Amplifying Nurses’ Voices in Media Report 2026: Policies & Recommendations
- ANA California Staff
- 2 hours ago
- 53 min read
American Nurses Association\California 1107 9th St. #350 Sacramento, CA 95814 This report was developed by the American Nurses Association\California to advance equitable media representation of nurses and healthcare professionals. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official positions of any affiliated institutions. Copyright 2026 by the American Nurses Association\California. All rights reserved. Citation: Finn-Romero, D., Fillmore, K., & Truelove, A. (2025). Amplifying Nurses’ Voices in Media Report 2025: Policies & Recommendations. American Nurses Association\California. About the American Nurses Association\CaliforniaThe American Nurses Association\California (ANA\California) is the state chapter of the American Nurses Association. ANA\California is a 501(c)6 lobbying organization, advocating for, and representing our members in the state of California, without regard to specialty or practice setting. ANA\California’s mission is to optimize nursing’s contribution to the health and well-being of individuals, families, and communities. As nurses, this primary commitment to society guides and shapes our efforts to foster nursing practice standards, promote professional and leadership development, influence public policy, and enhance professional practice environments. Reports published by the ANA\California present findings, conclusions, and recommendations developed through expert analysis, internal consultation, and review of available evidence. These reports reflect the informed perspectives of the authors and contributors and are intended to guide strategic dialogue and policy development. For information about other campaigns and ways to get involved with ANA\California, visit www.anacalifornia.org. |
ANA\California Advocacy Institute Fellows - Media PolicyDr. Deborah Finn-Romero DNP, RN, PHN, CNE, PACT (2025 Fellow) Kristy Fillmore MScN, RN, NPD-BC, CPHQ (2024 Fellow) Alicia Thomas Truelove MSN, RN, CV-BC, NPD-BC (2023 Fellow) ReviewersAlice Benjamin, MSN, ACNS-BC, FNP-C Nationally Recognized Family Nurse Practitioner and NBC Medical Contributor Richard Ricciardi, PhD, CRNP, FRCSI, FAANP, FAAN Executive Director, George Washington University’s Center for Health Policy and Media Engagement Haley Stepp, MPH Research Program Manager, George Washington University’s Center for Health Policy and Media Engagement |
Table of Contents
Shared Commitments: Nurses and Journalists
Shared Commitments: Nurses and Communications/Public Relations Teams
Applying Nursing Roles to Media Engagement
Recommendation 1: Building Foundational Competencies for Media Engagement
Recommendation 2: Creating Institutional Conditions That Support Equitable Media Engagement
Recommendation 3: Reforming Media Policy to Reflect Clarity, Inclusivity, and Accountability
Key Terms and Definitions
Sample Media Policy
Media Engagement Decision Tree
Structured Media Engagement Process Map
Executive Summary
The goal of this report is to inform healthcare executives, communications teams, and nurses about the current state of nurse participation in media and to provide policy recommendations that support and expand media engagement. As the most trusted profession for 24 consecutive years, nurses are uniquely positioned to strengthen public understanding, enhance the credibility of key messages, and shape informed, responsible public dialogue through their participation in media.
Nurses are the most trusted professionals in healthcare, yet they remain significantly underrepresented in media coverage.
This lack of visibility comes at a cost - to public understanding, to institutional credibility, and to nurses themselves. While nurses are central to improving patient experience, advancing population health, reducing the cost of care, supporting clinician well-being, and advancing health equity, their insights are rarely seen or heard in the public narratives that shape health policy, awareness, and trust.
This report outlines the systemic, cultural, and structural barriers that limit nurses’ participation in public-facing media. Drawing from institutional media policy reviews, expert analysis, and frontline nursing perspectives, it presents a series of clear, actionable recommendations for nursing and healthcare leaders seeking to align internal excellence with external representation.
The recommendations are organized into three strategic focus areas:
Disseminate Media Engagement Competencies and Implementation Strategies
Support the dissemination of competencies that prepare nurses to engage effectively with media, while identifying strategies institutions can use to develop and sustain these competencies over time. This includes preparing nurses to communicate clinical insights, public health perspectives, and policy implications clearly and responsibly.
Creating Institutional Conditions That Support Equitable Media Engagement
Transparent, inclusive processes for engaging nurses in media ensure diverse representation and support collaboration between nursing and communications teams.
Reforming Media Policy to Reflect Clarity, Inclusivity, and Accountability
Policies must evolve to reflect the realities of today’s media landscape - providing nurses with guidance, protecting institutional integrity, and affirming a commitment to representation and equity.
What’s at stake is more than visibility. When nurses participate in media, they translate frontline clinical expertise into credible, trusted public discourse. Their perspectives help humanize complex health issues, contextualize policy debates, and ground public conversations in the realities of patient care and community health.
For health systems and professional organizations, elevating nursing voices strengthens public health messaging, reinforces institutional missions around quality, safety, and equity, and positions the organization as transparent, responsive, and patient-centered. Strategic media engagement also allows institutions to shape health narratives before misinformation takes hold, while strengthening workforce morale by validating the value of nursing perspectives.
Organizations that invest in amplifying nurses in media gain more than a communications advantage. They build public and policymaker confidence in their priorities, strengthen connections with the communities they serve, and support a workforce culture that recognizes the expertise and leadership of nurses across the health and policy landscape.
This report offers both a rationale and a roadmap. By implementing these recommendations, healthcare institutions can build systems that trust, train, and elevate nurses as the public-facing leaders they already are - advancing care, equity, and credibility from the inside out.
Introduction and Purpose
Nurses’ perspectives remain largely absent in media narratives, despite their measurable impact on clinical outcomes, patient experience, and their essential role in the functioning and sustainability of healthcare institutions. As the clinicians who spend the most time with patients, nurses play a critical role in improving care quality and safety, influencing care utilization, and shaping the patient experience, all of which are central to value-based reimbursement models that reward outcomes rather than service volume. Their proximity to patients, families, and care teams positions them as powerful drivers of both direct and indirect outcomes.
When nurses' voices are excluded from public-facing media, hospitals and health systems miss a critical opportunity to extend these internal benefits into their external communications strategy and to build public trust through their most visible, human-facing professionals.
Strategically placing nurses in media is a community benefit and business imperative. Just as institutions promote clinical excellence by highlighting renowned surgeons and innovative procedures, so too should they spotlight the full continuum of care - beginning and ending with nursing expertise. Institutions that do so build stronger brands, increase transparency, and distinguish themselves as modern, responsive, and competitive employers. Public relations and media teams understand the value nurses bring, but often lack the structure, support, and clear policies needed to engage them effectively in media opportunities.
The Woodhull Study Revisited (2017) confirms this underutilization: nurses appear in only 2% of health-related news stories, compared to 18% of physician sources. Similarly, while women make up 88% of the nursing workforce, they are featured as news sources in just 36% of health-related news stories. These disparities reflect broader systemic and historical biases in media coverage, where both nurses and women have been consistently sidelined in public discourse. The result is a persistent gap in understanding the full story of healthcare. When nurses are left out, the public loses access to critical insights from those most embedded in patient care, and health systems miss the opportunity to elevate the voices that shape patient experience and outcomes every day.
This underrepresentation is not just about visibility - it is about structural barriers. Many nurses hesitate to engage in media because they fear misrepresenting the profession, jeopardizing their job or license, or speaking without institutional support. These fears are compounded by outdated or unclear media policies, including policies that are more restrictive than current law, limited access to training, and a lack of media engagement workflows that support timely and strategic participation. Media engagement often requires a rapid response, but institutions may not have systems in place to quickly identify, prepare, and recommend clinical nurses for media opportunities. As a result, even when public relations teams recognize the value of featuring nurses, logistical challenges, policy gaps, and nurses' lack of media training stand in the way.
To address these challenges, we must equip nurses with strong media competencies, build equitable pathways for media exposure, and revise media policies to reflect the realities of today’s clinical environments. Doing so will help institutions align internal excellence with external representation - strengthening brand identity, improving community engagement, advancing public health education, and securing the full return on investment that nurses provide.
Competent and confident media participation enables nurses to influence health policy, shape their professional identity, drive public health messaging, respond swiftly during crises, challenge misinformation, and ensure the public hears from those delivering care on the front lines.
