Learn the process, get empowered.
Missouri Nurses Association is committed to preparing members to be leaders in legislative advocacy. To that end, we are offering the Advocacy Institute. The Institute is designed to grow nurses’ political competence, enhance advocacy skills and provide exposure to coalitions, media and political action committees. Participants will engage in many aspects of the legislative process, including ways of influencing legislators, members of the profession and the public through direct interaction, participation in group action and the creation and delivery of testimony in support of a specific bill. No prior legislative advocacy experience is required. The MONA Advocacy Institute is a member-only benefit.*
*Participants will be responsible for registration fees for Advocacy in Action and Nurse Advocacy Day and will be eligible for the assigned contact hours.
MONA ADVOCACY INSTITUTE: PROGRAM GUIDELINES
Requirements: Advocacy Institute participants must be a member of Missouri Nurses Association, and attend the Advocacy in Action program, a required core activity to begin the Advocacy Institute participation. Selected participants shall actively engage in all group training and individual mentoring meetings and accumulate a minimum of 10 points of selected advocacy activities. A personal record of all one’s activities, including thoughtful planning and reflection, will be submitted electronically as a Personal Portfolio to demonstrate completion of Advocacy Institute requirements. Upon completion of all requirements of the program, a certificate will be presented.
Cohorts: The Advocacy Institute will operate in a cohort system with a cohort opening each fall during the Advocacy in Action event. The cohort will move through the program together. Capacity will be limited.
Engagement Meetings: The Institute will host calls every other month with short policy presentations and time for individuals to report on their progress earning points. Call topics will be based on Missouri Nurses Association legislative priorities and the time of year. Written materials and sources of information regarding the discussion topics and advocacy activities will be provided.
Mentors: An additional benefit to participation in the Advocacy Institute is the opportunity to be paired with an experienced nurse advocate as a mentor. Mentors will be available to provide coaching, guidance, and reviewing of written submissions to the Personal Portfolio throughout the process.
Once participants earn 10 points and graduate from the program, they will be eligible to serve as peer mentors to future participants in the Advocacy Institute.
Points: The Advocacy Institute will utilize a point system to track participant progress. Each participant must earn 10 points to meet the point criteria and are eligible to graduate upon completion of the program in June. Below are the point values per activity. Participants are required to document planning, action and evaluation of any group or individual activity that earns them points and submit that documentation to the Institute staff through Trello, an electronic tool for project management (staff will provide access for participants and mentors).
- ½ point for planning, completing & evaluating a posting on social media (max 2 points total)
- 1 point for written analysis of a current bill of significance to nursing
- 1 point for submitting testimony online on a bill scheduled for a House or Senate hearing
- 1 point for emailing your legislator about a bill, responding to comments and follow-up
- 2 points for having an in-district meeting with a legislator
- 2 points for providing in-person testimony on a bill at a House or Senate hearing
- 3 points for meeting with a legislator in-person at the Capitol
- 3 points for serving as a peer facilitator at Nurse Advocacy Day in Jefferson City
- Opportunities for additional points may be proposed by mentors, staff or participants and must be pre-approved for inclusion in the participants Personal Portfolio.