{"title":"From witness to advocate: A nursing student's call to action for health care reform.","authors":"Nic Burgdorf","doi":"10.1097/NSG.0000000000000374","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Abstract: </strong>My experiences as a student nurse and as a nursing assistant ignited a passion for making a difference, beginning with the moment I witnessed a death. At that moment, I realized the importance of nursing care and my limited ability to influence the health care system. Nurses must amplify their voices to address the systemic challenges in health care delivery. This article describes my internship with the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) and the phenomena impacting rural health and communities today. Over 100 rural hospitals have closed, thousands of services are being cut, and millions of rural citizens are left stranded without vital health care. During my AACN internship, I learned how federal and state funding and legislation affect health care at every level, and the significance of engagement in policy work. This article serves as a call to action, providing practical resources applicable to all nurses, regardless of their position or level of practice.</p>","PeriodicalId":35641,"journal":{"name":"Nursing","volume":"56 5","pages":"60-62"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0000,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Nursing","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1097/NSG.0000000000000374","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2026/4/20 0:00:00","PubModel":"Epub","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"Nursing","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Abstract: My experiences as a student nurse and as a nursing assistant ignited a passion for making a difference, beginning with the moment I witnessed a death. At that moment, I realized the importance of nursing care and my limited ability to influence the health care system. Nurses must amplify their voices to address the systemic challenges in health care delivery. This article describes my internship with the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) and the phenomena impacting rural health and communities today. Over 100 rural hospitals have closed, thousands of services are being cut, and millions of rural citizens are left stranded without vital health care. During my AACN internship, I learned how federal and state funding and legislation affect health care at every level, and the significance of engagement in policy work. This article serves as a call to action, providing practical resources applicable to all nurses, regardless of their position or level of practice.
期刊介绍：
Nursing2020 (ISSN 0360-4039; online ISSN 1538-8689) published its first issue in November 1971, under founders Gene W. Jackson and Daniel Cheney. In the intervening years, its circulation has grown to over 150,000, making it one of the largest nursing journals in the world. Published monthly, Nursing2020 is widely regarded as offering current, practical contents to its readers, and has won many editorial awards testifying to the quality of its copy and graphics. The editorial and clinical staff, a 19-member Editorial Board of distinguished clinicians and practitioners, and over 100 invited reviewers help ensure the quality of this publication.
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