What’s Inside and Why It Matters
Nurses shape health outcomes, yet their voices are often missing from the media. This guide helps change that - by equipping nurses to engage confidently with news media and share their expertise to inform public discourse and influence healthcare narratives.
Inside, you'll find:
Roles and Responsibilities
Breaks down the distinct contributions of nurses, communications and PR teams, and journalists - highlighting how their responsibilities intersect to support effective media engagement.
Media Policy Review
Examines a compiled sample media policy from California health institutions, identifying areas for improvement and offering detailed, contextual commentary.
Recommendations
Provides actionable strategies for nurses, communication teams, and healthcare institutions to create equitable and structured pathways for nurses to participate in news media.
Translating Nursing Practice into Media Engagement
“Nurses are already expert communicators, educators, and advocates. Media engagement is an extension of nursing practice into the public square, where credible, evidence-based, and human-centered health information is urgently needed. When nurses translate their expertise and experience into communication beyond the clinical setting, they bring context, compassion, and equity to health narratives.” — Haley Stepp, MPH | Research Program Manager, George Washington University’s Center for Health Policy and Media Engagement
Nurses’ core professional responsibilities—patient education, care coordination, clinical decision-making, and communicating health information to patients, families, and care teams—position them uniquely to engage with media in ways that promote public health and inform public discourse. These communication and translation skills are already part of nurses’ daily practice. The challenge lies in recognizing how these existing competencies translate to the media landscape.
The American Nurses Association’s (ANA) Code of Ethics guides nurses in clinical settings, the Society of Professional Journalists’ (SPJ) Code of Ethics outlines ethical standards for reporters, and the communications and public relations teams are guided by their institutions’ missions and values. Across these professional roles and responsibilities, there are the shared commitments to accuracy, transparency, and public trust that provide a foundation for meaningful and cooperative collaboration.
Shared Commitments: Nurses and Journalists
Honor Human Dignity
Nurses and journalists uphold the dignity, worth, and unique experiences of every individual. They strive to give voice to the voiceless, eliminate harmful stereotypes, and represent diverse perspectives with compassion, sensitivity, and respect.
Advance Health, Truth, and Justice
Nurses commit first to those in need of care; journalists commit first to the public. Both professions advocate for human and environmental well-being, seek to represent truth, and take bold action to eliminate health inequities, misinformation, and unjust policies.
Practice with Integrity and Accountability
Nurses and journalists are responsible and accountable for their practice. They verify and clarify information, uphold professional standards, disclose conflicts of interest, and foster environments of trust, safety, and ethical conduct.
Build Ethical and Collaborative Environments
Ethical journalism and ethical nursing require collaboration. Both professions rely on transparent practices, civil discourse, and shared responsibility to improve systems and protect human rights.
These shared principles underscore that both nurses and journalists operate from a foundation of integrity, accountability, and public service - creating a natural alignment for collaboration.
Shared Commitments: Nurses and Communications/Public Relations Teams
While nurses and communications or public relations teams often work toward the same institutional goals, their roles and professional frameworks differ. Nurses bring clinical expertise, patient advocacy, and firsthand understanding of care delivery, while communications professionals translate institutional priorities, research, and clinical insights for public audiences. Although the value of nursing perspectives in media is widely recognized, communications teams may not always fully understand the scope of nursing practice or how nurses’ insights can strengthen public messaging.
The commitments below outline a framework for collaboration that highlights where these roles naturally align and where greater coordination can help elevate nurses’ voices in institutional communications and public discourse.
Championing Dignity and Respect
Uphold the dignity, worth, and uniqueness of all individuals - patients, families, staff, and the broader community - by creating messaging that is inclusive, empathetic, and people-centered.
Serving the Public Good
Ensure communications reflect the institution’s commitment to health, safety, and rights. Nurses and PR professionals collaborate to elevate patient voices, address inequities, and advocate for social justice and community well-being.
Fostering Trust and Advocacy
Build trust through honest, transparent, and accurate messaging. PR teams support nurses in advocating for themselves and their patients, particularly in high-stakes media or public engagements.
Ensuring Accuracy and Integrity
Work together to verify facts, provide context, and avoid oversimplification or sensationalism - whether creating press releases, responding to inquiries, or developing social media content.
Creating Ethical Work Environments
Foster respectful, safe spaces for communication, where both nurses and PR professionals can express concerns, share stories, and engage authentically in shaping the narrative of care.
Amplifying Nursing Leadership and Professionalism
Promote nurses’ expertise and contributions through press materials, campaigns, and institutional storytelling, advancing nursing’s voice in health policy, research, and system transformation.
Practicing Transparency and Accountability
Commit to clear, timely, and accurate communication. Whether correcting misinformation or updating the public during a crisis, teams work together to maintain credibility and responsibility.
Responding Ethically in Crises
Provide timely, accurate updates during emergencies, centering public health, equity, and nurse safety. PR teams recognize nurses’ on-the-ground insights as vital for ethical crisis communication.
Uplifting Diversity and Human Experience
Seek out and elevate underrepresented stories—especially those of frontline nurses—reflecting the full spectrum of healthcare experiences across race, gender, language, identity, and role. Recognize that amplifying diverse nursing perspectives is a global imperative, strengthening public understanding of healthcare systems and the communities they serve worldwide.
Applying Nursing Roles to Media Engagement
When nurses recognize the transferable nature of their skills, they can more easily navigate the unique expectations and practices of journalism. Recognizing their media-related responsibilities builds confidence and clarity in public-facing opportunities.
Nurses contribute meaningfully to media by drawing on roles they already embody in their clinical practice:
As Educators, nurses serve as trusted sources of clear and accurate health information. They help the public understand complex systems, improve health literacy, and raise awareness of the vital contributions of nursing.
As Advocates, nurses speak to the needs of patients and communities. They ensure that stories shared in the media reflect lived experiences and promote respectful, accurate, and inclusive representation while honoring privacy.
As Professional Representatives, nurses help shape how the profession is seen and understood. They use their voice to promote policies that protect patients, support caregivers, and improve healthcare systems.
As Ethical Communicators, nurses safeguard patient privacy and share their insights with honesty, compassion, and integrity. They bring credibility to public conversations about health and care.
As Collaborators, nurses partner with physicians, communications professionals, and institutional leaders. They contribute a team-based and person-centered perspective that enriches media narratives.
As Scientists, nurses communicate findings from research, clinical practice, and quality improvement. They help bridge the gap between data and public understanding to support informed health decisions.
As Clinicians, nurses share real-world insights from the point of care. They highlight what patients need, what care looks like in practice, and what challenges affect health outcomes.
As Policy Informers, nurses offer frontline perspectives on how laws and regulations impact patients and care teams. Their experiences help shape policy that is grounded in reality and focused on equity.
As Leaders, nurses provide systems-level insight grounded in frontline experience. They contextualize health issues within workforce realities, care delivery environments, and policy constraints, helping the public and decision-makers understand what is feasible, sustainable, and necessary to improve health outcomes and advance high-value care.
By grounding their media engagement in these familiar roles, nurses can uphold their professional values while working within the frameworks and timelines of news and communications teams. This alignment fosters mutual trust and enables institutions to tell more complete, inclusive healthcare stories.
What a "Comprehensive" Media Policy Reveals
To better understand how media policies support - or unintentionally limit - nurses’ engagement with media, we reviewed and analyzed 12 media policies from health institutions across California. Our goal: identify common gaps, promising practices, and opportunities for clearer, more inclusive guidance.
The sample media policy featured in the Appendix is not from a single institution. Instead, it reflects an amalgamation of elements observed across the 12 policies reviewed. It is not intended to serve as a model template of best practices, but rather as a consolidated illustration of what commonly appears in healthcare institutional media policies. Where consistent gaps were identified across the reviewed policies, those gaps are also reflected in the composite version, highlighting areas where further development and policy guidance may be needed.
Even in its most comprehensive form, this sample media policy reveals opportunities to strengthen clarity, build situational awareness, and offer more guidance for those seeking media engagement - independently or in coordination with their institution.
Throughout the policy, you’ll find color-coded commentary boxes that offer insights, flag confusing or vague language, identify opportunities to strengthen situational awareness, and point out where guidance may be incomplete or unclear. These observations will also inform the recommendations section that follows.
