Educating nurses in political process: a growing need

If we are to advance the profession of nursing, we must educate nurses to become key participants in the formulation of health policy. If we fail to do this, others will make decisions that affect our practice without our input. A growing number of nurses are recognizing the need to increase our power, and we understand that political participation provides a pathway to power. We must continue to increase the number of nurses who are politically astute and active in order to achieve our goal. The most effective way to accomplish this is to educate large numbers of staff nurses for this vital role. This article suggests educational strategies and methods that can be utilized in continuing education programs to begin the political education process.