Teaching Strategies for Health Advocacy for Undergraduate Nursing Students: A Scoping Review

Abstract

AIM The goal of this study was to identify strategies for teaching health advocacy for undergraduate nursing students. BACKGROUND Although health advocacy is a core skill of professional nursing practice, there are challenges in the health advocacy approach in nursing education. METHOD The databases LILACS, IBECS, BDENF, Medline, Web of Science, CINAHL, and the Cochrane Library were searched, without limit of time and language, for this scoping review; 11 articles were included. Data were analyzed and synthesized in a narrative form. RESULTS The following teaching strategies emerged: theoretical exposition and supervised clinical internship, technology-enhanced simulation, clinical experience, experiential learning, simulated social experiences, digital story making, and narrative pedagogy. The topic was taught according to several themes: economic disparity, health legislation, LGBTQ+ population, elder health, mental health, health policies, concept of advocacy, and nontechnical skills. CONCLUSION Teaching strategies for health advocacy should be based on constructivist education linked to social reality.

Legislative Advocacy on Capitol Hill

“…Little is known about US nursing and midwifery students' instruction on health policy, their educational experiences around advocacy, or their political participatory behaviors and attitudes. 3,4,8,9 A 2022 literature review on policy advocacy curriculum in prelicensure nursing programs found inconsistent teaching strategies. A lack of evidence regarding the effectiveness of different pedagogical approaches was noted, with no consensus on essential topics in health policy curriculum.…”

“…4 The importance of tailoring health policy curricula to the role of the nurse at each level of nursing education, weaving health policy content into other didactic courses, and engaging nursing faculty in health policy activities as role models was emphasized. 4,9,25 The AACN published a 2021 revised framework for nursing curriculum that incorporated recommendations to improve health policy instruction. 19 Interpreting, evaluating, and leading change in health policy, as well as advocating for professional autonomy, are presented as core concepts for nursing practice.…”

“…Examples include the delivery of content through projects, debates, public health advocacy, direct communications to legislators, fellowships, practicums, service-learning, and participation in legislative activities. 6,7,9,10,25,26 Although most programs include some health policy content, it is not the focus for students who are prioritizing acquisition and application of foundational knowledge and skills to become safe, novice clinicians. 3,23 As new graduates enter into clinical practice, they realize the influence legislation, regulation, and policy have on their ability to practice to the full extent of their training and expertise.…”

“…Since its inception in 2016, this endeavor has occurred 22 times and resulted in 560 students engaging with the offices of federal legislators from 49 US states and District of Columbia. Experiential learning of legislative advocacy has been found to be an important educational strategy for students at all levels of education 3–10. This activity can be replicated in other undergraduate and graduate educational programs, as well as at the local and state levels, for powerful learning.…”

“…Experiential learning of legislative advocacy has been found to be an important educational strategy for students at all levels of education. [3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10] This activity can be replicated in other undergraduate and graduate educational programs, as well as at the local and state levels, for powerful learning.…”