Below, we’ve summarized our findings into nine insights.
Summary of Media Policy Findings
1. Lack of Clarity in Key Definitions and Scope
The sample media policy includes vague or undefined terms such as “media,” “authorized spokesperson,” and “engagement.” Without clear definitions, staff may be uncertain about what constitutes a media interaction, when institutional processes apply, or how to navigate the line between personal and professional roles. This ambiguity is particularly problematic for nurses, who often share their expertise outside of clinical settings through public education, community outreach, professional advocacy, academic presentations, social media engagement, and participation in policy discussions. The absence of clear language can discourage appropriate media participation or lead to unintended policy violations.
2. Limited Inclusion of Nursing Perspectives
Nowhere in the sample policy is the role of nurses explicitly addressed in relation to media engagement. Nurses are not mentioned as potential subject-matter experts or institutional representatives, despite being the largest and most trusted group of healthcare professionals. This omission contributes to the systemic exclusion of nursing voices from public narratives and undermines institutional efforts to reflect the full scope of care provided. The lack of formal inclusion sends an implicit message that nurses are not considered essential contributors to institutional communication strategies.
3. Overly Restrictive or Punitive Tone
Several sections of the policy emphasize consequences - such as termination or disciplinary action - without pairing them with education, training, or pathways for resolution. This punitive tone may discourage staff, particularly nurses, from engaging with media at all, even in appropriate or low-risk scenarios. The commentary recommends a more supportive framing, such as encouraging consultation with Communications if a staff member receives a media inquiry. Shifting the tone toward education and partnership can help build trust and improve compliance.
4. Insufficient Process Transparency
The sample policy provides limited detail about how employees can become authorized to speak on behalf of the institution. It is unclear who initiates the approval, what qualifications or criteria are required, and whether the process is open to staff at all levels. Additionally, protocols for handling media inquiries after hours, reporting misuse, or coordinating responses are referenced, but without detailed instructions. A lack of transparency may deter staff from pursuing opportunities or may result in inconsistent handling across departments.
5. Gaps in Digital and Social Media Guidance
Although the policy addresses digital conduct, it lacks specificity in its examples, platforms, and forms of online engagement. Employees are warned not to engage with online comments or reviews, but the document does not clarify that even passive behaviors, such as liking, sharing, or amplifying content, can carry professional or institutional implications. The policy would be strengthened by including concrete examples of prohibited actions and naming platforms where issues frequently arise (e.g., TikTok, Healthgrades, Reddit).
In addition, the policy does not address the growing presence of clinician-content creators, health influencers, and nurses who independently provide public health education through digital platforms such as podcasts, newsletters, or social media channels. As nurse-led digital education and professional content creation continue to expand, clearer guidance would help distinguish between institutional representation, personal professional expression, and independent educational work. Expanding the framework to acknowledge these roles would better prepare institutions to navigate modern media environments and help future-proof policies as digital health communication continues to evolve.
6. Missed Opportunities to Promote Equity
The current policy structure suggests a top-down approach to media engagement, typically involving high-level executives or designated spokespeople. There is no indication of how nurses or other frontline staff can express interest in participating or be considered for opportunities. This approach limits the diversity of voices represented and reinforces existing inequities. ANA\California’s commentary highlights the need for transparent, equitable selection processes and tracking systems to ensure broad and inclusive participation in public communications.
7. Incomplete Training and Review Practices
While the policy references training, it does not specify what the training includes, how often it occurs, or who delivers it. Without defined expectations, staff may not receive the tools they need to navigate media safely and effectively. Commentary recommends detailing training components, such as HIPAA compliance, message discipline, digital literacy, and real-time scenario planning. Clear expectations help ensure consistent understanding across departments and demonstrate institutional commitment to supporting staff in public-facing roles.
8. Helpful Areas that Can Be Expanded
Some areas of the policy demonstrate strong situational awareness. Examples related to natural disasters, unplanned media visits, or patient privacy during celebrity events show that the institution understands the complexity of media in healthcare settings. However, these examples could be expanded to include less obvious but common situations, such as virtual events, podcasts, or advocacy interviews. By broadening examples, the policy can reflect the evolving nature of media platforms and formats.
9. Need for a Culture of Care
A recurring theme in the commentary is the importance of reframing enforcement language to support a culture of care rather than surveillance. Employees are instructed to report policy violations or online misconduct, but without a clear, compassionate explanation of the rationale. Encouraging language that positions reporting as a way to protect staff, patients, and institutional integrity would reinforce the value of accountability while reducing fear or hesitation. A supportive tone helps foster shared responsibility and trust.
Recommendations
“Media is one of the most powerful forces shaping how the world sees health and healing. Nurses stand at the heart of that story, translating science into understanding and compassion into connection. Not every nurse will write an article or appear on screen, but each of us will, at some point, speak for our profession. When we prepare to use our voices with clarity, empathy, and purpose, we elevate not only nursing but the public’s faith in healthcare itself.” — Alice Benjamin, MSN, ACNS-BC, FNP-C | Nationally Recognized Family Nurse Practitioner and NBC Medical Contributor
“A team-based and structured approach to media engagement is essential to ensuring the public receives clear, accurate, and comprehensive health information. No single profession can fully represent the complexity of healthcare. Nurses, who comprise the largest and most trusted segment of the healthcare workforce, bring frontline expertise, scientific insight, and lived clinical experience that deepen understanding and strengthen public trust. When healthcare systems intentionally equip, support, and elevate nurses as subject matter experts, the media and the communities they serve gain a fuller, more truthful picture of the issues that shape health and healthcare today." — Richard Ricciardi, PhD, CRNP, FRCSI, FAANP, FAAN | Executive Director, George Washington University’s Center for Health Policy and Media Engagement
Recommendation 1: Disseminate Media Engagement Competencies and Implementation Strategies
1A. Define Core Media Engagement Competencies for Nurses
Health systems and nursing institutions should formally define a set of core media engagement competencies for nurses. These competencies should reflect the ethical, clinical, and communication standards of the profession and prepare nurses to contribute meaningfully to public dialogue - whether speaking from personal experience, professional expertise, or institutional perspective.
Media engagement competencies should be articulated using clear, action-oriented language that is observable and measurable. Competencies should specify what nurses must be able to demonstrate in practice, rather than relying on abstract or aspirational descriptions.
Defining competencies in this way supports consistent interpretation, enables meaningful assessment, and clarifies expectations across nursing, communications, and leadership teams. It also establishes the foundation for targeted training and professional development strategies, discussed later in this section, which are essential for helping nurses build and sustain these competencies in practice.
Nurses are already highly skilled communicators, educators, and advocates - trusted by the public and central to the delivery of care. However, without clear guidance on how these skills translate to media settings, many nurses feel unprepared or unsupported in engaging with the press, public audiences, or digital platforms.
The ANA Code of Ethics (Provision 8) calls on nurses to collaborate with the public to advance health equity and reduce disparities. The Future of Nursing Report 2020–2030 (Recommenation 2 and Recommendation 4) similarly emphasizes the profession’s responsibility to speak out on systemic issues. Defining competencies enables nurses to uphold these responsibilities while safeguarding privacy, accuracy, and institutional trust. Establishing core competencies also ensures alignment across nursing, communications, and leadership teams - clarifying expectations and preparing nurses for effective representation.
Adapted from a Delphi study from Myers et al. (2022), the following ten competencies should guide institutional and professional development programming:
Message Development – Crafting concise, evidence-based, audience-relevant messages.
Ethical Storytelling – Sharing lived or patient-centered experiences with respect and integrity.
Crisis Communication – Navigating urgent or emotionally charged topics with professionalism.
Digital Literacy – Using social and digital platforms effectively and safely.
Role Clarity – Understanding the implications of speaking as a private citizen, professional, or institutional representative.
Platform Awareness – Tailoring communication for various formats (e.g., interviews, op-eds, podcasts).
Framing for Health Equity – Articulating the social, racial, and structural drivers of health with clarity and nuance.
Navigating Public Inquiry – Responding to press, community requests, or public feedback with transparency.
Professional Presence – Conveying authority and empathy through body language, tone, and content.
Media Policy Navigation – Understanding institutional processes and compliance when engaging externally.
