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Nurses and policy: Tools and resources for engagement

November 4, 2024

By: Samantha Karp, RN, MSN, Allison Crha, MPH, RN and Alison Hernandez, PhD, RN

Civic engagement is a continuum of activities ranging from voting and advocating for policy to community engagement and running for office. Being a civically engaged community member is included in the American Nurses Association’s Code of Ethics for Nurses with Interpretive Statements and aligns with the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s report on the Future of Nursing 2020-2030: Charting a Path to Achieve Health Equity. The Future of Nursing report also stresses the critical need for nurses to involve themselves in policy and highlights the importance of nurses leading at all levels to effect change. Despite calls to action, opportunities to learn about policy and advocacy can prove difficult to find. Currently, no compilation exists of opportunities available for nurses seeking experience and knowledge in policy. This article is a first attempt at compiling opportunities available to nurses ready to deepen their understanding of policy.

Some of the barriers nurses face when looking to gain policy experience include inconsistent integration of policy education in nursing schools or professional settings and few role models who are pursuing policy work. According to a survey conducted by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing and the National Forum of State Nursing Workforce Centers, there are over 5 million nurses, yet fewer currently serve at the state or federal level today than in the last decade. Only three members of the U.S. House of Representatives are nurses today, and no nurse has ever served in the U.S. Senate. This lack of representation can deter those wanting to pursue work in public service and policy.

Another barrier nurses face on the path to civic engagement is the lack of centralized information on where to seek policy-related opportunities. Educational and experiential opportunities exist, but they can prove hard to find. These experiences allow nurses to confidently step into the policy world with the necessary guidance to take their skills from patient care to policy. To better assist nurses to engage in policy, we created a reference table listing fellowship and internship opportunities focused on policy.

About the programs

The programs listed in the table aren’t exhaustive or exclusive to those with nursing backgrounds or even healthcare professionals. All are open to individuals at different career stages and policy experience. To find the available programs as listed below, we pulled from our own personal and professional experiences and conducted a web-based search using key search terms such as “policy,” “fellowship,” “internship,” “program,” and “nurses/nursing” with “federal” or “state”. The table includes 41 programs, with features beneficial to nurses looking to learn and become involved in policy at a state or federal level. We completed this search in December 2022 and revised and expanded it in April 2024. Excluded from the table are search results not applicable to most nurses (for example, those requiring a non-nursing specific degree or career). The table highlights the experience required of applicants, the location and length of the program, whether financial compensation is provided, and participant time commitments. We’ve included programs for those completing undergraduate degrees through post-doctoral and advanced-level career opportunities. These programs come from various local, state, and federal organizations.

In addition to using this resource, we recommend nurses supplement the table below by doing the following:

Look into local, state, and federal government organizations, agencies, and elected offices for fellowships, internships, or other opportunities.
Reach out to their own academic institutions. Some universities and academic programs have opportunities only applicable to students affiliated with that organization.
Use common job search engines in online searches (such as LinkedIn, Glassdoor, Indeed, USAjobs.gov). Some internships and fellowships are posted as they become available and may not be permanent or searchable year-round.

