Argumentative Essay On The Role Of Politics In Nursing

Christine,

When discussing the DNP’s role as a patient advocate within their health care system as well as in the local and global community you brought up an interesting point regarding how some nurses you knew voted based on the health care policies proposed by our candidates in the last election. While reading your post, I recall the notion in Butts & Rich “that nursing practice, by definition, is inherently and deeply political “(2015, p. 140). According to Butts & Rich, a “fundamental goal of nursing is to bring about maximum well-being and health for every individual, family and community” (2015, p.140). In theory, the point of politics is to bring about maximum well-being for our society. Therefore, theoretically, the goals are the same, it’s just the process we often disagree about, right? Obviously, that is a gross oversimplification of our problems with politics and health care in our

Looking back at the shock I had by some individuals voting choices through the lens gained by thinking about oppression in nursing, I have a new perspective. Perhaps, a nurses’ lack of support for universal health care reflects their own oppression. Whether it is the oppression they face as a nurse, or oppression they face related to their place in society, it may impact their voting. Recently, politics, the economy and health care seemed to be viewed as a zero-sum game where there is only so much of the pie to go around. If one takes the view, that many did in our last election cycle, that the government was essentially oppressing them and that to make our country “great” again we had to decrease government regulations that are pressing down on the country, their voting makes more sense. The voting behavior then aligns with how Dong & Temple described behaviors of nurses as an oppressed group in Oppression: A Concept Analysis and Implications for Nurses and Nursing