Defining media competencies enables institutions to identify, support, and elevate nurses who are and are becoming media-ready - strengthening public trust, enhancing health literacy, and aligning external messaging with internal values. Competency-based training also builds confidence and reduces institutional and individual reputational risk when nurses are prepared to engage publicly.
1B. Support Informed Media Engagement Through Structured Decision-Making Tools
Healthcare institutions should provide nurses with a clear, structured process to evaluate and navigate media opportunities before engaging. While interest in media engagement is growing among nurses, many report feeling uncertain about what opportunities are appropriate to pursue, when to involve communications or leadership, and how to protect themselves and their organizations from reputational or ethical risk.
Currently, nurses often encounter inconsistent or informal pathways for managing media requests - if any exist at all. In many institutions, media engagement decisions are centralized through the c-suite, medical director, or similar, creating bottlenecks or inequities in access. In other cases, frontline nurses are unsure if speaking publicly - even on personal time - requires notification, approval, or alignment with institutional messaging. This ambiguity discourages participation and increases the risk of missteps.
To address this gap, ANA\California recommends the use of a Media Engagement Decision Tree (See Figure 1) - a visual guide that prompts nurses to reflect on key questions before accepting or pursuing media opportunities.
These include:
Who initiated the request?
Are you speaking as an individual, a professional, or a representative of your institution?
Does the topic align with your area of expertise?
Are there privacy or reputational risks involved?
Do you need to notify communications, management, or legal?
The decision tree, included as part of this report, is intended to foster both confidence and caution. It equips nurses to assess media opportunities with situational awareness and to know when - and how - to escalate to appropriate departments for support or clearance. Just as nurses use clinical algorithms to guide high-stakes decisions at the bedside, this tool brings structure to high-visibility scenarios that can affect their professional reputation and the institution’s public standing.
Institutionally, the benefit of this tool is twofold: it encourages more nurses to participate in public communication by demystifying the process, and it safeguards organizational messaging by creating a standard pathway for engagement. When nurses are prepared and supported, they become powerful partners to communications and PR teams - bringing authenticity, lived experience, and health literacy to the public conversation.
(Figure 1) - Media Engagement Decision Tree
1C. Integrate Media Training into Formal Professional Development Pathways
Media training should be formally integrated into institutional professional development programs for nurses, including orientation, continuing education, and leadership preparation. Despite being the largest clinical workforce and consistently ranked as the most trusted profession, nurses are rarely resourced or encouraged to engage the public through media. The result is a chronic underrepresentation of nursing voices in health narratives, even when nurses are among the most qualified to inform public understanding of complex care issues.
Integrating media training into professional development corrects this disconnect. It recognizes media participation as a skillset - one that is not only beneficial for individual nurses, but strategically valuable for the organization. Nurses who are equipped to engage with media can strengthen public trust, expand health literacy, and support transparent communication during both routine operations and crisis response.
Inclusion in formal learning pathways - particularly when tied to CEUs, clinical ladder progression, or institutional advancement - also increases access and equity. Nurses from underrepresented communities or non-leadership roles are often left out of media engagement not due to lack of interest or capability, but because opportunities are typically informal, gatekept, or offered only to the most visible leaders. By embedding media training systemically, institutions expand the range of nursing voices that can represent care, community, and mission to the public.
These programs should go beyond basic presentation skills to include training on social determinants of health framing, equity-centered storytelling, interview preparation, and digital advocacy. They should draw from existing frameworks, such as the Media Competency Framework and programs already piloted by schools of nursing and professional associations.
The organizational benefit is clear: media-ready nurses reflect an institution’s commitment to transparency, inclusion, and public engagement. Preparing nurses for media engagement through structured training and practical resources—such as media preparation checklists, message development tools, and post-engagement debrief practices—can reduce communication risk for both the practitioner and the institution. When supported in this way, nurses expand an organization’s capacity to participate confidently in public dialogue around equity, access, and innovation, bringing forward the perspectives of those who understand healthcare systems from within.
Recommendation 2: Creating Institutional Conditions That Support Equitable Media Engagement
2A. Foster Collaborative Relationships Between Nurses and Communications Teams
Health systems should establish intentional, ongoing collaboration between nursing leadership and communications and public relations teams to ensure that nursing perspectives are fully integrated into the institution’s external voice. Despite being central to patient care, nurses are often excluded from the strategic development of institutional messaging. This disconnect not only sidelines critical expertise but limits the organization’s ability to speak credibly on health equity, community care, and workforce realities.
Establishing a collaborative infrastructure - such as regular touchpoints between nursing leadership, clinical experts, and communications teams - ensures that PR teams have access to trusted clinical voices, and nurses have clarity around institutional processes for public engagement. These relationships should extend beyond emergency response or media crises and be treated as part of broader institutional strategy.
This recommendation is reinforced by the research Nurses’ Voices in Media: Strategies for Chief Nursing Officers, developed through a partnership between the George Washington University School of Nursing’s Center for Health Policy and Media Engagement and the American Organization for Nursing Leadership. The research findings draw on insights from a workshop with a select group of chief nursing officers (CNOs) focused on building organization-specific strategies to elevate nursing expertise through media engagement. Their findings highlight the critical role of nursing–communications partnerships in shaping inclusive messaging, expanding media engagement opportunities, and increasing the visibility of frontline expertise. CNOs who proactively establish relationships with communications professionals are more likely to be included in public messaging decisions - leading to narratives that are more accurate, representative, and reflective of the full scope of care delivery.
For nurses, this collaboration builds confidence and removes ambiguity around how to engage in public discourse. It also establishes a foundation of trust - nurses know where to go, what support exists, and how their expertise will be valued. For communications teams, working directly with nurses ensures timely access to credible, human-centered stories and the ability to elevate voices that reflect the full scope of institutional care.
The organizational benefit is both cultural and strategic. Institutions that foster collaborative, team-based partnerships between nurses, communications professionals, and other clinical and operational leaders strengthen an interprofessional culture of media engagement that reflects the full expertise of the healthcare workforce. This approach supports more authentic external messaging, improves crisis readiness, and expands the pool of trained, informed spokespeople. It also signals that nurses are not only critical inside the system but are trusted to represent it publicly—creating a stronger alignment between message, mission, and voice.
Institutions should create and implement a clear, responsive process for identifying, offering, and supporting media opportunities that includes nurses across roles, identities, and specialties. Currently, access to media engagements is often informal, reactive, and concentrated among a few highly visible leaders - typically the CNO, medical director, or senior executives. While these individuals may be easily accessible to public relations departments, this default structure limits the diversity of voices presented to the public and excludes the nuanced expertise of nurses at the bedside, in the community, or from underrepresented backgrounds.
Because communications and public relations teams often serve as the primary gateway between health systems and journalists, developing a team-based, interprofessional approach to media engagement is essential. In many cases, nurses are not considered as potential sources unless the story is explicitly about nursing. Yet nurses are clinicians, researchers, educators, and subject-matter experts whose perspectives are relevant to a wide range of health topics, from clinical outcomes and patient safety to public health, technology, and health policy.
To counter this imbalance, institutions should adopt a Structured Media Engagement Process Map (See Figure 2), owned and maintained by communications or public affairs teams, that serves as a visual and operational guide for how media opportunities are received, vetted, matched, and supported. This process should include criteria that prioritize expertise, lived experience, and relevance to the media request, not organizational hierarchy. Additionally, it should allow for self-nomination or peer referral and include feedback loops so nurses can understand how and why they were or weren’t selected.
Equity-focused elements of this process should include:
A centralized intake and routing system for media requests that go beyond defaulting to the CNO or highest-ranking clinician.
A process for PR or communications staff to maintain a working roster of trained, media-ready nurses from diverse clinical areas, specialties, and demographic backgrounds, with attention to the specific expertise each nurse brings to different health topics.
A timeline and protocol for evaluating, responding to, and supporting nurses selected for participation.
Documentation and tracking of participation to ensure representation is monitored over time.
This model ensures that media engagement isn’t a closed system but one that is inclusive, intentional, and aligned with institutional values. It reduces reliance on internal gatekeeping or convenience sampling and replaces it with a replicable, fair, and values-driven framework.
