nurses in unions

The phrase politics of nursing or even politics in nursing has so much meaning to the individual nurse. In nature politics have a dichotomy nature, and depending on who you talk to, their individual slant is unique. This makes the discussion of politics a very complicated issue. Agreement is the basis for the efforts that arise from politics, yet with every issue there are two sides who have to compromise something to get a bit of what they want. So what happens when a nurses are so busy they cannot advocate for themselves? Who will advocate for nurses when they can no longer bridge their essential needs in a health care environment? Unions are a modern option for nurses who struggle with voicing their needs and patient needs in an outdated bureaucratic twenty first century capitalist world of health care. The purpose of this paper is to look into the contributions of Unions on nurses, patient care, and the way health care facilities address issues that limit a collaborative approach to health care.

Nursing standards are the building blocks that lead to excellent patient care. The ANA (American Nursing Association) has standardized sixteen common practices for the best quality care of patients by nurses. Nurses are only able to facilitate minimal standards to patients due to time restraints derived from patient ratios and lack of support from administration. The hope to achieve the best possible outcomes in patient care are limited to the minimal standards expected of nurses from the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (ANA, 2010). Patient ratios have been seen as a huge issue across the realm of nurses and health care facilities in deliverance on patient care. Addressing the issue of nursing shortages and the effects on ...

... middle of paper ...

...out the tasks at hand. They pray to have an administration that values skill mix, and rewards staff with a quality of pay that reflects a job well done. Today the only thing a nurse has a voice for above all else is whether a patient receives the best evidence based care, everything else they hope, want, and pray for is outside their scope of practice. Unions can speak for what they hope, want, and pray for, but it is up to the nurse to care for the patient.

Works Cited

American Nurses Association (2010). Nursing: Scope and Standards of Practice, 2nd Edition. Silver Springs, MD

Clark, Paul F., and Darlene A. Clark. Union Strategies for Improving Patient Care: The Key to Nurse Unionism. LABOR STUDIES JOURNAL, Vol. 31, No. 1 (Spring 2006): 1-19.

Hirsch, B. T., & Schumacher, E. J. (2012). Union elections and nursing wages. Southern Economic Journal, 78(4), 1-11.