Involvement in politics is an important activity for nurses that advance our profession while improving the public’s health. Participating in the public health arena is key to achieving excellence in clinical practice, scholarship and education for nursing. Pres. John F. Kennedy once said "there are risks and costs to a program of action but they are far less than the long-term risks and cost of comfortable inaction,
All aspects of nursing education, practice and research are impacted by public policy. Hall-Long (2009) states that health care now consumes over 17% of the gross domestic product with 70% of expenditures on 10% of those with a chronic illness. This finding is evidence that it is critical for nurses to direct national and state health policy. State health policy includes the governments action or inaction addressing the well been of its citizens.
Public Policy is a field in which nurses must intervene and be stellar to advance the publics health. Direct public health issue may be varied and include nurse shortage, environmental threats, chronic illness, health inequality, the increase in the number of uninsured and threats to public programs such as Medicare and Medicaid. Given today’s economy and several global threats, it is imperative that nurses provide guidance in domestic public policy matters.
In an April article (Hall-Long 2009) mentions the necessity for nurses to be involved in community organizing in order to make certain differences. Community organizing entails numerous levels of alliances, human and nonhuman resources, skilled communication, outreach, application of data, and working with the community, neighborhood leaders and policymakers for positive changes. Pres. Barack Obama (1990) stated in his book After Alinsky: Community organizing in Illinois "in theory, community organizing provides a way to merge various strategies for neighborhood empowerment. Organizing begins with the premise that the problems facing communities do not result from a lack of effective solutions, but from a lack of power to implement these solutions. The only way for communities to build long-term power is by organizing people and money around a common vision. Viable organization can only be achieved if broadly based indigenous leadership and not one or two charismatic leaders can knit together the diverse interests of their local institutions. This means bringing together churches, block clubs, parent groups and any other institutions in a given community to pay dues, hire organizers, conduct research, develop leadership, hold rallies and education campaigns, and begin drawing up plans on a whole range of issues jobs, education, crime, etc. Once such a vehicle is formed, it holds the power to make politicians, agencies and corporations more responsive to community needs".
Hall-Long (2009) reports that nurses are educated for a political journey. Example of this theory can be found in skill that most nurses hold such as communication, advocacy, listening and problem solving. Frequent mistakes that nurses advocates make are to be to over zealous in their political approach. Often nurses my underestimate the time amount of time it might take to get a bill passes or regulation changed.
Nurses are part of society on a personal level; therefore our economic and social values may occasionally conflict with certain political platform that our profession may support. It is important for a nurse to be aware of his or her values to avoid political and ethical conflicts.
As nurses we must consider that if no one speaks for nurses on issues who will? It’s not whether you win or lose, but how you play the game. In politics how you play the game can determine the outcome of a specific issue. Nurses have great power in numbers and much to offer in crafting policy. If we stick together, "yes we can".
References
Hall-Long, Bethany (2009). Nursing and public policy: A tool for excellence in education, practice and research. Mosby Nursing Outlook, 57, 78-83.
Obama, Barack (1990). After Alinsky: Community Organizing in Illinois. Illinois Issues, University of Illinois at Springfield, Chapter 4, 35-40.
All aspects of nursing education, practice and research are impacted by public policy. Hall-Long (2009) states that health care now consumes over 17% of the gross domestic product with 70% of expenditures on 10% of those with a chronic illness. This finding is evidence that it is critical for nurses to direct national and state health policy. State health policy includes the governments action or inaction addressing the well been of its citizens.
Public Policy is a field in which nurses must intervene and be stellar to advance the publics health. Direct public health issue may be varied and include nurse shortage, environmental threats, chronic illness, health inequality, the increase in the number of uninsured and threats to public programs such as Medicare and Medicaid. Given today’s economy and several global threats, it is imperative that nurses provide guidance in domestic public policy matters.
In an April article (Hall-Long 2009) mentions the necessity for nurses to be involved in community organizing in order to make certain differences. Community organizing entails numerous levels of alliances, human and nonhuman resources, skilled communication, outreach, application of data, and working with the community, neighborhood leaders and policymakers for positive changes. Pres. Barack Obama (1990) stated in his book After Alinsky: Community organizing in Illinois "in theory, community organizing provides a way to merge various strategies for neighborhood empowerment. Organizing begins with the premise that the problems facing communities do not result from a lack of effective solutions, but from a lack of power to implement these solutions. The only way for communities to build long-term power is by organizing people and money around a common vision. Viable organization can only be achieved if broadly based indigenous leadership and not one or two charismatic leaders can knit together the diverse interests of their local institutions. This means bringing together churches, block clubs, parent groups and any other institutions in a given community to pay dues, hire organizers, conduct research, develop leadership, hold rallies and education campaigns, and begin drawing up plans on a whole range of issues jobs, education, crime, etc. Once such a vehicle is formed, it holds the power to make politicians, agencies and corporations more responsive to community needs".
Hall-Long (2009) reports that nurses are educated for a political journey. Example of this theory can be found in skill that most nurses hold such as communication, advocacy, listening and problem solving. Frequent mistakes that nurses advocates make are to be to over zealous in their political approach. Often nurses my underestimate the time amount of time it might take to get a bill passes or regulation changed.
Nurses are part of society on a personal level; therefore our economic and social values may occasionally conflict with certain political platform that our profession may support. It is important for a nurse to be aware of his or her values to avoid political and ethical conflicts.
As nurses we must consider that if no one speaks for nurses on issues who will? It’s not whether you win or lose, but how you play the game. In politics how you play the game can determine the outcome of a specific issue. Nurses have great power in numbers and much to offer in crafting policy. If we stick together, "yes we can".
References
Hall-Long, Bethany (2009). Nursing and public policy: A tool for excellence in education, practice and research. Mosby Nursing Outlook, 57, 78-83.
Obama, Barack (1990). After Alinsky: Community Organizing in Illinois. Illinois Issues, University of Illinois at Springfield, Chapter 4, 35-40.
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