Nurses in Elected Office

Requirements for Running for Elected Office

Office-seeking requires a lot of resources in more than a single way. Whether one has the money to hire professional workers or rely on volunteers, victorious candidates can be supported by an inner circle campaign team that can help one plan, raise funds, and engage voters (Blumenherst, 2024). There are elements that require money, such as campaign events, advertisements, and salaries that are needed: Nurses in Elected Office.

They are also required to spend a significant amount of time door-to-door canvassing, providing public speeches, and participating in community events. Effective grassroots mobilization and voter contact require strong networks of volunteers and supporters. Additionally, campaigns require sophisticated organizational machinery for keeping voters’ databases, managing events, and complying with election laws, as well as financial reports.

Nurse Elected Official: Congresswoman Sheri Biggs

Note. Congresswoman Sheri Biggs (R-SC-03). From “Nurses Serving in Congress,” by the American Nurses Association, 2024, ANA Enterprise (https://www.nursingworld.org/practice-policy/advocacy/federal/nurses-serving-in-congress/).

Sheri Biggs was elected to serve in the US House of Representatives in 2024 and is in her first term of public service representing South Carolina’s Third District (American Nurses Association, 2024). A Board Certified Family Nurse, Air National Guard Lieutenant Colonel, and graduate of Air War College, Representative Biggs is a model of the excellent synergy between clinical nursing practice and public service leadership.

Her unique experience encompasses healthcare provision and military service, providing her with critical insights into national health policy and veterans’ healthcare needs. Biggs demonstrates the ability of nursing practitioners to transition from bedside care to legislative spaces using evidence-based thinking and patient advocacy strategies to inform policymaking (Brusie, 2024).

Importance of Nurses Running for Elected Office

Nurses possess credentials that make them exceptionally productive lawmakers. Their everyday clinical practice offers them first-rate familiarity with the issues of the health system, patient needs, and the actual impact of health policy interventions. Nurses receive training in critical thinking, crisis management, and interdisciplinary problem-solving skills that become immediately relevant to legislative action (Brusie, 2024).

Nursing programs also place major emphasis on health promotion, disease prevention, and population health measures that immediately influence effective public policy development. When nurses hold elected positions, they bring real healthcare experience to policy discourse and dialogue, enabling legislation to reflect true clinical reality rather than theoretical models.

Their advocacy skills based in patient care enable them to effectively champion causes in healthcare access, quality improvement, and health equity. Increased sophistication in health systems requires policymakers to be aware of clinical practice as well as community health concerns, which makes nurses crucial stakeholders in successful governance and health policymaking.

References

American Nurses Association. (2024). Nurses serving in Congress. ANA Enterprise. https://www.nursingworld.org/practice-policy/advocacy/federal/nurses-serving-in-congress/

Blumenherst, B. (2024, January 29). How to run a successful political campaign in 7 steps. NGP VAN. https://www.ngpvan.com/blog/how-to-run-a-political-campaign/

Brusie, C. (2024, November 18). Nurses in politics: Leaders who started at the bedside. Nurse.org. https://nurse.org/news/nurses-in-politics/

ORDER A PLAGIARISM-FREE PAPER HERE

We’ll write everything from scratch

WK 8-10 8100 Elected Office
What is the potential impact of nurses holding elected office? How might healthcare policy advocacy change if nurses are seated at the table?

For this Discussion, you will consider what it takes to run for an elected office, as well as explore what is at stake for nurses to run for these positions. You will identify nurses elected to public office, and you will consider the impact of these positions. How might learning about policy and advocacy pave the wave for a future as an elected official?

Nurses in Elected Office

To Prepare:

• Review resources about running for elected office.
• Consider what it might take—including resources, manpower, education, money, etc.—to run for office.
• Research nurses who have become elected officials.
• Consider why nurses might consider running for office.

By Day 3 of Week 10
Post a response detailing the following:

• What does it take to run for elected office? What are the resources you may need?
• After determining what it takes to run for office, identify an elected official that is a nurse (anywhere in the world), and then provide an introduction, with a picture, for this official.
• Finally, explain why running for office is important for nurses to consider.