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BASIC DESCRIPTION
Nurse lobbyists lobby for issues, particularly those related to health care legislation or health policy. A health policy analyst collects data and conducts background research, synthesizes research findings, and reports this information in verbal or written formats, usually on a particular project that serves the client’s needs. Because of the analyst’s knowledge of health and health care, the data and background documents are framed to convey information about the broad determinants of health and the impact of the data on policy change. A successful lobbyist must perform detailed policy analysis, understand the complex processes of policy making, establish strong relationships with decision makers, create a trustworthy and approachable reputation, and know the culture of the lawmakers and utilize congruent political strategies. Health policy analysts and lobbyists may be independent consultants or may be employed by professional organizations. Health policy analysts may be employed by government agencies (e.g., state or city health departments).
EDUCATIONAL REQUIREMENTS
Registered nurse preparation is required; Master of Science in Nursing and Master of Public Health or equivalent are desired.
CORE COMPETENCIES/SKILLS NEEDED
■ Legislative background
■ Analytical skills in public health and health care issues
■ Knowledge of political and legislative processes
■ Appropriate research skills to seek a variety of data sources, and to prioritize among the data sources for accuracy and bias
■ Excellent and accurate attention to detail is required in all written and verbal communication
■ Ability to effectively prioritize project tasks and schedules
■ Broad knowledge of key processes related to legislation, regulation, and politics on the local, state, and legislative levels
■ Ability to extract and summarize large amounts of data and evidence to support health policies
RELATED WEB SITES AND PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
■ State of CT ethics commission lobbyist electronic filing (www.lims.state.CT.us/public/eth4b.asp)
■ North Carolina Nurses Association (www.ncnurses.org/ leg_info.htm)