National nursing associations and their members have the knowledge and expertise to be leaders in the development of public policy in their country. Nurses around the world are interested in gaining and developing the skills needed to engage in the policy process — a critical component of health system strengthening.

In January, representatives from the Strengthening Nurses, Nursing Networks and Associations Program (SNNNAP) were in Senegal and Vietnam to deliver workshops to nurse leaders on building these skills. SNNNAP used CNA’s Influencing Public Policy workshop resources to develop a unique session for each country.

In Dakar, members of the Association Nationale des Infirmiers et Infirmières Diplômés d’État du Sénégal (ANIIDES) addressed how they could influence the government’s priority health policy areas: maternal and infant mortality, health human resources, health system governance and infectious diseases. Representatives from all regions of the country were involved, including senior Senegalese health ministry officials. ANIIDES is preparingrecommendations coming out the meeting to present to the Senegalese health minister. Offering the workshop was a first for ANIIDES, one of SNNNAP’s newest partners. The workshop was delivered by SNNNAP mentor Marie-Josée Trépanier, a member of the Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario.

The workshop in Ninh Binh province focused on identifying priority policy areas for the Vietnam Nurses Association (VNA) and on finding the best ways to influence policy-makers. The policy issues determined by VNA were health human resources planning related to numbers and skills mix of nurses, nursing education and worklife quality. VNA also wants to play a role in the broader issue of working toward equitable access to care for the population as a whole. Participants said the opportunity to put into practice the skills they had learned was especially valuable. Lynn Power, director of policy and practice, Association of Registered Nurses of Newfoundland and Labrador, and SNNNAP program manager Tanya Salewski were the workshop facilitators. Power, a SNNNAP mentor to VNA, comments that the event helped participants become more aware of the impact that public policy has on improving health services on the ground.