However, nurses need support in order to effect change. Another barrier is the limited formal health care policy education in nursing. : 10.1177/1527154413485901, Shariff, N. (2014). : 10.1155/2016/3975634, ORourke, N. C., Crawford, S. L., Morris, N. S., & Pulcini, J. Policy and politics: why nurses should get involved. PMC In what looked like a reverse of this question, nurses were asked to state their agreement or disagreement with the statement: Politics is not the concern of nurses. In their responses, 79% either disagreed or strongly disagreed with this statement, again saying that politics is a concern of nurses. Nurses may be hesitant to take a political stance on healthcare problems for a number of reasons. : 10.3912/OJIN.Vol12No01Man02, Ahoya, C. K., Abhichartibuttra, K., &Wichaikhum, O. Imagine youre on, Jeri Milstead is inducted into the ANA Hall of Fame.. Nurses have been paid differently than doctors for decades. All were motivated by early life events to realize the importance of social justice and good government. For instance, only 5.8% reported that they attended the most recent district meeting of GRNMA, and only 16% indicated that they attended the last regional symposium organized by GRNMA in their region. Professor Akwasi Kumi-Kyereme has been involved in various research projects and has published extensively in his major areas of research interest, namely sexual and reproductive health; social dimensions of health (including HIV, AIDS, and Tuberculosis); and healthcare financing. Build a social media following as a nurse, https://www.nursingworld.org/practice-policy/nursing-excellence/official-position-statements/expert-policy-analysis/, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, 2023 NurseJournal.org, a Red Ventures Company. Thanks for this article. 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. And something as simple as exercising the right to vote can impact healthcare policy. But. The PAI is a 40-item questionnaire with each affirmative response valued at one point. AAOHN J. Among all healthcare professionals, nurses are the ones closest to clients and consumers of healthcare (Juma et al., 2014). In a study conducted in the United States regarding political participation of registered nurses, only 23% of participants reported making monetary contributions to political candidates (Vandenhouten et al., 2011). Why are nurses reluctant to get involved in politics jobs Positive micro-, meso-, and macro-level benefits of this involvement were identified. Additionally, the nurses of today are younger, more educated, and more diverse. Whether youre looking to get your pre-licensure degree or taking the next step in your career, the She has published and lectured throughout her career. I do agree that many nurses become frustrated with the policies that they have to follow which can lead to burnout, which ultimately leads to a shortage of nurses. 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. Table 5. 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. Epub 2022 Mar 31. This generally high level of political participation among residents of Tamale makes it an ideal setting to study political behavior among a group of people. The results of the independent t-test showed that the mean score on political participation for males was statistically significantly higher (15.81) compared to females (14.20), (t (223) = 2.525, p = .012). Nursing Research and Practice, 2016, 18. Why are nurses reluctant to become politically involved in Dr. Wombeogo lectures in various nursing and health-related courses, at the Schools of Allied Health Sciences and Medicine and Health Sciences, of UDS. Mr. Afizu Alhassan holds a Master of Nursing Degree from the University of Cape Coast in Ghana and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University for Development Studies, also in Ghana. How To Lead Change in Nursing Through Political Action 2022 Jan-Mar;48(1):116-124. doi: 10.12865/CHSJ.48.01.17. Start with simple methods to participate in policy engagement. Retrieved from: https://www.americannursetoday.com/from-apathy-to-political-activism/, Lathrop, B. :10.1177/1527154413490566, Kelly, K. (2007). However, the resources Key Words: Political participation, Political Astuteness Inventory, political activities, politics, policy, nurses, Ghana. And which insurance company got the first taste of federal subsidies to implement HMOA73? For more information please follow the below link: The Cronbach's alpha for this adapted version was 0.82. The target audience for this medical event is OB-GYN physicians. In a study about political efficacy and political participation among nurses in Kenya, Ahoya et al. Furthermore, the faculty of nursing schools should also participate in policy changes, thereby acting as role models for their students. 