How to Write Nursing School Policies

Nursing school policies should cover every aspect of nurse training. They also must be rewritten and renewed in response to changes in legislation, employment and anti-discrimination issues and public concerns about health care. An example is the American Nurses' Association's "Nurse Staffing and Patient Outcomes in the Inpatient Hospital Setting," which was produced in response to concerns about understaffing. Because nurse educators are responsible for training the nurses of the future, they are key players in the nation's health care, and maintaining nursing school policies is essential.

Instructions

• 1

  Look at existing policies, particularly if you are covering a familiar issue, such as examinations, admissions or dress code. Write down the inadequacies or inaccuracies of the existing policy and discuss them with colleagues. Study the relevant policy of other nursing schools. Many can be found online on nursing school websites. If you are writing a new policy, write down all the key issues you wish to include.

• 2

  Write down the key aims of the policy and make a list of those who will be affected by it, such as final-year students or tutors. Liaise with representatives from these bodies. If the policy is new, controversial or complex -- such as an ethics policy -- set up a working party to help write it.

• 3

  Disseminate a draft copy of the policy to members of the working party or senior colleagues in the school. Ask for comments and criticisms, and accept these as a constructive step in preparing the best possible final policy. Prepare the final draft. Include it in the relevant medium, such as the students' induction pack. Ask all relevant parties to read the policy and sign a statement to say they have done so. Set a review date for the policy so you can assess its effectiveness.