The Need for Nurses to Engage in Political Involvement

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The Need for Nurses to Engage in Political Involvement

There has been a pandemic apathy towards political activism among the nursing fraternity, despite the fact that politics to a greater extent affects the way these medical practitioners carry out their duty of providing care. Nurses have not seen any reason for political involvement citing that no direct relationship exists between nursing and political activism (Boswell, Canon and Miller 5). They claim that nursing is about application and service, demonstration by involvement and more of ‘walking the walk’ rather than the political ‘talking the talk’ (Rains and Barton-Kriese 219). Political activism to them is a waste of the precious time that could be used to provide healthcare to the patients, in addition to being a barrier to the advancement of the nursing profession. Despite this naivety about political involvement, there is a great need for nurses to take part in political activism. This paper raises an argument in favor of nurses’ involvement in political activism.

The Problem

Nursing is the most powerful profession in the United States, given the fact that they can dictate how the direction of policy formation will go through their large numbers. In addition, their extensive knowledge of healthcare, which in itself is a technical profession that requires specific skills, places them at a greater position to influence the direction of the national policy. Regrettably, these professionals have left their political activism reins to other individuals who do not understand what healthcare is all about. The consequence of this is the passing of unfavorable healthcare policies that make the provision of healthcare even more difficult.

A good example is the present un...

... middle of paper ...

...est of the society that nurses embrace political activism.

Works Cited

Andrist, Linda, Patrice Nicholas and Karen Wolf. A History of Nursing Ideas. Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers, 2006. Print.

Bergen, Kathy. “Illinois Department of Revenue Denies Tax Exempts for 3 Hospitals.” Chicago Tribune. Chicago Tribune Mag., 17 Aug. 2011. Web. 4 Nov. 2011.

Boswell, Carol, Sharon Cannon and Joyce Miller. “Nurses’ Political Involvement: Responsibility Versus Privilege.” Journal of Professional Nursing 21.1 (2005): 5-8. Print.

Godfrey, William. The Struggle to Serve: A History of the Moncton Hospital, 1895 to 1953. Montreal, QC: McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2004. Print.

Rains, Joanne, and Paul Barton-Kriese. “Developing Political competence; A Comparative Study across Disciplines.” Public Health Nursing 18.4 (2001): 219-224. Print.

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