Abstract
AIM: The purpose of this study was to examine the attitudes of nursing students regarding nurses' involvement in health care policy and influencing factors.
BACKGROUND: Nurses have the potential to influence health care policy. In practice, their involvement in policy-making decisions has been unremarkable.
METHOD: A cross-section study was performed. A self-report questionnaire measuring nurses' involvement in determining health care policy was distributed among 400 nursing students from three universities in Israel.
RESULTS: Most students intended to become involved in determining health care policy; however, they claimed that their level of awareness and training in the field was not adequate. Recently, a new model predicted a 74.8 percent involvement of future nurses in determining health care policy.
CONCLUSION: Nursing leaders and designers of nursing education programs must create professional and personal resources through political activism among nursing students in order to preserve patients' rights and treatment quality.