For nurses, this signals that opportunities are not reserved for a select few, but open to those with insight, readiness, and relevance. For the organization, it expands the bench of credible spokespeople and improves the likelihood that external messaging reflects the breadth of patient care, team diversity, and community impact. For media professionals, it adds additional perspectives in search of the full story.
Transparent and equitable access to media opportunities fosters a culture where nurses are seen, heard, and valued - and where the public hears from those closest to the realities of care.
(Figure 2) - Structured Media Engagement Process Map
2C. Track and Evaluate Nursing Media Representation to Advance Equity
To build long-term accountability and equity in public engagement, healthcare institutions should develop mechanisms to routinely track and evaluate nursing participation in media, communications, and public-facing events. This includes documenting who is offered opportunities, who participates, and how nursing perspectives are represented over time - across departments, roles, demographics, and media formats.
While some institutions may informally note which clinicians are quoted in press releases or attend press events, very few apply a systematic approach to assessing the inclusivity or representational balance of their media strategies. Without this visibility, leadership cannot identify gaps, monitor progress, or set benchmarks for inclusive engagement.
To address this, we recommend the development of a media representation dashboard - a simple, internal tool that compiles participation data and supports equity audits.
The dashboard should be managed in partnership between nursing leadership and communications teams and include metrics such as:
Number and type of media engagements by nursing staff
Demographic and departmental breakdowns of participants
Engagement type (e.g., interview, op-ed, press event)
Repeat vs. first-time representation
Equity benchmarks tied to institutional DEI goals
For example, if bedside nurses from rural hospitals or nurses of color are rarely represented, the dashboard creates a baseline from which to identify and close these gaps. This is particularly important given that over 20% of the U.S. registered nurse workforce identifies as a racial or ethnic minority (NCSBN National Nursing Workforce Study), yet these perspectives are rarely reflected in media engagement and institutional spokesperson pools.
This process supports a feedback loop - one that enables both proactive and reflective action. Nurses can see how their voices are represented at a systems level, while leadership gains a clear, data-informed view of progress toward inclusive engagement.
Beyond internal value, this level of transparency can also strengthen public trust. When healthcare organizations reflect the communities they serve - not only in care but in communication - they demonstrate alignment between their values, workforce, and public identity.
Tracking is not about surveillance - it is about stewardship. It ensures that media engagement is not only available, but equitably accessible, and that nursing leadership is equipped to build a bench of diverse, prepared, and trusted voices to speak on behalf of the profession and the people it serves.
Recommendation 3: Reforming Media Policy to Reflect Clarity, Inclusivity, and Accountability
3A. Revise Media Policies for Clarity, Accountability, and Situational Awareness
Institutions should revise their existing media policies to ensure they are clear, actionable, and relevant to today’s media landscape - particularly as it pertains to nurses. Many current media policies rely on vague or outdated language, focus solely on risk management, or fail to provide the situational guidance nurses need when navigating media engagement, especially in digital spaces.
The review of sample policies revealed several recurring issues: ambiguous language around what constitutes a media opportunity, little distinction between personal and institutional representation, lack of guidance for social media activity, and inconsistent enforcement or reporting procedures. In many cases, policies simply instruct nurses to “refer all media inquiries” to the communications department - without detailing what qualifies as an inquiry, how to respond if approached in public, or how digital posts intersect with professional responsibilities.
To address these gaps, institutions should conduct comprehensive media policy audits in collaboration with nursing, legal, compliance, and communications teams.
Policies should be updated to include:
Clear definitions of key terms (e.g., “media,” “representation,” “institutional affiliation”)
Specific scenarios nurses may encounter, with clear guidance (e.g., interviews, podcasts, social media content)
Role-based expectations - clarifying what is expected from staff nurses vs. department heads or organizational leaders
Notification procedures and escalation points, so nurses know who to contact and when
A respectful and proportionate approach to noncompliance, including education and remediation pathways
These updates are not about adding restrictions - they are about removing ambiguity. Nurses are more likely to engage confidently and responsibly when policies are easy to understand, grounded in real-world scenarios, and reflect the realities of today’s communication environment.
The organizational benefit is immediate: fewer misunderstandings, greater consistency in public messaging, and a stronger culture of shared accountability. Clear policy fosters a workplace where nurses feel trusted to speak, supported by the institution for positive representation, and where institutions are better protected through partnership, clarity, and shared understanding.
3B. Expand Media Policies to Promote Inclusivity, Representation, and Institutional Trust
Media policies should not only focus on compliance - they should also reflect an institution’s commitment to equity, inclusion, and trust in its workforce. Expanding the purpose and language of media policies to support diverse representation - particularly of nurses - signals that institutional visibility is not reserved for a few individuals, but intentionally shared across disciplines, identities, and perspectives.
Most existing media policies center on risk aversion and public control. Rarely do they acknowledge who is encouraged to speak publicly, how those decisions are made, or what steps are taken to ensure nurses - especially those from historically marginalized groups - are represented in external messaging. This omission is more than administrative. It shapes whose voices are elevated in healthcare narratives and whose are left out.
To promote inclusivity and trust, institutions should revise their media policies to include:
Explicit language affirming the value of nursing perspectives in media engagement
Commitments to equity in representation, aligned with institutional DEI strategies
Clear processes for identifying, preparing, and supporting diverse nursing voices
Mechanisms for nurses to express interest and readiness to engage with media
Statements of support that clarify participation in media does not negatively affect standing or advancement when done in accordance with institutional guidance.
By embedding inclusion into policy and practice, organizations demonstrate that they value authenticity and shared visibility. Nurses can see themselves not only as clinicians, but as communicators, community leaders, and change agents. Because the nursing workforce often more closely reflects the ethnic, socioeconomic, and cultural diversity of the communities it serves, elevating these voices in media can strengthen public trust and improve the relevance of health communication. Communications teams, in turn, gain greater access to stories that reflect the full spectrum of care, culture, and patient experience, through the eyes of the most trusted profession—nursing.
From a leadership perspective, inclusive media policy is a tool for supporting retention, recruitment, and institutional reputation. It affirms that every nurse’s voice matters, and that leadership sees representation as an imperative, core expression of institutional integrity, relevance, and values.
3C. Delineate Media Policy from Procedures Through Supporting Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
Healthcare organizations should clearly differentiate between media policy and media procedures by pairing high-level policy statements with detailed Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
Media policies should articulate organizational principles, expectations, and protections, including nurses’ rights and responsibilities related to media engagement, professional speech, and representation. However, policy alone is insufficient to guide nurses and leaders through real-world media interactions.
To operationalize policy and reduce ambiguity, organizations should develop SOPs that:
Clarify when nurses are speaking based on clinical judgment and professional expertise versus representing the organization.
Address legal, regulatory, and risk considerations in plain language.
Define roles, decision-making authority, and escalation pathways.
Provide practical guidance for common scenarios, including proactive media engagement, reactive inquiries, and social media participation.
Pairing policy with SOPs supports consistency, reduces fear and over-caution, and protects both nurses and institutions by translating policy intent into actionable guidance. This distinction also strengthens accountability by ensuring expectations are transparent, enforceable, and aligned with professional standards. SOPs should also account for practical barriers that can limit nurses’ participation in media engagement, such as limited schedule flexibility or the need to remain present in clinical environments.
Establishing processes that allow appropriate coverage, flexible participation, or timely coordination with communications teams can help ensure nurses are able to respond to media opportunities without compromising patient care or professional responsibilities.
Conclusion
The path toward more inclusive, effective, and representative media engagement in healthcare begins with recognizing the power and responsibility of nurses to shape public understanding of health. As the most trusted profession, nurses offer not only clinical expertise, but grounded, human-centered narratives that inform, connect, and advocate. Their absence from media conversations is not due to a lack of insight, but to systemic barriers, outdated policies, and institutional processes that often fail to prepare or support their voices.
This report has outlined actionable recommendations across three strategic areas: building foundational competencies, creating institutional conditions that support equity, and reforming policies to reflect clarity, inclusivity, and accountability. Each recommendation is rooted in the understanding that visibility is not a privilege but a professional imperative, and one that brings measurable value to organizations. From increasing public trust and strengthening crisis communications to advancing equity and improving institutional transparency, elevating nursing voices serves both mission and impact.
