Bringing Nurses’ Voices to Congress: Reflections from AONL Advocacy Day
Angie Fenton DNP, MS, RN, CNE
ASPAN Governmental Affairs SWT Coordinator
Representing ASPAN, I attended the American Organization for Nursing Leadership (AONL) Advocacy Day 2026 in Washington, D.C., with two other members of the Governmental Affairs SWT, Dr. Alphonzo Baker, Sr., and Elizabeth (Annie) Steffen. We spent the first day training. We learned that sharing stories is the most impactful way to advocate for bills, as it connects us and creates urgency for our lawmakers. Effective stories tap into emotions, include vivid details, and present a bill as the solution to the problem.
My advocacy partner was Marie Prothero, a nurse from my home state, Utah. We had four appointments with legislative staff. We arrived at our appointments and started with two stories (names were changed to protect privacy). “Tiffany,” a nurse, was following a patient down a stairwell who was attempting to leave against medical advice. She was desperate to remove their PICC line because of their history of substance use disorder. The patient hid in a blind spot in the stairwell, waited for “Tiffany” to come around the corner, and strangled her until she lost consciousness. This event was very upsetting; the hospital administration responded quickly by providing training for all hospital staff to prevent similar incidents.
Just two months later, another nurse, “Ema,” at the same hospital, walked into a patient’s room and was immediately assaulted. The patient wrapped a phone charging cord around “Ema’s” neck and began strangling her. There were no signs of agitation or aggression before that moment. These stories led us to request co-sponsorship of the Save Healthcare Workers Act (S.1600/H.R.3178). We discussed that sometimes, even with the right training, assaults still occur. This act provides federal protection against knowingly assaulting healthcare workers and will deter acts of violence. Next, we requested co-sponsorship of the Title VIII Nursing Workforce Reauthorization Act (S.1874/H.R. 3593) and congressional support of legislative efforts to recognize Nursing as a Professional Degree.
Overall, my experience was very positive and honestly, pretty fun! The congressional staff members were welcoming and attentive. They seemed concerned and reassured us that they would pass our concerns on to the congressman. Our visit was successful, and Representative Burgess Owens (R-UT) is now a co-sponsor of the Save Healthcare Workers Act. I left feeling empowered and grateful for the opportunity. Washington, D.C. is a beautiful, clean, and safe city—home to incredible monuments that feel both nostalgic and almost surreal to experience in person.
I hope to see more perianesthesia nurses advocate and attend nursing legislative days at the state or national level. It is the best!