Nursing's Next Big Fight: ANA President Jennifer Mensik Kennedy on Workplace Violence and Policy

Healthcare policy can feel far away from a 12-hour shift. But insurance denials at discharge, short staffing and violence at work all trace back to decisions made in Washington.

Recorded live at the 2026 ANCC Magnet & Pathway Conference in Chicago, Nurse Converse host Jana Price, MBA, BSN, BA, RN, CEN, TCRN, welcomes back American Nurses Association President Jennifer Mensik Kennedy, PhD, MBA, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN. Their last conversation focused on federal student loan limits. This time, they zoom out to the full policy landscape nurses should be watching as a new Congress begins in January.

Dr. Mensik Kennedy explains why ANA plans to push its workplace violence prevention bill again in 2027, and why she wants nurses to bring the same energy they brought to the professional degree fight. She also talks about prior authorization, possible Medicaid changes, the gap between nursing and physician education funding, and why advocacy is "a marathon and a relay," not a one-time task.

Skip Ahead:

• 00:36 - Dr. Jennifer Mensik Kennedy returns to Nurse Converse 
• 02:33 - What's changed: the election, a new Congress and Medicaid 
• 03:58 - How policy shows up at the bedside: prior authorization and denied care 
• 06:11 - Why workplace violence is nursing's next legislative fight 
• 08:40 - Still fighting for a seat at the table 10:36 What advocacy looks like for exhausted, busy nurses 
• 12:18 - The year ahead: professional degrees and the nursing education funding gap 
• 15:26 - The one issue every nurse should focus on first 16:20 Wrap-up

Mentioned in this episode:

• Read the companion article on Nurse.org: https://nurse.org/news/ana-president-mensik-kennedy-nursing-policy/
• Sign up for ANA advocacy alerts at RNAction.org: https://www.rnaction.org 
• Jana's earlier conversation with Dr. Mensik Kennedy on federal loan limits: https://nurse.org/news/ana-federal-loan-limits-nursing-education-impact/ 
• 2026 ANCC Magnet & Pathway Conference: https://magnetpathwaycon.nursingworld.org/

More Nurse Converse: https://nurse.org/nurseconverse 

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