In sum, healthcare is undoubtedly political, and what you do in response to the issues you care about means something. As such, nurses have the potential to p Nurses are the largest group of professionals in the health sector. He has also served on numerous university boards and committees. On the local or state level, nurses can choose to run for school board, city council, mayor or any number of important positions. It is a deliberate, logical, and rational problem solving process whereby the practice of nursing is performed systematically. He serves as a faculty member of the Department of Paediatric Nursing Division of the Ghana College of Nurses and Midwives and a member of a select committee on the Accelerated Fellowship programme of the Ghana College of Nurses and Midwives. Political apathy in the nursing profession can be attributed to numerous factors, including a lack of knowledge of the political process and public policy formation, feelings of powerlessness, and a perceived ethical conflict between professional values and political involvement. Another study in the United States assessing the political efficacy of nurse practitioners reported that the participants generally had limited political participation (ORourke et al., 2017). Kenyan nurses involvement in national policy development processes. The study aim was to determine the extent to which nurses in Ghana engage in political activities and to identify the demographic characteristics influencing nurses' political participation. American Nurse. If one peer or group of nurses begin to do this and see change, then it can inspire more nurses to step forward and express their opinions and issues about policy changes in healthcare. I think it is wonderful we now have nurses in political offices. During the third week, the remaining questionnaires were collected. Tamale is located in the Northern region of Ghana, in the Kingdom of Dagbong. One key objective of this study was to determine the extent to which nurses in Ghana are involved in political activities. Nurses can obtain formal training in politics, become involved in city councils and committees, or even run for local office. From apathy to political activism. Political participation of registered nurses. He is a health development consultant who has had significant experience in health and sustainable livelihoods surveys and programming, at Ghana's regional and national levels. Again, nurses tendency to be passive in political participation is evident here. Katie Pearce. Lack of awareness, inadequate skills, and little opportunity for involvement are just a few factors. It may not be for everyone, but it is one of many ways for nurses to assume important positions of power and influence. Medical Imaging Core Requirements Year 1. Factors of Influence I am glad to read some nursing schools are including how to have a voice in changing policies in politics involving health care. The proportional stratified random sampling method was used to determine the number of nurses from each facility. ). / D.O. As Oestberg so succinctly points out, If nurses dont stand up for issues that are important to us, those with competing interests in healthcare may be the only ones whose voices are heard. By joining their voices together, American nurses can influence the policy and politics that affect healthcare. It is essential that they write more articles about nursing and health issues, become more active in the activities of their professional organizations, contribute financially to political initiatives and activities, and become more conversant with their elected officials. In M. J. Clark (Ed), Community assessment reference guide for community health nursing: Advocacy for population health. Lack of awareness, inadequate skills, and little opportunity for involvement are just a few factors. The two primary reasons I want to study nursing are: to improve and save people's lives and to gain financially from the competitive salary in the nursing profession. The National Advisory Council on Nurse Education and Practice (NACNEP) has recommended that by 2010 at least two-thirds of all registered nurses hold baccalaureate or higher degrees. Retrieved from http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/geography/tamale.php, Abood, S. (2007). These organizations often have lobbyists that bring nursing issues to Capitol Hill. By the Grace of God, I passed when many others didnt and even passed State Boards becoming a licensed RN. Background characteristics of participants were described using frequencies, percentages, and means. He is the current Convocation Representative (Professorial) on the University of Cape Coast Council and a member of a number of professional associations. / Oct 19, 2020. He is a Fellow of both the West African College of Nurses and the Ghana College of Nurses and Midwives and a Member of the Sigma Theta Tau International. The nursing professions potential impact on policy and politics, are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or recommendations of the American Nurses Association, the Editorial Advisory Board members, or the Publisher, Editors and staff of. New policies made for healthcare should be made by those who have worked in the field and can speak on what those changes should be first hand, . Focus on a change that impacts healthcare outcomes either through direct or indirect care. 7 Challenges of Nursing School that Student Nurses Will Face! Questionnaires were marked as entered to avoid duplicate entries. Being active and jointing a professional nursing organization, such s the ANA, is essential as these organizations have lobbyists that discuss nursing issues at Capital hill. Bethesda, MD 20894, Web Policies Time and resources are further obstacles to the nursing professions participation in politics. Bookshelf All of these findings clearly indicate that nurses