Shaping the future of nursing practice through political activity

Connecticut Nursing News, Sep-Nov 2002 by Duclos-Miller, Patricia A

A Message From The President

Nursing has had great champions of activism (Sanger, Wald and Dock), but for the most part the nursing profession has been slow to acknowledge its power in politics. There is a tremendous need for nurses to get involved in the development of health care policy. You must be asking, "Politics? I'm a nurse." Yet, nurses in the workplace need to ask themselves, "Whom do we want making decisions about workplace safety (needlestick prevention) and the work environment (mandatory overtime, whistleblower)?" If we do not get involved in community, state and national politics, we have no one to blame but ourselves.

The media and politicians are eager to hear and speak on our behalf. I receive numerous phone calls from the media each week asking for information about the nursing shortage. Politicians were also very interested this year, as in the past, in hearing from The Connecticut Nurses' Association (CNA) and their position on critical issues related to mandatory overtime, the use of medication technicians and other issues related to nursing.

Leavitt and Mason identified four spheres of political influence in which nurses can effect change (Leavitt, 1998). The first sphere is government. Political action in this sphere is a farreaching role for nursing and health care. Government defines and regulates nursing practice, sets reimbursement systems for nursing services and has a responsibility for providing the policy agenda related to health care for all its citizens. As an example, many elected state and federal officials are using the legislative process to address advanced practice nursing licensure and the current national nursing shortage. We have to remember that every phase of a nurse's life, whether family or employer, is impacted by public law (Leavitt, 1998).

The second sphere for action is the workplace. Nurses spend much of their day in this official capacity. The policy and political nuances of the workplace can have an effect on the quality of the nurse's professional life. Therefore, it is important that nurses get involved in workplace policies to ensure that their opinion is valued and incorporated into final decisions (Leavitt, 1998).

Your professional organizations, ANA and CNA, work to ensure that they are a visible force identifying issues of concern and bringing them to the attention of federal and state officials. Professional organizations need the participation and support of nurses through membership. In your membership is the future success of nursing's voice in the development of public policy.

Community involvement is the fourth sphere of political action. Do we participate in local community groups and identify ourselves proudly as nurses? We have a responsibility to become visible during local elections through understanding of the local official's position on issues of health care. Elected officials want and need to hear from you on issues you consider important. For example, they pay attention to letters to the editor in their local newspapers. We need to support the politicians beyond our vote through assisting in telephone, mailings or other ways (Leavitt, 1998).

Make a pact to get involved in this election. Involvement equals action. Visionary leaders used strategies such as cultivation of political friendships, letter writing and harnessing the collective voice of nursing. We need to accept that political activism is a lifelong activity, and our focus needs to be proactive. We are the voice of the future of nursing ... let's be sure we speak up.

Leavitt, J.K., & Mason, D.J. (1998). Policy and politics: A framework for action. In D.J. Mason and J.K. Leavitt (Eds.), Policy and politics in nursing and health care (3rd ed., pp. 3-17), Philadelphia: WB Saunders.

Patricia A. Duclos-Miller, MS, RN, CNA