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RNs in Office:2 4/22/09 5:47 PM Page 13 to the Nurse RNs are taking patient advocacy to the next level as they run for public office, and win. By Sarah Clark Photographs by Lauren Reid L ast year, Charlene Anderson, RN was driving to a political event and nervously rehearsing her first campaign speech. "I balled it up and threw it out the window," said Anderson, who now works as a community health RN at a nonprofit clinic in San Diego. She asked herself, "What am I good at? I'm good at talking to patients as a nurse. I'll just talk to people as if they're my patients." At the candidate event, she stood in front of the crowd and announced, "I'm Charlene and I'm your nurse." People started cheering. On Nov. 4, 2008, Anderson was elected to the Tri-City Hospital District Board of Directors in northern San Diego County, garnering more than 50,000 votes. According to Anderson, she received more votes that any other newcomer in recent history, and the only person with greater numbers was an incumbent. Anderson is just one of many registered nurses who have decided to take their duty of patient advocacy a step farther into the realm of electoral politics. There's no exact figure available, but dozens of RNs hold office across the country, from Maine to California. Among the most trusted of professionals in our society, registered nurses bring essential critRNs Carole Rogers ical-thinking skills and a humane perspective to and Robert Lieber their elected positions. CNA/NNOC has long both ran for public encouraged its direct-care RN members with the office because will and the drive to run for public office; Anderthey believe regisson's labor representative and coworkers at a previtered nurses must ous job urged her to throw her hat in the ring so participate in makthat patients and RNs would have an advocate with ing decisions for decision-making power for the community's main the wider health of hospital, Tri-City Medical Center. Once in elected communities. office, RNs are often able to propose betterinformed and more innovative solutions to policy questions, particularly healthcare problems, than others. "Nursing is all about helping people and it's the same thing in the legislature, crafting policy that hopefully is going to help folks in the real world," said Tim Driscoll, an RN in the Maine House of Representatives. REGISTERED NURSE 13