Program	Degree level and experience required	Length and location	*Paid/unpaid	Full-time or part-time
Governor’s Fellows Program in Louisiana Government	Undergraduate or graduate students enrolled in Louisiana school or Louisiana resident out-of-state student	Summer	Paid	Full-time
Administration for Community Living	Accepted/enrolled in academic institution	Offered year-round Washington D.C. and select regional offices	Unpaid	Part-time
American Association of Colleges of Nursing Government Affairs and Policy Internship	Current student at AACN member institution	Minimum 6 weeks Washington D.C.	Unpaid	20 hours per week minimum
Jack Mitchell Health Policy Internship	Undergraduate senior, graduate student, or recent post-graduate	3-6 months Washington, D.C.	Paid	32 hours per week minimum
Center for California Studies Capital Fellows: California Senate Fellows Program and Executive Fellowship Program	Bachelor’s degree	10-11 months Sacramento, CA	Paid	Full-time
The Jesse M. Unruh Assembly Fellowship Program	Bachelor’s degree	11 months Sacramento, CA	Paid	Full-time
The Governor’s Office: James H. Dunn, Jr. Memorial Fellowship, Michael Curry Summer Internship Program, Governor’s Office of Constituent Affairs Internship, The Office of Equity Internship	Recent graduate with bachelor’s degree or higher (summer internship available to current students)	10 weeks to 1 year (program dependent) Illinois	Paid	Full-time
Urban Fellows	Recent undergraduate (with specific graduation dates for each cycle)	9 months New York City, NY	Paid	Full-time
Summer Internship Program	Enrolled in undergraduate or graduate program	13 weeks New York City, NY	Unpaid and paid (agency dependent)
Civil Service Pathways Fellowship	CUNY graduates with bachelor’s degree New York City resident	2 years New York City, NY	Paid	Full-time
John D. Solomon Fellowship for Public Service	New York City area graduate students	9 months New York City, NY	Paid	15-20 hours per week
The Advocacy Institute Fellowship	ANA\California member nurse with 2 years of ANA\California membership Baccalaureate-level nursing degree	1 year California (remote, some meetings in person)	Unpaid	4-6 hours per month
SAMHSA Internship Program	Currently enrolled (associate’s degree through doctorate) or recent graduate within 18 months	10-15 weeks Rockville, MD	Paid	Full-time
Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute	Current undergraduate or recent graduate	9 months Washington D.C.	Paid	32 hours per week minimum
White House Fellows Program	Undergraduate degree	1 year Washington D.C.	Paid	Full-time
American Publi c Health Association Internships	Current undergraduate, graduate, post-graduate students	Washington D.C. 8 weeks minimum	Unpaid	20 hours per week minimum
State Policy Fellowship Program	College degree 2+ years experience OR graduate degree in related field (within 2 years)	2 years Various state partnerships	Paid	Full-time
The Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. Foundation 2024 Public Policy Fellowship Program	“a professional, a person experiencing disability, or a family member of someone with intellectual or developmental disabilities”	1 year Washington, D.C.	Paid	Full-time
Urban Leaders Fellowship	Professionals with 2+ years experience	7 weeks in summer Various locations nationwide	Paid	Full-time
Emerging Leaders of Color Fellowship	Early career professionals	February–December Various states	Paid	~35 hours a month
Alliance for Health Policy Fellowship	Current student or recent graduate with relevant Bachelor’s or Master’s degree	Variable (semester application cycles)	Must be fully funded through scholarship to apply	30 hours per week minimum
Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies	Young professionals	9 months Washington D.C.	Paid	Full-time
The Division of Maternal and Child Health Workforce Development Internship	Graduate student	6–8 week minimum Rockville, MD	Unpaid	Flexible
Wisconsin Policy Forum Fellowship	Currently enrolled graduate students in Wisconsin	9 months Wisconsin	Paid	Part-time (10 hours per week minimum)
Presidential Management Fellows	Current or recent graduate student	2 years at a Federal Agency	Paid	Full-time
The Margaret E. Mahoney Fellowships in Health Policy May not be active currently	Graduate nursing, medical, dental, public health, public policy students	10 weeks Greater New York/New Jersey area	Paid	Full-time
The Christine Mirzayan Science & Technology Policy Graduate Fellowship Program	Graduate degree (within 5 years) in relevant field	12 weeks Washington D.C.	Paid	Full-time
David A. Winston Health Policy Fellowship	Immediate post-graduate with Master’s degree	12 months Washington D.C.	Paid	Full-time
Fellowship in Health Policy and Media	Healthcare professionals	12 months, remote with possible travel to Washington D.C.	Unpaid	Part-time
Robert Wood Johnson Health Policy Fellowship	Advanced degree Mid-level career	12 months minimum with option to extend through legislative session Washington D.C.	Paid	Full-time
The Wisconsin Population Health Service Fellowship	Master’s or doctoral degree (public health or allied discipline)	2 years Wisconsin	Paid	Full-time
Distinguished Nurse Scholar-in-Residence Program	Nurse leaders	12 months Washington D.C.	Paid	Full-time
Jonas Scholars Policy Program Requires school to apply for scholarship	Current nursing doctoral student PhD or DNP	2 years	Paid
NAM Fellowship to Advance State Health Policy	Early-career health science From Wisconsin Member of academic faculty	2 years	Paid	Part-time (10%-20% time commitment)
American Academy of Nursing Fellowship	Early-career Doctoral degree (4-10 years out of post-grad work) Fellow of AAN, nominated by NAM or AAN	2 years	Paid	Part-time (10%-20% time commitment)
American Association for the Advancement of Science-Science and Technology Policy Fellowship	Doctoral degree in science or Master’s in engineering	1 year Washington D.C.	Paid	Full-time
The Bill Finerfrock Health Policy Fellowship	Mid-career Current rural health professionals	4 weeks Alexandria, VA	Paid	Full-time
NAM Greenwall Fellowship in Bioethics	PhD or equivalent (2-10 years out of post-grad work)	2 years	Paid	Part-time (10% -20% time commitment)
Health and Aging Policy Fellows Program	All career levels	Residential track: 9-12 months Washington D.C. or state agency Nonresidential track: 1 year At own institution	Paid	Residential: full-time Nonresidential: part-time
Other Agencies/Organizational Lists
CDC Extensive list of partnerships and offerings through CDC	Separated by career and education level	Varied length and location	Varied	Varied
Columbia Public Health Fellowships and internships for health care professionals interested in environmental and public health intersection, list provided by Columbia Public Health	Healthcare professional	Varied length and location	Varied	Varied

