Des Jardins argues that in fact nurses have a moral and ethical obligation to participate in their government in every way available to them, starting with registering to vote, so they can support candidates and issues they believe will support good health for the society in which they live. In addition, Helms, et. al. (1996) argue that attempting to influence policy at the hospital level as well as for local, state and national politics is important for nurses who work in a time of change. They encourage nurses to work together and try to help find solutions for the serious issues facing health care today. They particularly encourage nurses to be active regarding health issues, such as the changing laws for Medicare. These authors urge nurses to consider what actions could be implemented as a mode for positive change within the health community.

Nurses may feel that for whatever reason their voices would not be important, but the writes on this topic do not agree. The fact is that the more credible people speak up on a health-related topic, the...

Some of our senators have been speaking out for national health insurance for decades without any real impact. Perhaps if nurses joined these men and women, telling the problems they see in the emergency room that could have been minimized or even prevented, but were not because the person did not have access to health care, would give the politicians' voices more power.
Perhaps that isn't an issue a given nurse would choose to support, and that's all right. If nurses speak up and actively support the things they believe to be important, out of the discussion will come a consensus. Their contributions to these discussions could be invaluable.

Bibliography

Des Jardin, Karen. 2001. "Political involvement in nursing -- politics, ethics, and strategic action." AORN Journal, November.

Helms, Lelia B.; Anderson, Mary Ann; and Hanson, Kathy. 1996. "Doin' politics:' linking policy and politics in nursing." Nursing Administration Quarterly, March 22.