Nurses and Elected Office

NURSES AND ELECTED OFFICE

Nurses and Elected Office

Any elective office has a set of qualifications that aspirants must meet. Higher offices have higher qualifications, while lower ones may have only basic requirements. For instance, to be elected as US president, one must be a natural-born US citizen, must have resided in the US for not less than fourteen years, and aged at least 35 years. To be elected into the United States House of Representatives, one must have been a citizen of the US for at least seven years, be not less than 25 years of age, and be a resident of the state they represent (US House of Representatives, n.d.). Election into the state senate and representative positions differ across states. In Washington State, for instance, elected representatives must be aged at least 25, be registered voters in the state, and must have been US citizens for not less than 7 years (Washington State, n.d.).

Besides meeting the constitutional requirements, a person seeking elective office needs the human resources to carry out an effective campaign (Pitsker, 2019). Depending on the position, these may include a campaign manager, finance director, a fundraising coordinator, and a volunteer coordinator. These are the people responsible for knocking on doors, placing phone calls, preparing mailers, setting campaign policies, booking press conferences, and preparing speeches, among other things (Pitsker, 2019). One will also need finances for attending trainings and boot camps, paying salaries and rent, producing campaign posters, purchasing equipment, and running advertisements (Pitsker, 2019). Evidently, these is a lot that goes into running for elected office.

Nurses Serving in Elected Office

Eddie Bernice Johnson is a registered nurse representing the 30th Congressional District of Texas in the US House of Representatives. Congresswoman Johnson is serving her 15th term since she was first elected in 1992 (House.gov). She chairs the House Committee on Technology, Space, and Science, being the first female and first African-American chair (House.gov). Prior to her election to Congress, she served in the Texas House of Representatives, the state Senate, and as the regional director for the Department of Health, Welfare, and Education (Nursing Theory, 2020).

Congresswoman Bernice was born in Texas in 1935 and received her Diploma in Nursing from the University of Notre Dame’s St. Mary’s college in 1956. Thereafter, she obtained her Bachelor’s degree in Nursing at Texas Christian University and a master’s degree in public administration in 1976 (Nursing Theory, 2020). Her concerns as an elected official center around racial equality, education, and healthcare (Nursing Theory, 2020). During her time in the state senate, she engaged in activism, holding hearings, testifying in court cases involving racism, and investigating racial complaints (Nursing Theory, 2020). In the nursing profession, Ms Bernice is recognized for introducing the 2011 National Nursing Act, which elevates the role of the Public Health Service chief nursing officer and the many contributions that nurses make in promoting wellness, disease prevention and public health (Nursing Theory, 2020).

There are several reasons why more nurses should consider following the example of Ms Bernice and seeking elective positions at the state and federal levels. First, elective positions place nurses in a better postion to influence health policy by sponsoring and co-sponsoring bills and legislative amendments. Further, having more nurses in elected positions means that bills focused on social justice, disease prevention, public health, and supporting the role of nurses enjoy more political support. Secondly, nurses are trained to be undertanding, empathetic, and compasionate (Lake, 2020). They take time to listen to their patients’concerns and give the supports needed to ensure they live healthy and long lives. Like Ms. Bernice, they are known to advocate for public health, equality in healthcare, housing, education, and other issues that promote social justice and well-being (Lake, 2020). Their training empowers them to focus on the needs of others, which places them in a good position to serve their communities selflessly.