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. Factors influencing organized political participation in nursing. All rights reserved. Thank You. After all, healthcare legislation ultimately affects us all. Nurses must have a seat at the decision-making table to ensure that policy decisions, made by legislatures without healthcare experience, are patient and staff-centered. This situation is not peculiar to Ghana. Thank You. United we stand: preparing nursing students for political activism. Table 4. Why are nurses reluctant to be involved in the political process Among the reasons why nurses sought to be involved in politics or political action, nurses highlighted the injustices and grievances they experienced as a consequence of feeling early-life gender discrimination, racism, and faith or culture differences. Lack of awareness, inadequate skills, and little opportunity for involvement are just a few factors. Search for jobs related to Why are nurses reluctant to get involved in politics or hire on the world's largest freelancing marketplace with 22m+ jobs. Total Population by Country 2019. Reston, Virginia: Upper Saddle River. 2020 Feb;50(1):81-100. doi: 10.4040/jkan.2020.50.1.81. This compensation does not influence our school rankings, resource guides, or other editorially-independent information published on this site. With nurses working longer into their careers, there's a more noticeable hesitance among them to accept transitions. (2005). Additionally, the city is host to three major hospitals and two educational facilities from which the study participants were drawn. / D.O. Author Fredrik Oestberg 1 . Bethesda, MD 20894, Web Policies doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0283903. (2016) noted that nurses were generally unable to make financial contributions to political organizations as a result of low-income earnings. Clipboard, Search History, and several other advanced features are temporarily unavailable. Background: Since I am in nursing school at the moment, I can understand why new nurses would be overwhelmed to become involved in politics. https://www.emedevents.com/c/medical-conferences-2019/palm-springs-oasis-in-the-desert-2019-encore-symposium. Hindrances to political activism are thought to incorporate a few spectra including overwhelming workloads, sentiments of weakness, time requirements, sex issues, and absence of comprehension of a complicated political process. 2014;45(5):203-4. International Council of Nurses (2012). After 10 elected or politically-active Canadian nurses were interviewed, data saturation was confirmed. 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. Curr Health Sci J. 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. Time and resources are further obstacles to the nursing professions participation in politics. Nurs Res Pract. Background Characteristics of Respondents. She has published and lectured throughout her career. Note: The values in this table represent multiple responses from participants. Nurses who were unable to complete surveys by the time of this first collection were given another week to complete the survey. Is there a nurse in the House? Nurses are strong patient advocates. Who suffers? This finding also supports the assertion of Boswell, Cannon, and Miller (2005) who described nurses apathy towards political participation as a pandemic. Nursing Research and Practice, 2014, 110. American Nurse Today, 2(8). Int Nurs Rev. Independent samples t-test was used to test the association between gender, area of practice, and political participation. Families and friends of nurses need to encourage political activism. Since Ghanaian nurses are generally more interested in just voting, and also since they register with professional nursing organizations but do not actively participate in the activities of these organizations, it may be appropriate to say that these nurses fall within the category of voting specialists. Retrieved from http://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/. Nina Chamlou specializes in writing features that draw from scientific studies and expert commentary. Would you like email updates of new search results? NurseJournal.org is an advertising-supported site. https://www.emedevents.com/c/medical-conferences-2019/survival-skills-for-today-s-gynecologist-2019 Over 88% of respondents indicated they did not contribute any money at all towards political causes. However, little is. AORN J. In other words, they were in the category of low and very low levels of political participation. The subject matter i want to touch has been one . Thanks for sharing this information. Scholars have presented various reasons as to why the call for nurses to be politically active is ethical and the right thing to do. Tag: why are nurses reluctant to get involved in politics. Nurses must be seen and heard in health policy debates. 