable Care Act are all geared towards increasing workforce shortages in the rural communities, and possibly maintaining the levels that would be achieved. If the four provisions of the ACA are addressed on point, it will be possible to provide a lasting solution to the problem of workforce shortages in the rural communities.

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