You will pick an ethical or health policy topic and write an opinion editorial (Op-Ed) that is ready to submit to a local, regional, or national news source. This could be a local or national paper or a letter to the editor of a journal regarding the topic of interest. Please review materials in Shared Documents that explains the essence of an Op-Ed. This is not a scholarly paper or article for a scholarly journal. It is meant to influence the public to take action about an issue or concern that you want to gain support for your point of view.
It is important to recognize how difficult it is to write a succinct Op-Ed that can motivate action in such a few words. At first you may think this is an “easy” assignment because of the limitation on words, but this actually makes it much more difficult. You will need to weigh every sentence and thought to determine if it really contributes to your argument or is it just “filler”. Although it is an opinion or letter to the editor, for the purposes of this class it needs to encourage some type of action on the part of the reader. Do not forget the importance of grass roots action; this means that Op-Eds to local news outlets can be the best way to motivate the readers to do something to improve the health of their community.
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Upon successful completion of the course material, you will be able to:
- Write a publishable quality Op-Ed regarding a controversial ethical or healthcare topic.
- Be exposed to different news sources, journals, and magazines that are available to nursing leaders.
- Develop skills as a nurse leader to influence policy through a new writing style and outlet.
- Go through the process of developing a credible, succinct submission based upon research and current evidence to inform policy leaders and the public about a health care or ethical topic.
Instructions
- Pick a topic related to a current controversial or ethical health policy issue in healthcare.
- Explore journals, magazines, or news sources (local paper, magazines that accept Op-Eds, Indianapolis News, or many others) and identify their policies for submitting an Op-Ed to for publication.
- Remember that many national papers will not accept Op-Eds except from nationally recognized experts.
- Review Op-Eds in the source to garner understanding of the type and breadth of information submitted for publication.
- Research your ideas and evidence to support your thoughts before writing the Op-Ed based upon submission guidelines.
- Prepare the Op-Ed according to the guidelines of the source. Be interesting and succinct.