Reference no: EM133787022

Question

Why is it that nurses, the largest group of health professionals with perhaps the greatest firsthand knowledge of the health care problems faced by consumers, have not historically been a part of health care policy decision making? If the public was asked to list five adjectives to describe nursing, what would they be? Would the art or the science of nursing be recognized more? Would nurses themselves use different adjectives? Collective involvement of only a fraction of the nation's 3.8 million RNs in health care policy would produce a significant voting bloc. Have nurses ever made a concerted effort to vote collectively? What positions have professional organizations such as the ANA taken on recent election issues or candidates for office? Would endorsements by professional nursing organizations influence how you vote? Should the nursing profession target the recruitment of men into nursing in an effort to increase professional power? Will nursing be able to increase its power base if it does not increase its educational entry level to a level similar to that of other healthcare professions?