Nursing leadership in policy development continues to be acknowledged as an important aspect of professional practice. The past decade of health services restructuring has led to a renewed emphasis on nursing’s role in health care policy; however, there is also a need to focus more broadly on policies outside the health care sector that influence health. A critical question is how to prepare nurses to influence the development of “healthy public policy.” This article describes shifts in thinking about policy in health and what this portends for nursing education. The authors argue that comprehensive preparation in public policy for nurses is an essential element of graduate education. The article describes faculty and student perspectives and experiences in the first offerings of the nursing graduate course, Promoting Health-Enhancing Public Policy. The article concludes with recommendations that may assist students to acquire knowledge regarding the policy process and approaches to policy advocacy.
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