We acknowledge the complexity of implementing change across departments, policies, and cultures. But we also know that transformation is possible and essential. By investing in nurse-led media engagement, organizations can not only meet the demands of our current moment, but lead in ways that reflect the communities they serve and the values they stand for.
To nursing and communications leaders reading this: your partnership is pivotal. Nursing leaders help identify and prepare nurses whose expertise should inform public conversations, while communications teams create the pathways, support structures, and strategic opportunities for those voices to reach broader audiences. Together, you are the stewards of your institution’s credibility, expertise, and public trust. We invite you to implement these recommendations collaboratively and to create the structural conditions for nursing leadership to thrive both within the institution and in the public eye.
To the nurses who continue to show up, speak out, and advocate for justice in care and communication: we see you, we thank you, and we are committed to building systems that reflect your leadership and expertise.
The time to act is now. Implementing these recommendations is not simply about updating policy. It is about honoring the profession, strengthening institutional resilience, and ensuring that healthcare’s most trusted voices are also among its most heard.
Appendix
Key Terms and Definitions
Authorized spokesperson
A designated representative permitted to speak on behalf of the institution in media interactions. Nurses may be deputized as authorized spokespeople when approved through formal communications channels.
Communications and public relations (PR) team
Institutional staff responsible for managing external communication, coordinating media inquiries, and ensuring alignment with the organization’s mission, values, and compliance requirements.
Crisis communication
Coordinated institutional messaging during emergencies or public health crises that prioritizes accuracy, timeliness, and equity while protecting patient and workforce safety.
Culture of care
An institutional approach that replaces punitive or restrictive enforcement of media policies with education, trust, and partnership - reinforcing safety, respect, and shared purpose.
Digital and social media
Online platforms used to share, distribute, and engage with information, including social networks, blogs, and professional platforms. Digital media requires adherence to privacy, ethical, and institutional standards.
Equitable media engagement
An intentional approach to ensuring diverse nursing voices - including those from historically underrepresented communities - are visible in media representation and institutional messaging.
Framing for health equity
The practice of communicating about health issues in ways that highlight structural, social, and racial determinants of health, rather than focusing solely on individual behavior or outcomes.
Institutional voice
The official perspective or stance an organization communicates to the public through authorized representatives, publications, or digital channels.
Media competencies
A defined set of skills that prepare nurses to engage confidently and ethically in public dialogue. These include message development, ethical storytelling, digital literacy, framing for equity, and role clarity.
Media engagement
The act of nurses and healthcare professionals participating in public-facing communication - such as interviews, op-eds, or digital media - to inform, educate, or influence public understanding of health and nursing issues.
Media inquiry
A request for comment, interview, or information from a journalist, outlet, or content producer. Institutional procedures typically require routing these requests through the communications or PR team.
Media opportunity
An invitation or request for a nurse or healthcare professional to appear or be quoted in media. Opportunities can include press interviews, podcast appearances, public events, or digital features.
Media policy
An institutional policy that outlines expectations, permissions, and procedures for staff engaging with media. Effective policies clarify approval processes, define media roles, and protect both staff and institutional integrity.
Media representation
The presence, portrayal, and visibility of nurses and nursing perspectives in news, digital, and institutional media. Equity in representation ensures that public narratives reflect the full scope of nursing roles and expertise.
Media representation dashboard
An internal tool used to track who participates in media opportunities, by role, department, and demographic characteristics. This promotes transparency and accountability in equitable representation.
Message development
The process of crafting clear, evidence-based, and audience-appropriate statements that convey key points accurately and consistently.
Personal capacity vs. professional capacity
The distinction between speaking as an individual nurse (personal capacity) and speaking on behalf of one’s organization or profession (professional capacity). Clear boundaries protect both autonomy and institutional integrity.
Shared accountability
A collective responsibility among nursing, communications, and leadership teams to ensure that external messaging reflects institutional values, ethical standards, and equity goals.
Structured media engagement process
A standardized institutional framework that guides how media requests are received, vetted, approved, and supported to ensure equitable access and timely coordination.
Subject-matter expert (SME)
A nurse or healthcare professional recognized for specialized expertise, invited to speak publicly on their area of practice, research, or policy relevance.
Transparency
A principle of open and honest communication between institutions, staff, and the public - particularly regarding diversity, equity, inclusion, and antiracism commitments.
Sample Media Policy
Sample Media Policy[Organization Name] Subject/Title: Employee Digital and Social Media Policy Formulated Date: Revised Dates: Reviewed Dates: PurposeDigital media and communications have profound effects on the way we communicate, and technology has become essential to the way we serve the needs of our patients and communities. [Institution] encourages the appropriate use of digital media as a means of increasing awareness of services, enhancing customer and community relationships, advancing knowledge of healthcare, facilitating education and research, and otherwise engaging in work-related communications. The purpose of this policy is to establish guidelines for communicating with the news media. This Media Policy exists to properly facilitate communication between [Institution] and the news media while protecting patient privacy and security, and confidential information. ANA\C Commentary: The policy should clearly define the types of media it covers, including both traditional media (such as newspapers, magazines, television, and radio) and digital media (such as websites, social media platforms, blogs, and online news outlets). Explicit definitions help employees understand the full scope of what constitutes a media interaction and ensure consistent interpretation across departments. This policy covers the use of media activities that associate [Institution] employees and agents with [Institution] through the use of a title, email address, or other identifying information. This policy guides [Institution] employees and agents regarding the appropriate use of [Institution]-sponsored media channels and the professional and personal use of media when users represent themselves as a member of the [Institution] workforce. ANA\C Commentary: Consider adding guidance on how employees may engage with media in a personal or advocacy capacity when not formally representing the institution. While this may fall outside the direct purview of the organization, the lack of clarity can create confusion or reputational risk if personal statements are perceived as institutional views. Clear guidance supports both individual expression and organizational integrity. [Institution] maintains a number of policies regarding the appropriate use of electronic technology resources, ensuring patient care and confidentiality, and maintaining a professional workplace. This policy is designed to supplement those policies by helping to define the appropriate use of, access to, and participation in media by [Institution] employees and agents. This policy also aims to minimize business, legal, ethical, and personal risks that may arise when [Institution] employees and agents use media during working and non-working hours. The provisions of this policy should not be construed to interfere with any rights protected under state, federal, or local law, including a workforce member's right to discuss, or engage in media activities related to, the terms and conditions of employment, raising good faith workplace concerns, or engaging in media activities independent of their employer. If employees and agents have any questions about the policy's expectations or individual responsibilities, please contact [Institution] Human Resources or Communications Department. ANA\C Commentary: Including this language is essential, as it affirms the individual rights of employees to engage in protected speech and advocacy. Explicitly acknowledging these rights within the policy reinforces legal compliance and builds trust by signaling that the institution supports appropriate personal expression. ScopeThis policy applies to all staff members, faculty, volunteers, employees, agents, clinicians, contractors, vendors, or other individuals or entities retained to fulfill the organization’s mission, including direct patient care providers, support staff, administrative staff, and staff who work at off-campus locations. This includes all members of the [Institution] Workforce, encompassing [Hospital/Institution Names]. This policy covers digital and social media activities during work and non-work time, as well as activities conducted on work and non-work systems, consistent with applicable law. Policy
Employees and agents must not violate [Institution’s] policies, procedures, or guidelines online or offline. ANA\C Commentary: This section functions as a broad, catch-all clause. To improve clarity and usability, consider linking to or listing the specific policies most relevant to media interactions - such as HIPAA, the Code of Conduct, and the Social Media Policy. Providing direct references helps staff quickly locate applicable guidance and reduces ambiguity.
[Institution] prohibits employees and agents from engaging in digital media, social media and online interactions when those activities threaten the security, integrity, and privacy of [Institution’s] confidential information, including, but not limited to, protected health information, personally identifiable information, copyrighted or trademarked information, trade secrets, or other sensitive [Institution] information, financial records, client and merchant information, or internal business-related confidential communications. ANA\C Commentary: To support clarity and compliance, consider including concrete examples of prohibited actions. For instance: “Avoid posting photos from patient care areas or referencing specific patient cases, even without names.” Specific examples help staff better understand expectations and reduce unintentional policy violations. Because fear of retaliation is a significant barrier to nurse participation in media and public dialogue, institutions may also benefit from briefly clarifying how their policies intersect with existing legal and labor protections. In California, nurses retain rights under state whistleblower protections, labor laws, and professional standards that allow them to speak about workplace conditions, patient safety, and public health concerns in appropriate contexts. Clearly distinguishing between prohibited disclosures (e.g., protected health information or confidential business information) and protected professional speech can strengthen policy clarity, increase nurse confidence, and reduce unnecessary self-censorship.
