Nurses in the Political Arena- The Public Face Of Nursing

199 Pages·2000·10.75 MB·English

by  Harriet Feldman PhD RN FAAN

Nurses in the
Political Arena
The Public Face of Nursing
Harriet R. Feldman, PhD, RN, FAAN, is Dean and Professor of Nursing
at Pace University Lienhard School of Nursing in New York. She is edi-
tor of Nursing Leadership Forum, published by Springer Publishing
Company. She has been politically active in nursing, holding a number
of leadership positions in the New York State Nurses Association,
American Association of Colleges of Nursing, and statewide deans'
organizations in New York and New Jersey. Her interests in the political
activities of nurses and their involvement in shaping public policy have
grown through these leadership positions and through her role as
member of the American Nurses Association House of Delegates. Dr.
Feldman is a noted author of more than 60 scholarly publications,
including books, book chapters, journal articles, and editorials, and has
presented at national and international conferences. She received her
PhD from New York University and her MS and BS degrees from Adelphi
University. She also has a certificate from the Management Development
Program at Harvard University.
Sandra B. Lewenson, EdD, RN, is Professor of Nursing and Associate
Dean for Academic Affairs at Pace University Lienhard School of Nursing
in New York. Prior to her appointment at Pace University, Dr. Lewenson
served as the Director of Accreditation at the National League for
Nursing. Her interest in the political activities of nurses and nursing
spans the late 19th and 20th centuries. Her research has focused on
nursing's involvement in the women's suffrage movement at the begin-
ning of the 20th century and has provided the basis for her work on
exploring how nursing is valued in society. She is the author of several
books, articles, and videos about nursing's political involvement and
activism. In 1995 her book, Taking Charge: Nursing, Suffrage, and Feminism
1873-1920 won the prestigious American Association for the History of
Nursing, Lavinia Dock Award for Historical Scholarship and Research in
Nursing. Dr. Lewenson received her EdD and MEd from Teachers
College, Columbia University, her MS from Mercy College, and BS from
Hunter College.
Nurses in the
Political Arena
The Public Face of Nursing
Harriet R. Feldman, PhD, RN, FAAN
Sandra B. Lewenson, EdD, RN
SPRINGER PUBLISHING COMPANY
Copyright © 2000 by Springer Publishing Company, Inc.
All rights reserved
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior
permission of Springer Publishing Company, Inc.
Springer Publishing Company, Inc.
536 Broadway
New York, NY 10012-3955
Acquisitions Editor: Sheri W. Sussman
Production Editor: Pamela Lankas
Cover design by Susan Hauley
02 03 04 / 5 4 3
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Feldman, Harriet R.
Nurses in the political arena: the public face of nursing / Harriet R.
Feldman and Sandra B. Lewenson
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-8261-1331-1
1. Nursing—Political aspects. 2. Nursing—Social aspects.
3. Nurses—Interviews. I. Lewenson, Sandra. II. Title.
RT86.5 .F45 2000
362.173—dc21
00-030090
Printed in the United States of America
Contents
Acknowledgments vn
Foreword by Claire M. Fagin ix
Introduction xiii
Chapter 1 Nurses in the Political Process: 1
The Face That No One Sees
Chapter 2 Historical Perspective on Nurses Active 28
in the Political Process
Chapter 3 Nurses in the Political Arena: 50
The Face the Public Sees
Chapter 4 Nurses' Action on Social Issues 75
Chapter 5 Negotiating the Political Process: 100
Lessons Learned
Chapter 6 Creating Political Opportunities 123
Appendix A Individuals Interviewed for This Book 149
Appendix B Political Action Databases and 155
Audiovisuals on Nurses and Politics
Appendix C Campaign Posters and Photographs 159
Index 171
V
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Acknowledgments
o effort worth doing is done alone. For us, writing this
N
book was a community effort—colleagues, new friends,
and our families joined us in telling the stories of success
and challenge that needed to be told. We believe, as do many of
those we interviewed, that these stories can serve to both men-
tor others and to promote the betterment of society.
Colleagues from Pace University listened to our ideas and helped
us to crystallize the themes that emerged from the interviews.
The Hot Logs research group of the Lienhard School of Nursing
helped to identify initial themes, and Karen Anderson Keith read
the manuscript and offered her insights on both content and form.
Our graduate assistant, Lisette Barton, greatly facilitated our
work by providing the structure that led us to the interviews, as
well as the literature and electronic searches, assistance with the
appendices, and follow-up on just about anything we asked. Even
with all the work we assigned to her as a graduate assistant, Lizette
asked to do more and more on the project because of her grow-
ing interest in the topic.
The people we interviewed became "new friends," as they helped
us to understand their experiences, hopes, concerns, and admo-
nitions. Each one contributed his or her ideas openly and freely
and made us feel that our work was right "on target."
Our husbands, Ron Feldman and Richard Lewenson, gave us
input, criticism, and lots of support through the many hours and
days, and some very late nights, as together and separately we
wrote and critiqued, then wrote some more. Our children, Craig
and Jaime Feldman and Jennifer and Nicole Lewenson, all recent
college graduates, added their encouragement and thoughts.
We particularly want to acknowledge the foresight and uncon-
ditional support of Dr. Ursula Springer; this, together with Sheri
vii
viii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Sussman's thoughtful approach to working with authors and
patience in getting books to press, was very much appreciated.
Last, we want to acknowledge the colleagueship and true shar-
ing between us as well as the humor and openness that became
the highlights of our work together.
HARRIET R. FELDMAN, PHD, RN, FAAN
SANDRA B. LEWENSON, EDD, RN
Foreword
hy encourage nurses to run for public office? What
W
makes it important—or what makes a nurse a special case
over any other woman or man who has the "fire in the
belly" to take on this daunting challenge? Does it matter to those
of us who are nurses, and why? Does it matter to the general pub-
lic? My answer to the last two questions is an unequivocal "yes,"
and this answer suggests the answers to the first two questions.
When I heard about this book, these questions were the ones I
needed to answer for myself to determine how important I thought
the book was. I have asked and answered the same questions as
I have worked with colleagues across the country and watched
them and other nurses move into the policy arena and particu-
larly that involved with running for office. How can nurses make
a difference?
All of us are vulnerable to health care crises—our own and
those of our families. At this time, the health care system is so
complex that we are hard put to understand and deal with the
problems of access to care and treatment when we are in these
periods of vulnerability. Nurses understand the complexity of the
health care environment and the consequences of unresolved
and unaddressed health care issues.
Poll after poll tell us that the American public trusts nurses
more than any other health professional or health institution. Of
course, it is vital that any nurse candidate for public office or for
a policy position must exemplify the reason for this trust. They
must realize that their profession places them in a special place
for the public's health. Their advocacy for patients and families
must be viewed as central in all their work. Their care and con-
cern for people must be translated into finding solutions to the
pressing problems in health care today.
ix