24, No. At the end all of us will be affected. But. NCI CPTC Antibody Characterization Program. We have for the most part just wanted to take care of our patients with no time or interest in the politics of individual institutions and even less interest in the political activities going on around us. A round the world, no matter the setting, nurses want to provide safe care to patients and fami-lies. :10.4172/2471-9846.1000142, Avolio, C. D. (2014). The site is secure. I eventually simply refused to do it as did thousands of other RNs. Factors influencing nurses participation in the health policy-making Unable to load your collection due to an error, Unable to load your delegates due to an error. We surveyed practicing nurses on their current knowledge about health policy advocacy, current and desired involvement in health In spite of the overwhelming agreement that it is important for nurses to know about politics, and that politics should be a matter of concern to nurses, only 0.4% of the respondents were found to be concerned and knew much about political issues. Yet, studies have shown that nurse participation in political activities remains low. Additionally, participants were asked whether they have ever actively supported a candidate for election as an Assemblyman or a Member of Parliament (e.g., by campaigning or wearing party souvenirs). :10.1177/1527154413489887, Montalvo, W., & Byrne, M. W. (2016). Respiratory Therapists: Oxygen Therapy: What you need to know to get it right for your patients. Hi, As such, nurses have the potential to profoundly influence policy and politics on a global scale. World Population Review. He is the current Convocation Representative (Professorial) on the University of Cape Coast Council and a member of a number of professional associations. 3 Min Read. this is because nurses and other frontline workers are not involved enough in the change process. Nurs Outlook. (2013). 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. Healthcare Finance Is Essential to Nurses at MC Online Think about that for a minute. But in order to do so, they will need to partner with members of other medical professions such as physicians. Why are nurses reluctant to become involved in the political Before this position, he taught at the Nursing and Midwifery Training College, Kpembe, for five years, and worked as a clinical nurse for five years at the Tamale Teaching Hospital. National Library of Medicine Nurse Leadership is a successful long-term healthcare facility in the health care industry. The two leading political parties in Ghanathe National Democratic Congress (NDC) and The New Patriotic Party (NPP) both have a strong presence in the metropolis, although the NDC candidates have been winning all recent elections in this city. She loves covering topics worthy of more attention in healthcare, education, mental health, and social justice. From revelation to revolution: critical care nurses' emerging roles in public policy. Disclaimer. Political Astuteness Inventory. Nurses' political involvement: responsibility versus privilege Tung FL, Yan VC, Tai WL, Chen JH, Chung JW, Wong TK. Professor Akwasi Kumi-Kyereme has been involved in various research projects and has published extensively in his major areas of research interest, namely sexual and reproductive health; social dimensions of health (including HIV, AIDS, and Tuberculosis); and healthcare financing. Good morning Great Nurses!!! Never more so than today has the profession needed a strong united stand within the political arena. Influencing Health Care in the Legislative Arena | OJIN: The Online These previous nursing leadership positions have motivated him to study the political behavior of nurses. Thank You. The most common political practices reported by participants were: registering to vote (95.1%), voting in the last general election (77.3%), and voting in the last two elections (80%). Findings: Data Collection ProcedureAfter institutional approval, data collection was completed over a period of three weeks, from March 27 to April 14, 2017. Falk NL. Policy and politics: why nurses should get involved. He is the current Convocation Representative (Professorial) on the University of Cape Coast Council and a member of a number of professional associations. These percentages are generally higher than the average voter turnout in national elections in Ghana, which is estimated at 71.35% (International Foundation for Electoral Systems, 2019). This is probably because gaining membership of the GRNMA is a very passive endeavor. 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. Eventually those jobs were outsourced so I obtained telephonic and virtual registered nurse positions but the ratios/case loads are just as bad and worse. The fact that nurses generally do register to vote, and do vote in many elections, suggests that nurses may not be generally apathetic towards politics as has been suggested, but rather may limit the extent of their participation. 