Nurse in Washington internship: The power of nurses in politics

Connecticut Nursing News, Jun-Aug 2001 by Sanford, Shannon

As I waited inside her sparse office in the basement hallway of the Dirksen Senate Building, my heart was racing. The Secret Service was stationed outside her door and, I planned my approach. Within minutes she emerged, flanked on all sides by her staffers and the Secret Service. I approached with my right hand extended, "Excuse me, Senator Clinton (Hillary Clinton, D-NY), I am Shannon Sanford, a Registered Nurse and member of the American Nurses' Association." Our eyes locked. She instinctively grasped my hand. I had her attention, so I continued, "I am here with two of my colleagues. We are in town for the Nurse In Washington Internship and would be honored if we could take a photo with you." She immediately began to tell us that she was too busy, heading for a press conference, etc., so I made my second pitch. "I know you are a strong supporter of nursing, and we just wanted to get a photo with you for our nursing newspaper." Sold. She agreed.

While I showed her staffer how to work my camera, Clinton met my two colleagues from Connecticut, Kevin Morgan, RN and Sandra Barnes, RN. She reiterated her support for the nursing profession, posed for a photo and then needed to leave. In that brief moment, she gave us 100% of her attention and listened attentively. Despite that dark, minimally decorated office in the basement, her presence lit up the room. Standing next to the former First Lady I was absorbed in her energy. In that moment, I knew the power of being a nurse.

The Nurse In Washington Internship (NIWI) is an annual four-day internship sponsored by the National Federation of Nursing Specialty Organizations (NFSNO) in Washington, DC. I was privileged to be one of 77 NIWI interns who participated March 11-14, 2001. NIWI educates nurses about how they can affect the legislative process. During my internship I was able to network with colleagues, learn about the key issues coming before the 107th Congress, and attend a White House briefing on the nursing shortage.

One key issue is the nursing shortage. During a reception and dinner, Representative Lois Capps (one of three nurses in Congress) detailed her proposed legislation on the nursing shortage. Capps' proposed comprehensive legislative includes efforts to improve access to nursing education, establish partnerships between health care providers and educational institutions, support nurses seeking advanced education, and improve collection and analysis of data on the nursing workforce.

I lobbied for national action regarding the nursing shortage with my colleagues, Barnes and Morgan. We met with staff from the offices of Senator Joe Lieberman and Chris Dodd and Representative Jim Maloney. We provided them with information on the shortage, and how it will affect the health and safety of Connecticut's residents.

During a brief meeting, Senator Lieberman expressed his support of legislative efforts in the Senate, in particular the Kerry-Jeffords Nurse Reinvestment Act. The Act calls for formation of a national Nurse Service Corps to provide scholarship and loan repayment, a possible tax break for nurses, reauthorization of a federal Medicaid matching funds program between state and federal government to aid in the cost of nursing education, aid to educational institutions and a national and state public service campaign to recruit people into nursing.

With legislation on the nursing shortage moving forward in both the House and Senate, I encourage nurses to keep on top of these national issues, as well as state efforts - that CNA's Government Relations Committee and CN-PAC are working on. We have a duty to ourselves and our patients to stay informed.and lobby for changes. Contact the National Federation for Nursing Specialty Organizations if you would like information on attending the 2002 Nurse In Washington Internship.