Abstract:
Nursing has a historical foundation based on advocacy to promote health equity and social justice for both individuals and society at large (Boutain, 2005a, 2005b, 2008). However, research has revealed a disturbing trend: the majority of individual nurses in the United States have abandoned advocacy focused on public policy and society's well-being (macro-level advocacy) (Ballou, 2000), in order to focus their efforts exclusively on advocacy for individual patients (micro-level advocacy) (Ballou, 2000). While professional nursing organizations do participate in political advocacy, less than 1% of all nurses are members and/or active participants in these organizations (Alotaibi, 2007; DeLeskey, 2003; Hedin, 1986; Primomo, 2007; Rapp & Collins, 1999). Further, only a small percentage of nurses are actively employed as nurse/political advocates (Ballou, 2000; Falk-Rafael, 2005). Do contemporary nurses still have a mandated responsibility (Ballou, 2000; Falk-Rafael, 2005) to both societal and individual well-being? If so, how do nurses gain understanding of the concept and practice of advocacy aimed at public policy development (i.e., political advocacy)? Through dialogue with practicing nurses and recorded narrative using open-ended, in-depth, structured interviews, this study explored the perspectives of nurse advocates on issues of advocacy skills, concepts, and practices as mandated by the American Nurses Association (ANA) and the National League of Nurses (NLN). Examining the perspectives of nurses currently engaged in political advocacy endeavors will provide greater understanding of this type of advocacy and provide valuable insights into what pedagogical interventions, skills, and professional practices are necessary to encourage political advocacy.
