Practice Tip of the Week | Policy and Advocacy: LVNs Making an Impact

By Laura Kincheloe, Ed.D., MSN, RN, NE-BC

The Texas Nurses Association (TNA) recently hosted an LVN Virtual Roadshow, offering an educational session that emphasized the importance of policy and advocacy for licensed vocational nurses (LVNs). Throughout the event, it became apparent that LVNs face unique challenges that directly affect their workload, job satisfaction, and confidence in the future of the nursing profession. Among these challenges were concerns echoed throughout nursing, including fears related to the criminalization of medical errors, workplace violence prevention, and retaliation.

Regardless of licensure, education, experience, or other individual characteristics, nurses can take meaningful steps to advance advocacy efforts. Below is a Roadshow Recap for ways nurses can become involved in policy and advocacy.

Understanding the Legislative Process

Patient advocacy is a role nurses routinely embrace in clinical practice. Whether ensuring a patient’s voice is heard or questioning an order that may be inappropriate, nurses demonstrate strong advocacy skills at the bedside. However, advocacy extends beyond direct patient care. To engage effectively, nurses must understand how practice issues evolve into policy issues and how those issues are addressed through legislation.

In Texas, laws are typically passed only during the legislative session, a 140-day period that occurs every two years during odd-numbered years. Planning for a legislative session begins months, if not more than a year, in advance. Organizations such as TNA often begin their policy work almost immediately after a session concludes, which typically occurs in late May or early June, unless a special session is called.

When special sessions are convened, the governor identifies specific issues to be addressed, and no other legislation may be considered. During the 88th legislative session in 2023, four special sessions were held, compared with two special sessions during the 89th legislative session in 2025.

During the session, TNA relies on its members to provide testimony, share personal experiences related to legislative issues, and meet with their legislators. Even before opportunities to testify arise, nurses help inform and shape policy through participation in TNA committees and councils. To learn more about these opportunities, visit the TNA website to explore state-level committee options.

Advocacy in Action

Anecdotal comments from LVNs indicate that many nurses hesitate to engage in advocacy beyond the bedside because they are unfamiliar with navigating the legislative system. Once they connect with professional organizations, the process often becomes clearer; however, determining immediate next steps can still feel daunting.

Because advocacy can take many forms, LVNs were asked to identify specific policy issues of interest during the roadshow. The following priorities were identified:

Once a policy issue is identified, advocacy becomes the next essential step. Advocacy occurs in many settings beyond patient care and is not optional; it is an integral component of nursing identity and professional standards. Nurses have a moral obligation to advocate for what is right, even when doing so is challenging.

Nurses may also advocate for improvements in their workplace environments, where health disparities often have tangible effects. Promoting culturally competent care and addressing racial and ethnic health disparities are key advocacy efforts within professional settings. In the community, nurses contribute to public health and wellness by providing care in schools, connecting individuals with local resources, and supporting vaccination clinics. From crisis response to broader socioeconomic concernssuch as transportation access and clean water, all nurses have opportunities to advocate.

Creating an Advocacy Plan