Nurses are direct caregivers because they spend more time with the patients compared with health care professionals. Hence, the decision-makers need to consider the input from the nurses to ensure that they represent the relevant and important issues affecting medical practice (Oestberg, 2013). Nurses who possess knowledge on the functioning of the homework Help system and the effective strategies that influence policy can advocate for the profession and the healthcare environment at the local, state, or federal levels. Their political involvement could be in the form of testifying before committees, communicating with elected representatives concerning bills related to healthcare, joining practice boards or councils at the workplace, or running directly for elected office. The presence of legislative departments in nursing organizations promotes the analysis of current health policy issues and the strategies for contacting legislators.
Therefore, the involvement of nurses in politics is important in influencing the practice processes and standards that assure quality care in the healthcare environment. According to Burke (2016), nurses are professionals with the responsibility and capacity to influence care delivery systems both in the present and the future. Their involvement is founded on the science of human health and caring, which functions through a model that holistically values all people and seeks to promote and advance their health across all societal levels and throughout their lifespans. Accordingly, nurses’ participation in politics allows them to influence the policy work that define and integrate the suitable standards for care delivery and address the conditions required for reaching this goal of care (Burke, 2016). Their involvement also impacts, through policy, the allocation of resources in support of delivering care presently and in the future.
Equally, nurses’ political participation is necessary in addressing the barriers to practice, reimbursement, and professional recognition that the nursing practitioners have continued to face. O’Rouke, Crawford, Morris, and Pulcini (2017) observe that many states have resisted numerous efforts for the nurses to advance their practice while the grassroots efforts have also been insufficient. Besides, by-laws and institutional policies limit the nurses’ abilities to practice to their full potential. For example, there are insurers that continue to refuse to recognize, credential, and reimburse the contribution of nurses to the healthcare system. Individual states also define the practice scope for the nursing practitioners in their jurisdictions. Consequently, the nurses need to act at the local and state levels to advocate for changes in policies, through regulations and legislations that can influence the nursing practice environment. Their action can be felt through regular voting as part of voicing their concerns or by contacting the legislators to influence their practice issues in the legislative arena.
Additionally, the involvement of Florence Nightingale in advocacy for the nursing profession represents an important part of the history of nurses’ political involvement and its outcome. According to Selanders and Crane (2012), Nightingale was focused on promoting the autonomy of purpose for the nurses to advocate for the profession and the patients. For instance, when she first became the Hospital for Gentlewomen’s superintendent aged 32 years, Nightingale fought the Ladies’ Committee requirement that only members of the Church of England were allowed to be admitted to the institution. She successfully won the battle to allow patients of all faiths to be served at the hospital. Moreover, while serving during the Crimean War, she was able to advocate for sanitary improvements to ensure a safe and clean hospital environment. Her advocacy efforts have been witnessed to-date in the nursing profession where the American Nurses Association (ANA) emphasizes advocacy as part of high quality practices forming a part of ethical nursing practice and a philosophical principle for assuring the patients’ rights and safety.
References
Burke, S. (2016). Influence through policy: Nurses have a unique role. Reflection on Nursing Leadership (RNL). Indianapolis, IN: Sigma Theta Tau Int. retrieved on 17 December 2019 from https://www.Reflectionsonnursingleadership.org/commentary/more-commentary/Vol42_2_nurses-have-a-unique-role
Oestberg, F. (2013). Getting involved in policy and politics. Nursing Critical Care, 8(3), 48. doi: 10.1097/01.CCN.0000429392.92546.6f
O’Rourke, N. C., Crawford, S. L., Morris, N. S., & Pulcini, J. (2017). Political efficacy and participation of nurse practitioners. Policy, Politics, & Nursing Practice, 0(0), 1-14. DOI: 10.1177/1527154417728514
Selanders, L., & Crane, P. (2012). The voice of Florence Nightingale on advocacy. The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 17(1). DOI: 10.3912/OJIN.Vol17No01Man01
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