Policy & Advocacy
We use the strength of our nursing community to advance the profession and collaborate with other organizations, lending our voice to the priorities listed below.
AACN advocates for nurses, patients and families in many ways. Since 2001, AACN has committed to actively promoting the creation of Healthy Work Environments as the top advocacy priority. Other areas of focus are noted below:
Need to register to vote? Interested in sharing your voice with other nurses, or contacting officials at the local, state or federal level? We have resources for you.
Healthy work environments (HWEs) are an AACN advocacy priority. Hospitals and units that implement one or more of the six standards – skilled communication, true collaboration, effective decision-making, appropriate staffing, meaningful recognition and authentic leadership – support optimal patient care and nurses’ professional fulfillment.
1The work environment is the foundation of the nurse-patient relationship, and we must advocate to protect it.
2Nurses see firsthand how delivery of care can improve. In an HWE, nurses can effectively advocate for the tools, resources and changes they need.
3Implementing one or more of the six HWE standards provides evidence-based guidelines for success.
AACN Position Statements and our standards of practice are tools to guide acute, progressive and critical care nurses to advocate for themselves, patients and families, and the nursing profession.
The best available evidence should guide all healthcare decisions. This is true for the individual healthcare professional at a patient’s bedside and for civic leaders who make local, state and federal healthcare policy.
AACN Position Statement: “Science Must Drive Clinical Practice and Public Health Policy”
If you don’t see what you need on this page, we may have other information that can help you. Complete this form with your questions about AACN’s advocacy efforts. To connect with, share and learn from other AACN nurses, join one of our online communities.