Dear Editor:

As a new graduate of nursing in 1970, I had many dreams and aspirations. I planned to be the best nurse possible. No one, not in any of my classes, not in any of my clinical experiences, not anywhere was I told that there was a force to be reckoned with that would profoundly affect my practice. That force was/is POLITICS. I soon learned how naive I was. Not everyone cared that I was providing care to families in the home. Not when the dollars I was asking for to provide this service competed with keeping roads and bridges in good repair. Those concerns now seem almost irrelevant in the face of managed care, reduced staffing, increased health care costs, etc. However, it most certainly does point out the need for nurses to become politically involved. Greer Glazer, PhD, RN, FAAN discusses the importance of nurses becoming politically involved in her January 6th, l997 article for Online Journal of Issues in Nursing. The article, "Grease the Wheels of Our Political Machine," encourages nurses to learn about the issues, become vocal, and assist financially when possible.

While I agree that nurses need to be involved on the national level, I would like to encourage nurses to get involved locally. Our local nurses' association's last meeting, of which the primary focus was our state's legislative session, had ONLY thirteen nurses attend out of 311 licensed RNs in the district. If we can't work to at least be informed in our own "neck of the woods" where decisions are made that affect our work, how can we be motivated to try to make a difference nationally?

Another way that I feel nurses can become involved politically is to run for a political office. Scary? It can be, but if you feel strongly about being involved, and believe that you have the knowledge, or at least the desire to learn — RUN!! I ran for and was elected to our local school board. Not a high level, prestigious office, but as a pediatric nurse practitioner, I felt I had something to offer children and those who work with them in the schools. Was I successful in all I hoped? No, but I was able to make some changes. Changes such as having the head school nurse be involved in the interview process for school nurses along with the building principal. Change such as setting policy to increase the length of time a new mom could receive homebound teaching so that she could stay home longer with her newborn to bond, establish breast feeding, etc. Small steps, but ones I believe show that as nurses being active in the local political arena we can make a difference.

In conclusion, I strongly believe that nurses must stop believing like I did as a new graduate. We must be politically involved if we hope to make a difference in our profession. I just hope that nurses will realize the importance of local politics and how important it is for us to work for change there as well as on the national level.

Sue Hume, RN, BSN, CPNP
City County Health Department
100 Central Avenue
Cheyenne, WY 82007

103431.2351@compuserve.com

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