ANA\C Commentary: While this directive is important, it may feel intimidating to nurses who are unfamiliar with media engagement. Consider clarifying what qualifies as “media contact,” such as podcast invitations, health blogs, or student interviews. It may also be helpful to note that notification is not a disciplinary measure but a coordination step to ensure support, accuracy, and alignment with institutional messaging. Additionally, include guidance on how this process interacts with individuals’ rights under state, federal, and local laws.
ANA\C Commentary: This may unintentionally discourage nurses from suggesting stories. Consider amending to encourage collaboration: “Staff are welcome to suggest story ideas or clinical topics to Communications for consideration.” This opens the door without compromising control.
ANA\C Commentary: What is the explicit process to become deputized or authorized to speak on behalf of the institution? Consider clarifying the criteria, approval steps, and points of contact involved. Transparency in this process ensures it is accessible to all employees and helps avoid confusion or perceived gatekeeping.
ANA\C Commentary: Include guidance for authorized Traditional Media and Digital Media channels.
ANA\C Commentary: The example disclaimer is a helpful addition that supports an individual’s right to engage in media activities independent of the institution. Including such language empowers employees to express personal views while maintaining a clear boundary between personal opinion and organizational representation.
ANA\C Commentary: Clarify the approval process for individuals and media opportunities. Who grants permission, what steps are involved, and how much time is typically required? Setting clear expectations around timing helps prevent delays and ensures staff can respond to media opportunities within the fast-paced timelines often required.
ANA\C Commentary: Clarify who is responsible for approving authorized posts and how staff can request that authorization. Without a defined and accessible process, even qualified individuals may hesitate to engage with media, leading to missed opportunities for institutional representation and public education.
ANA\C Commentary: This is important language for transparency. To strengthen collaboration, consider encouraging staff to notify the Communications team of any positive mentions or media coverage. This not only ensures alignment but also creates opportunities to amplify visibility and turn policy into partnership.
ANA\C Commentary: According to a systematic literature review, privacy breaches and inappropriate content are among the most common violations of social media policies (Ahmed et al., 2023). Consider adding clearer guidance on what constitutes a policy violation based on content - for example, specifying what is appropriate versus inappropriate to share. This clarity can help prevent unintentional breaches and reinforce safe online conduct. Source: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10088715
ANA\C Commentary: Consider including examples of appropriate one-word condition responses to guide staff on how to comply with this policy. For instance: “stable,” “critical,” or “deceased.” Providing examples reduces confusion, supports consistency in communication, and minimizes the risk of unintentional privacy violations.
ANA\C Commentary: It may be helpful to clarify whether these boundaries apply only during the patient’s current episode of care or extend indefinitely. What guidance applies if a patient is readmitted, or if a professional relationship later evolves into a community or advocacy connection? Additionally, institutions should clarify expectations for situations where patients or family members engage with a nurse’s social media content - such as liking, commenting on, or sharing a post. Should nurses acknowledge the interaction, ignore it, or report it? Clear direction on timeframe, context, and appropriate responses can help staff navigate complex, real-world scenarios while maintaining professional boundaries and protecting patient privacy.
ANA\C Commentary: Consider expanding this list to include members of the public and communities served by the institution. Doing so reinforces the organization’s commitment to respectful engagement beyond its internal stakeholders and helps protect the broader public from potential harm caused by inappropriate online behavior.
ANA\C Commentary: Clarify who determines whether content is deemed offensive or contributes to a hostile environment. Additionally, outline the process for reporting concerns and whether there is an appeals or review mechanism in place. Transparent procedures help ensure fair and consistent enforcement of the policy.
ANA\C Commentary: This section outlines important protections but could benefit from additional clarification. Consider specifying how employees can determine whether information is considered confidential or proprietary - particularly in fast-moving or high-visibility situations. Additionally, clarify who to contact when in doubt and whether there are processes for requesting approval to share certain types of content (such as educational materials or innovation highlights) that may not fall neatly into existing categories.
ANA\C Commentary: Additional context is needed to help employees interpret this directive. As written, it may imply a blanket prohibition on all online engagement, which could discourage appropriate or positive participation. Consider clarifying specific scenarios in which responding to comments may pose privacy or safety risks, as well as whether any exceptions exist. Referencing related guidance from section K.2.a would also help create consistency and avoid confusion.
ANA\C Commentary: While this section helps protect privacy, the language is broad. Consider providing specific examples - such as Yelp, Healthgrades, TikTok, or Reddit - to help staff better understand what qualifies as “engagement.” It may also be helpful to clarify that even passive interactions, like “liking” or reacting to a post, could be interpreted as a response and carry potential risks.
ANA\C Commentary: Consider outlining the steps for reporting concerns to the Communications or Public Relations Department. Are the procedures easily accessible, and what information should staff include when submitting a report? Clear, actionable instructions support timely response, reduce confusion, and encourage appropriate use of the reporting pathway.
ANA\C Commentary: Strong guidance, but it assumes staff know who counts as a “VIP.” Clarify that this includes influencers, politicians, athletes - any public figure. It may help to add: “When in doubt, treat all high-profile visitors as confidential.”
ANA\C Commentary: Consider clarifying what qualifies as “incidental personal use” with examples (e.g., checking weather, sending brief personal texts). This prevents over-correction by employees afraid of violating policy.
ANA\C Commentary: This section encourages reporting but would benefit from outlining the actual steps involved. What is the preferred method for reporting (e.g., email, form, hotline)? What information should be included? Providing a clear, step-by-step process increases the likelihood that staff will report concerns accurately and in a timely manner.
ANA\C Commentary: Consider clarifying what due process is available to employees if they are accused of violating this policy. Are there opportunities to respond, appeal, or request clarification before disciplinary action is taken? Outlining these protections can help ensure fair enforcement and foster a culture of accountability and trust.