are generally very interested in voting as a political activity. He serves as an Assistant Lecturer at the Department of Nursing, School of Allied Health, University for Development Studies, where he also doubles as the examination officer for the department. The code serves as the foundation for "nursing theory, practice, and praxis" in expressing the "values, virtues, and obligations that shape, guide, and inform nursing as a profession.". These previous nursing leadership positions have motivated him to study the political behavior of nurses. After data from each questionnaire had been entered, questionnaires were bagged in an envelope, labeled as completed and locked in a cabinet. This site needs JavaScript to work properly. for-profit business entities instead of the service organizations they were intended to be. A Fundamental Conflict of Visions Robert E. Moffit, PhD: Today, we are going to address proposals to replace America's current health care arrangements with a national a "single-payer . Nursing: Immunity and the Environment Course is organized by Hawaii Nurses Continuing Education (HNCE) and will be held on Nov 04, 2020. He has also served on numerous university boards and committees. Regardless of the multiple factors limiting the nursing professions potential impact on politics, the fact remains that nurses are vital to the development and implementation of healthcare policy. Statistics: An Introductory Analysis (2nd ed.). Nursing is the largest component of the health workforce everywhere, but the profession has not yet realized its 'potential to profoundly influence policy and politics on a global scale' even though it is the 'moral and professional obligation of nurses to be engaged in legislation that impacts their patients' (Rakow 2016). :10.1155/2014/236573, Keepnews, D. M. (2012). Who suffers? Sigma offers grant and scholarship opportunities to help active students fund their nursing education. No part of this website or publication may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright holder. Your email address will not be published. Nurses and other healthcare professionals must maintain a certain level of political awareness if they are to have an appropriate impact on legislation, regulation and other initiatives that affect healthcare or nursing. Note: The values in this table represent multiple responses from participants.Relationship Between Political Participation and Demographic CharacteristicsData were analyzed for significant differences in the level of political participation of participants based on selected demographic variables. PMC Collectively, nurses can take the lead in support of the Institute for . Influencing healthcare in the legislative arena. IFES Election Guide: Country of Ghana. These activities included voting; campaigning; attending rallies; volunteering; contacting elected officials; working with others on local problems or issues; and being a member of nursing or non-nursing organizations that take stands on political issues. Only 30% and 45% of participants in studies by Vandenhouten et al. Cramer, M. E. (2002). At the end all of us will be affected. 24, No. nursingworld.org/NurseLegislatorDirectory.aspx. Personally, I think the word politics has a negative association with it, and I could see why many nurses do not want to become involved. High-intensity participation: The dynamics of party activism in Britian. These findings are similar to those of Avolio (2014) who studied the beliefs and practices of registered nurses in Canada with regards to political advocacy, and reported that 78% of nurses surveyed either agreed or strongly agreed that it is important for nurses to be politically active, and 76% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that politics is a concern of nurses. With the use of health policy examples, the implications for nursing are explained and ideas on how policy is implemented in practice set out. Additionally, the city is host to three major hospitals and two educational facilities from which the study participants were drawn. Yet, studies have shown that nurse participation in political activities remains low. 1.Definition Is the introduction of whole blood or component of the blood, e.g. Download. Factors influencing organized political participation in nursing. As nurse practitioners and APRNs gain a growing share of the primary care patient marketplace, some physician groups are less than happy with the new economic reality. regards There are a few ways that RNs and APRNs can contribute to policy-making. When nurses influence the politics that improve the delivery of healthcare, they are ultimately advocating for their patients. Registered nurses have anywhere from a 2-8 year degree. I persevered through nursing school, despite the 20-hour days with clinical rounds in the early morning, lectures in the afternoon and care plans & papers until early morning hours. government site. Similarly, Avolio (2014) noted that although nurses agreed that it was important to be politically active, only 30% of respondents reported that they were motivated to become involved in politics. (2013). Maternal-Fetal Imaging Advances in OB-GYN Ultrasound is organized by World Class CME and will be held from Jan 18 20, 2019 at The Westin Riverwalk, San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas, United States of America. For close to four decades, many nursing scholars have called for the profession to develop a cadre of politically active nurses in order to compete for scarce resources (Cramer, 2002). Nursing is the largest medical profession in the world with about 240,000 nurses in Nigeria alone. There is consensus among nursing scholars, particularly those active in policy, politics, and nursing practice, that nurses need to be politically active (Avolio, 2014; Juma, Edwards, & Spitzer, 2014; Kelly, 2007; Montalvo & Byrne, 