The Nursing Organizations Alliance has announced its Nurse in Washington Internship for 2006. The program gives nurses the chance to learn how to influence health care through the legislative and regulatory processes. Participants meet with health policy experts and government officials, network with other nurses, and visit members of Congress. The objectives of the program, which runs from March 12 to March 15 in Washington, D.C., include:

* describing how nurses can be involved and influence policy at the local and national level

* discussing how to work effectively with legislative staff to advance policy agendas

* networking with other nurses with similar clinical/political interests

* describing key steps to effect change in the legislative process

* identifying techniques to advance legislative issues at the grassroots level

* identifying legislative, political, and economic forces driving health care policy and delivery changes today

* discussing the impact of fiscal and budgetary changes on health policy formation and implementation.

For details, visit http://www.nursing-alliance.org/niwi.htm.