|
Procedures | |
Responsible Person(s)/Dept. | Procedure and Steps |
Senior Vice President of Communications/Designee | A. Receipt of Inquiry 1. Determine how to proceed based on the nature of the inquiry. 2. Notify appropriate administrative personnel and other employees as appropriate. ANA\C Commentary: Clarify the specific process for notifying appropriate personnel. Who determines which individuals are informed, and how is that decision made? Additionally, consider addressing how equity is ensured in this process to avoid defaulting to the same individuals or roles for visibility and representation. |
All Employees or Agents | B. Notification of News Media Inquiry and Authority to Respond 1. Notify the [Institution] Communications & Public Relations department if contacted by the news media. ANA\C Commentary: Clarify when this notification requirement applies. Does it apply only when an inquiry is directed at the institution, or also when an employee receives a media request through personal channels unrelated to their role? Clear distinctions help staff understand when institutional coordination is necessary. 2. Only the Senior Vice President of Communications & Public Relations or designee has the authority to designate [Institution] spokespeople. ANA\C Commentary: While this ensures message consistency, it may discourage participation. Consider adding a statement such as, “Subject-matter experts, including clinical staff, may be authorized to speak on select topics with prior approval.” This approach encourages collaboration while maintaining oversight and accountability. 3. Unauthorized employees or agents who respond to the media may face disciplinary action, up to and including termination. ANA\C Commentary: The language here may feel overly punitive. To promote trust and proactive engagement, consider adding: “If you’re unsure how to handle media outreach, contact Communications immediately for support.” Encouraging consultation over discipline can improve compliance and staff confidence. 4. Coordinate responses with the appropriate Communications & Public Relations personnel for consistent messaging. |
Clinical and Research Professional Staff, Development Staff, All Employees | C. Guidelines for Interactions with Mass Media 1. Provide interviews and television appearances only if cleared by Communications & Public Relations. Appropriate topics include: a. Research and Clinical programs b. Achievements at [Institution] c. Fundraising programs d. Other topics as determined by the Senior Vice President for Communications & Public Relations or designee. ANA\C Commentary: This guidance is critical for protecting institutional messaging, but many staff may not recognize what qualifies as a media interaction. Consider explicitly stating: “This includes virtual events, podcasts, webinars, and media interviews - even if informal or unpaid.” Clearer language helps ensure staff seek proper approval and avoid unintentional policy violations. 2. Handle direct inquiries by directing media requests to Communications & Public Relations without delay. 3. Refer inquiries received after business hours to the main [Institution] switchboard. - Operator: Forward media inquiries to a Communications & Public Relations member on call. ANA\C Commentary: Clarify the steps for referring inquiries after business hours. Who is responsible for contacting the switchboard, and is there a backup protocol if staff are unavailable? Additionally, consider noting how accessible this process is for frontline staff who may not routinely handle media inquiries. 4. Contact Communications & Public Relations if you would like a potential story covered. All media contact must be facilitated by Communications & Public Relations staff only. 5. Notify the Security Department immediately whenever the news media shows up unannounced on [Institution] property or at a fundraising event on campus. Notify Communications & Public Relations immediately for off-campus events. 6. Accompany all news media visiting the campus. 7. Contact Communications & Public Relations to discuss media coverage for events such as receiving research grants, honors, or making significant achievements. |
Local Marketing, Corporate Communications & Public Relations | D. Media Response Roles 1. Local marketing handles local media responses, while corporate handles national-level inquiries. - Example A: For a massive earthquake affecting multiple facilities, Corporate Communications & Public Relations will manage the system-wide response. - Example B: For a local incident like a chemical spill, local marketing handles media queries, with support from Corporate Communications & Public Relations as needed. ANA\C Commentary: This section offers helpful situational awareness by distinguishing between local and corporate responsibilities. Including concrete examples like these strengthens understanding across departments and supports a more coordinated, timely media response. 2. Coordinate with appropriate Communications & Public Relations personnel for consistent messaging. 3. Local Marketing is responsible for responding to local situations or events. |
All Employees or Agents, Communications & Public Relations | E. Guidelines for News Media Visits 1. Whenever possible, news media must have prior approval from the Senior Vice President of Communications & Public Relations or local marketing. 2. All news media should be accompanied by a designated member of the Communications & Public Relations staff at all times while onsite. 3. Media access may be denied if it interferes with patient care or aggravates the patient’s condition. 4. In the event of doubt, do not release information to the media. Consult with Leadership, Legal, and/or Corporate Communications & Public Relations personnel. |
All Employees or Agents, Senior Vice President of Communications & Public Relations, Medical Staff Physicians, Communications Staff | F. Guidelines for PHI Use with Media 1. Obtain approval from the Senior Vice President of Communications & Public Relations before disclosing any PHI, including from the Patient Directory, to the news media. 2. If approval is granted, contact the patient’s physician to discuss obtaining authorization to release PHI. 3. The physician discusses with the patient whether they will authorize the release of PHI to the news media and reports back to Communications & Public Relations. 4. If permission is granted, meet with the patient to obtain authorization and inform them they may revoke their authorization. |
All Employees or Agents, Marketing and Communications & Public Relations, Corporate Marketing Department, Corporate VP of Communications and PR | G. Information Requests Involving Patients 1. Follow guidelines for releasing patient condition information, ensuring the inquiry contains the patient’s name. 2. Obtain necessary consent for media interactions involving patients, ensuring consent is documented in the patient’s medical record. 3. Special Circumstances: - Do not acknowledge the presence of patients in behavioral health units, following adverse outcomes in obstetrics, or when knowledge of a patient’s location may endanger them. - Notify the Corporate VP of Communications & Public Relations before releasing any information about celebrity patients. |
All Employees or Agents, Communications & Public Relations, General Counsel | H. Guidelines for Vendor Use of [Institution] Name 1. Vendors must receive approval from the Executive Team to use [Institution]'s name or logo. 2. Communications & Public Relations reviews requests and forwards them to General Counsel if appropriate. 3. If approved, Communications & Public Relations oversees the use of verbiage and images. |
All Employees or Agents | I. Guidelines for Responding When Information Cannot be Released 1. Do not say “no comment.” Acknowledge reporter calls and emails within 1 hour of receipt, clarify the deadline, and state you will respond before then. ANA\C Commentary: This section likely applies to Communications staff, but it may be confusing for clinical staff or nurses unfamiliar with media protocols. To prevent missteps, consider adding a clarifying statement such as: “If you are contacted by a journalist, do not engage - refer them immediately to the Communications department.” This reinforces roles and ensures proper handling of sensitive inquiries. 2. Respond professionally and within the bounds of HIPAA. 3. Provide potential sources of other information if applicable. - Example responses: - “Let me get back to you. What is your deadline? I’ll do my best to reply to you before then.” - “I do not have that information at this time. Let me research this further and get back to you. What’s the best way to reach you?” - “[Institution] is committed to providing compassionate, quality care to our patients. Due to patient privacy laws, we are unable to discuss the care and treatment of specific patients. In general, our process for XYZ is...” - “Our thoughts are with the victims and families of ___. Due to the ongoing police investigation, media inquiries should be directed to XYZ at XYZ police department.” ANA\C Commentary: This section demonstrates strong situational awareness. Including clear, ready-to-use example responses is especially helpful for staff who may be caught off guard by media inquiries. It reinforces professionalism while protecting patient privacy and institutional credibility. |
All Employees or Agents, Human Resources | J. Reporting Misuse 1. Report any digital and social media activities inconsistent with this policy to the appropriate department. 2. Report online misconduct or policy violations to Human Resources. Misconduct or violations may be monitored using third-party tools. ANA\C Commentary: It is unclear why the contact information or specific reporting process is not included in the procedure steps. Without that clarity, this section could be misinterpreted as surveillance rather than support. Consider encouraging a culture of care by adding language such as: “If you see a post that could put someone or the institution at risk, reporting it helps us protect staff and patients.” Clear instructions and compassionate framing can foster trust and responsible action. |
All Employees or Agents, Prime Healthcare Vice President of Communications and Public Relations | K. Review and Implementation 1. Regular updates and reviews of media policies. ANA\C Commentary: Clarify how often the media policy is reviewed and who is involved in that process. Including nursing leadership, frontline staff, and communications professionals can help ensure the policy remains relevant, practical, and inclusive. 2. Training and dissemination of media policy information to workforce members. ANA\C Commentary: Specify what the training includes. Does it cover social media use, responding to media inquiries, patient privacy, or scenario-based learning? Outlining key components helps set expectations and ensures comprehensive understanding across the workforce. |
Media Engagement Decision Tree for Nurses - (Figure 1)
Structured Media Engagement Process Map - (Figure 2)
References
Buresh, B., & Gordon, S. (2013). From Silence to Voice: What Nurses Know and Must Communicate to the Public (3rd ed.). Cornell University Press. http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.7591/j.ctt1xx4qm
González, H., Errasti-Ibarrondo, B., Iraizoz-Iraizoz, A., & Choperena, A. (2023). The image of nursing in the media: A scoping review. International Nursing Review, 70(3), 425-443. https://doi.org/10.1111/inr.12833
HRSA calculations using data from the U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey: 2017-2021 Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) Files.
Myers, C. R., Muñoz, L. R., Mason, D. J., & Glickstein, B. (2022). Media competencies for nurses: A Delphi study. Nursing Outlook, 70(4), 625–638. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.outlook.2022.03.008
Summers, S., & Summers, H. J. (2015). Saving lives: Why the media's portrayal of nurses puts us all at risk (2nd Ed.). Oxford University Press. (check reference format)
Benjamin, A. (2018). The nurse’s growing role in media. American Nurse Today, 13(2). https://www.myamericannurse.com/nurses-growing-role-media/
Cronquist, R., & Spector, N. (2011). Nurses and Social Media: Regulatory Concerns and Guidelines. Journal of Nursing Regulation, 2(3), 37–40. https://doi.org/10.1016/s2155-8256(15)30265-9
Brown, D. W. (2016). Social Media Policies for Employers and Employees: Regulatory and Statutory Considerations. Journal of Nursing Regulation, 6(4), 45–50. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2155-8256(16)31003-1
Society of Professional Journalists. (n.d.). SPJ code of ethics. Society of Professional Journalists. https://www.spj.org/ethicscode.asp
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