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. The truth is, any nurse can influence policy and politics at the local, state, and federal levels. Featured or trusted partner programs and all school search, finder, or match results are for schools that compensate us. Males were slightly greater in number than females. Nurse Activism: 15 Ways Nurses Can Affect Real Change Nurses must be seen and heard in health policy debates. Statistics: An Introductory Analysis (2nd ed.). The PubMed wordmark and PubMed logo are registered trademarks of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Discover how the "fee-for-service" model that discounts nurses' worth is starting to hurt hospitals. Kunaviktikul, W. (2014). Their nursing education and work equipped them to be capable of engaging in political spheres. government site. Her work has been featured on psycho Nurse-to-patient ratios vary by state. Determining if nurses are involved in political action or politics: A scoping literature review. In the case of an Assemblyman, 85.3% said no; and 82.2% said no for that of a Member of Parliament. Lets roll back the hands of time to a time when human decency mandated healthcare be a SERVICE industry! It's free to sign up and bid on jobs. http://scholar.uwindsor.ca/etd/5064/, Boswell, C., Cannon, S., & Miller, J. The authors discuss their findings, and conclude that nurses may not participate in high intensity level political activities, but they do engage in low intensity actions, such as voting in elections. The characteristics of the nurses who perform research conformed to some, but not all, of the aspects of the stereotype. Belei RE, Kamal AM, Cotocel C, Rdulescu D, Alexandru DO, Ptracu A, Gognu AM. Nurses level of political participation was measured using the Political Astuteness Inventory. Pamela, A. J., Edwards, N., & Spitzer, D. Kenyan nurses involvement in national policy development processes. PLoS One. Unable to load your collection due to an error, Unable to load your delegates due to an error. A period of one week was allowed for consenting participants to complete the survey. This descriptive, cross-sectional study design included a survey of nurses. The city is characterized by high levels of political activitiesThe city is characterized by high levels of political activities, including television and radio discussions, rallies, mounting of billboards and party flags, and street carnivals, especially during electioneering campaigns. Nurses are reluctant to participate in policy making or politics due to a number of reasons such as feeling incompetent in politics, time constraint or general negative feelings towards politics, lack of awareness, little opportunity for involvement and limited health care policy education in the nursing curriculum. Due to its central location, Tamale serves as a hub for all administrative and commercial activities in the Northern region. You may be surprised at how simple and time efficient it is to engage in policy decisions. Support measures for the next of kin who has experienced the unexpected loss of a family member to HIV/AIDS. In the case of the two district hospitals, we sought permission from the Northern Regional Health Directorate to carry out the study in those facilities, since they did not have institutional review boards. This section will describe the characteristics of the respondents, report nurses' levels of political participation and present the political practices of the nurses. 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. Zauderer CR, Ballestas HC, Cardoza MP, Hood P, Neville SM. These earlier findings are in sharp contrast to the present study where 91.1% of the participants were registered members of the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA). Nurses' involvement in health policy making is clear; however, still few are involved in policy-making processes, even in the clinical context. nurses are not generally apathetic towards political activities, yet they are limited in the extent to which they participate. Policy, Politics, & Nursing Practice, 13(4), 183183. The independent samples t-test was conducted to determine differences in the level of political participation based on gender and practice area, while the one-way ANOVA was used to determine differences in political participation based on age and academic qualification. Unfortunately, nurses have historically had little involvement in policy that affects healthcare delivery. Influencing healthcare in the legislative arena. The results of these tests are presented in Table 4. This frustration often leads to negativity, disillusionment, bitterness, and burn-out. As Witnesses to Inequity, Nurses Can Be Powerful Advocates. Nurs Open. should provide some support. Law 3. Or the Senate? Epub 2011 Nov 22. doi: 10.1590/1518-8345.1152.2670. :10.1155/2014/236573, Keepnews, D. M. (2012). American Nurses Association. Nurses' roles in shaping health policy in the United States related to patient safety have not been fully expanded. At the state and federal level, nurses can get involved in policy and politics by joining a professional nursing organization. [Solved] Why nurses reluctant to become involved in the political Leadership roles and management functions in nursing: Theory and application. New York, NY: Harper and Row. Data analysis was performed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS), version 21 (IBM, 2015). Ethical ConsiderationsThe study was conducted in five different institutions, specifically two district hospitals, one teaching hospital, and two nursing training schools.
