The health care system is always changing and evolving and for this reason, nurses who part of the health care system need to be politically active. The objectives of nursing as a profession is to provide holistic caring to patients and to advance the health of people. Nurses become politically active to help formulate and influence health policies that improve the quality of services offered to patients. Importantly, involvement in the development of health care policies enables nurses to control their work environment and its practices as they are able to advocate for more resources necessary for health care. Additionally, the influence of nurses in health care policies results in the protection of the safety of the patients, and an increase in quality care. Notably, nurses should have the responsibility to influence the delivery systems of health care which shapes the standards of health that would be provided today and in future.
Nurses should become politically active to represent the interests of nurses. For instance, most nurses under contract experience wage freezing that occurs when there is a decrease in hospital funding. Therefore, voting leaders who advocate for policies such as job security for nurses promote the professional values for nursing. Nurses become politically active to advocate for patients especially those from vulnerable populations whose social determinants affect their ability to access health care services. Additionally, some policies that are enacted to change society impacts on the work of nurses. For instance, drinking and driving laws in many states have reduced accidents which have seen cases of fatalities and trauma reduce in hospitals.
There are many ways that nurses can become politically active. Nurses should vote and encourage their co-workers, friends and families to vote too. Nurses can engage political parties, organizations or communicate directly with elected leaders on policies that should be enacted to change the health care system. Additionally, nurses can be politically active by joining and actively participating in nursing unions who help formulate some policies. Unions enable nurses to learn how to develop policies and the organization that help in the development of health care policies such as AARP. Nurses could join demonstrations and volunteer to participate in activities that promote better health care policies.
Nurses are respected and trusted people in the society, therefore, ethical considerations should be taken into place when nurses become politically active. It is critical to note that demanding change in healthcare policies in a political environment can cause tension among nurses, and therefore, some nurses choose not to be politically active. However, those that choose to be politically active use guidelines that enable nurses to plan for action and evaluate strategies that would enhance impact. Nursing guidelines provide ethical solutions that nurses might use to become politically involved in calling for action of change. Nurses are ethically obligated to take a stand to protect human life especially if vulnerable populations are involved. Vulnerable people are often denied health care services because they do not have insurance. Nurses should call for action that allows treatment of vulnerable and the bill paid by the government. Additionally, nurses are ethically required to call for social justice that assists refugees in countries such as Syria. Nurses are required to have apathy in their demonstrations by not fearing to be involved, and not basing their call for action on political affiliations that can be very dangerous. Political involvement should not consume a lot of time for nurses because they have obligations to fulfil to patients.