Background:The concept of patient advocacy is still poorly understood and not clearly conceptualized. Therefore, there is a gap between the ideal of patient advocacy and the reality of practice. In...

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0969733019832950

Patient advocacy in nursing: A concept analysis.

https://scholar.valpo.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1049&context=nursing_fac_pubs

Service-Learning in Undergraduate Nursing Education: Where is the Reflection?

A critical review of social and health inequalities in the nursing curriculum.

Using Simulation to Teach About Poverty in Nursing Education: A Review of Available Tools

Objective
Social inequities threaten the health of the global population. A superficial acknowledgement of social justice by nursing's foundational documents may limit the degree to which nurses view injustice as relevant to nursing practice and education. The purpose was to examine conceptualizations of social justice and connections to broader contexts in the most recent editions.

Design
Critical discourse analysis examines and uncovers dynamics related to power, language, and inequality within the American Nurses Association's Code of Ethics, Scope and Standards of Practice, and Social Policy Statement.

Results
This analysis found ongoing inconsistencies in conceptualizations of social justice. Although the Code of Ethics integrates concepts related to social justice far more than the other two, tension between professionalism and social change emerges. The discourse of professionalism renders interrelated cultural, social, economic, historical, and political contexts nearly invisible.

Conclusion
Greater consistency would provide a clearer path for nurses to mobilize and engage in the courageous work necessary to address social injustice. These findings also call for an examination of how nurses can critique and use the power and privilege of professionalism to amplify the connection between social institutions and health equity in nursing education, practice, and policy development.

Critical discourse analysis of social justice in nursing's foundational documents

Nursing students need an in-depth understanding of how social determinants, such as poverty, unsafe housing, and illiteracy, impact the health of patients. The authors describe how a patient advocacy service-learning course increased students' awareness and proficiency in working with the challenges low-income, vulnerable individuals face as they attempt to improve their lives and health. Course learning objectives, essential requirements, and student reflections are presented.

Meghan L. Bell

Papers

Teaching Students to Work With Vulnerable Populations Through a Patient Advocacy Course