*Paid indicates whether the program offers any type of financial compensation/assistance. This typically indicates a living stipend or covering travel costs, but please read further about each program for the financial details.

Table contents are based on recent internet searches and website availability as of April 2024. If you have a program you would like to be included or added or edited in the table, please reach out to the corresponding author listed.

Conclusions and Recommendations for Future Engagement

The table highlights a variety of policy-related opportunities available to nurses and other healthcare professionals. It serves as a first attempt at capturing internship and fellowship opportunities in the policy sphere in one place. This table should be seen as an evergreen document with dynamic content that should be maintained and updated as more opportunities are identified. University career centers and other nursing affiliated groups should disseminate the table as well.

More work is needed to identify how nurses can bridge the gap between working as a clinician or researcher and policy work. It’s important that nurses understand the continuum of civic engagement and participate actively—through advocacy, voting, remaining engaged in current events, and striving for leadership roles at every level in their communities.

Many opportunities exist for nurses to participate in policy. They can take an active role in a professional organization’s policy committee. They can call elected officials to provide expertise or hold them accountable on identified issues. They can volunteer for campaigns, and even run for office themselves or support another nurse who is. Moreover, nursing skills are inherently aligned with those of great policymakers in three ways. First, nurses have the most continuous contact with patients, building trust and connection. Second, nurses continuously act as advocates to safeguard patient outcomes. Third, they’re trained to have strong problem-solving skills, identify critical issues, and provide real time innovative solutions. These are core skills for policy making.

As the nursing profession continues to evolve, so will the need to educate and prepare a cadre of nursing leaders to participate in policy making. Nursing programs must provide exposure and education to policy to ensure new nurses enter the field prepared to advocate for it at every point in their careers. This is possible through emphasizing policy work as equally important as clinical practices and providing clinical placements as well as public service rotation opportunities to reflect this. Finally, nursing relies heavily on peer education and mentorship, and policy engagement is no different. We strongly encourage any nurses who’ve found a path in policy to help guide other nurses along the way.

Samantha Karp, RN, MSN, is a Staff Nurse in the Cardiac Cath Lab at Bellevue Hospital in New York, NY; Allison Crha, MPH, RN, is a Legislative Assistant for the U.S. Senate in Washington DC, and Alison Hernandez, PhD, RN, is a Policy Advisor for the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging in Washington DC.

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American Nurses Association. Code of Ethics for Nurses With Interpretive Statements. 2015. nursingworld.org/coe-view-only

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Morris G. Why policy engagement is the next big nursing trend. NurseJournal. February 22, 2024. nursejournal.org/articles/the-role-of-nurses-in-policy-engagement

National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The Future of Nursing 2020-2030: Charting a Path to Achieve Health Equity. nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/25982/the-future-of-nursing-2020-2030-charting-a-path-to

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*Online Bonus Content: These are opinion pieces and are not peer reviewed. The views and opinions expressed by Perspectives contributors are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or recommendations of the American Nurses Association, the Editorial Advisory Board members, or the Publisher, Editors and staff of American Nurse Journal.