Is There a Difference in Being A Lobbyist or an Advocate?

Lobbyists provide support for policy, as do advocates, so what is the difference? Most nurses consider themselves patient advocates; however a political advocate is somewhat different. In this discussion, differentiate between a lobbyist and an advocate. Be sure to discuss a political advocate rather than a bedside advocate. Topics to include: 1. Definition of a lobbyist. 2. Definition of an advocate. 3. Similarities and differences. 4. Why are they both important? 5. How does The National League of Nursing lobby or advocate for health care policy? Your initial post must be posted before you can view and respond to colleagues, must contain minimum of two (2) references, in addition to examples from your personal experiences to augment the topic. The goal is to make your post interesting and engaging so others will want to read/respond to it. Synthesize and summarize from your resources in order to avoid the use of direct quotes, which can often be dry and boring. No direct quotes are allowed in the discussion board posts. Points: 30 Due Dates: Initial Post: Fri, Mar 2 by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) of the US. . References: Initial Post: Minimum of two (2) total references: one (1) from required course materials and one (1) from peer-reviewed references. Words Limits Initial Post: Minimum 200 words excluding references (approximately one (1) page) Note: Since it is difficult to edit the APA reference in the Blackboard discussion area, you can copy and paste APA references from your Word document to the Blackboard discussion area. Points will not be deducted because of format changes in spacing.