Again, this course has reinforced the importance of political activism not just as a United States Citizen but as a nursing professional and expert. Moving forward, I’ll network, collaborate with key stakeholders, become an active member of my local nurses’ association as well as my local and national certified registered nurses’ association. Together, we can join forces in moving our nursing profession forward as well as being great advocates for our patients. As an active member, I can contribute to our political action committee (PAC) that helps support politicians and lobbyists that support the nursing interest. I can volunteer my expert advice to policymakers to help shape policies so patients’ interests will be protected. I hope to be active in my local community helping share nursing knowledge, healthcare advice, as well as healthcare resources so we can build healthier and stronger communities. I’ll also advise young nurses to further their education and become advanced nurses as this helps strengthen their voices as political activists, giving credit to their views, advice, and suggestions.
Will you heed the call for action and join an organization like Nurses on Boards or become engaged with the National Nurse Campaign?
Yes, most definitely. Nurses are sociopolitical actors who promote improvements in health in our different facets of the profession (Melo, 2017). We are the frontline agents at almost every level of the healthcare system and the largest (Rasheed et al., 2020). We have a social mandate, to speak up for social justice and against health inequalities, to be advocates for public health issues, help reduce healthcare costs, medication errors, promote patient safety, enhance the quality of care, prevent, and manage communicable diseases (Buck-McFadyen & MacDonnell, 2017; Horton et al., 2019; Rasheed et al., 2020). I must therefore join an organization such as Nurses on Boards. In partnership with other leaders, will work tirelessly to promote change within the healthcare organization and improve healthcare outcomes for patients and the community.
Will you join a professional nursing organization?