2016; ORourke, Crawford, Morris, & Pulcini, 2017; Primomo & Bjorling, 2013; Vandenhouten, Malakar, Kubsch, Block, & Gallagher-Lepak, 2011). And nurses can even run for state office there are two nurses currently serving in the Florida State Legislature. Additionally, studies show that nurses are not given sufficient support to generate the evidence needed to influence healthcare policy. financial, systems, or political realities, not This bill included record investments in the nursing workforce. Source: https://www.emedevents.com/online-cme-courses/webcasts/oxygen-therapy-what-you-need-to-know-to-get-it-right-for-your-patients. When nurses influence the politics that improve the delivery of healthcare, they are ultimately advocating for their patients. Much of academic language continues to use pejorative terms. He has held key positions in the university including Head, Department of Population and Health (2010 2014) and Vice Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences (2014 2018). J Nurs Manag. Health policy, politics, and partisanship. Under the auspices of Nurse Keith Coaching, Keith's passion is helping nurses and healthcare professionals create ultimate satisfaction in both their personal and professional lives. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); document.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); *By submitting your e-mail, you are opting in to receiving information from Healthcom Media and Affiliates. hi Nursing's designation as a STEM profession is essential for the future of nursing. An historical study that focused on four generations of Canadian nurses, using a critical feminist lens, revealed each generation had political and other factors that promoted nursing activism both within and outside of their workplaces, with this activism in policy and political venues having helped to shape the transformative potential of . (2019). Epub 2015 Jan 13. Thanks for sharing this information. For nurses to advocate effectively for the profession and their clients, to be able to address the social determinants of health and to influence policy formulation at all levels, they must be active in the political process beyond voting. We live in a highly politicized time in the American national conversation, and nursing and healthcare are not immune from this phenomenon. Attended the most recent district meeting of GRNMA, Attended the last regional symposium organized by GRNMA, Actively supporting an assembly member during elections, Actively supporting a parliamentary candidate during elections, Writing a letter regarding a health issue to a parliamentarian, Writing a letter regarding a health issue to a Minister, Writing an article about health for publication. nurses are not generally apathetic towards political activities, yet they are limited in the extent to which they participate. Most participants were in their 30s (Mean age = 30.84, Median = 30.00). The result of this analysis is presented in Table 3. A qualitative study of health service reform on nurses' working lives: learning from the UK National Health Service (NHS). Retrieved from American Nurses: https://www.myamericannurse . :10.4172/2471-9846.1000142, Avolio, C. D. (2014). http://scholar.uwindsor.ca/etd/5064/, Boswell, C., Cannon, S., & Miller, J. Marquis BL, Huston CJ. (2013). The nursing process, consisting of assessment, diagnosis, planning/outcomes, intervention, and evaluation, has been described as the core and essence of nursing, central to all nursing actions. More than ever, nurses are present in every healthcare setting and possess a unique role in formulating policy. Data analysis was performed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS), version 21 (IBM, 2015). Citation: Alhassan, A., Kumi-Kyereme, A., Wombeogo, M., Fuseini, A.-G., (February 22, 2019) "Nurse Participation in Political Activities: Level and Practices of Registered Nurses in Tamale, Ghana" OJIN: The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing Vol. Calling your legislator about an issue you feel passionate about certainly matters. Nurse practitioners can impact health policy in different ways, simply depending on their practice specialty. The article I chose to summarize is from the Nurse Journal and discusses how politics impacted nurses and the shortage of nurses that has been an issue. Previous studies about nurse participation in political activities have also reported high voter turn-outs among the nursing population (Ahoya, Abhichartibuttra, & Wichaikhum, 2016; Avolio, 2014). Michigan: Univerity of Michigan Press. Inuencing politics and policies that improve In many countries, nurses constitute the largest workforce in the healthcare sector (Juma et al., 2014; Shariff, 2014). Before Tamale is Ghanas fourth largest city with a population of 360,579 people (World Population Review, 2019); it is the fastest-growing city in West Africa (Abaneh, 2019). Families and friends of nurses need to encourage political activism. https://doi.org/10.3912/OJIN.Vol24No02PPT63. Clipboard, Search History, and several other advanced features are temporarily unavailable. Table 5. 8600 Rockville Pike Political participation was defined as nurses involvement in activities considered to be political in nature (Vandenhouten et al., 2011). Dr. Wombeogo lectures in various nursing and health-related courses, at the Schools of Allied Health Sciences and Medicine and Health Sciences, of UDS. OB/GYN Conference Survival Skills for Todays Gynecologist is organized by World Class CME and will be held from Apr 12 14, 2019 at The Westin New York at Times Square, New York, USA. The views and opinions expressed by Perspectives contributors are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or recommendations of the American Nurses Association, the Editorial Advisory Board members, or the Publisher, Editors and staff of American Nurse Journal.