National Nurses United

RAD:1 11/19/07 2:53 PM Page 11 Rose Ann DeMoro Executive Director, CNA/NNOC Nursing Power Goes Beyond Bedsides Nurses will be the group leading the healthcare revolution in America. there's a common chant that you can hear anywhere there are nurses agitating for change. We've heard it several times on the lawns and in the halls of state capitols, and we heard it at 15 different picket lines this October: "There's no power like the power of the nurses, 'cause the power of the nurses don't stop!" This isn't just a casual slogan that we like to chant when we want to grab politicians' attention or demand an improved contract. This is a statement rooted in the truth that nurses wield influence and strength at the bedside and beyond. Nurses have the professional judgment to assess and treat physical ailments. They also have the judgment and intelligence to diagnose and treat larger problems in our society: politically, economically, and environmentally. That is a profound responsibility. It is nurses who consistently rank as the most respected professionals in America. It's imperative that we do all we can to help RNs live up to that title each and every day by acting in the best interests of patients and the larger communities who are all, at one point or another in their lives, patients as well. So what does it mean to honor the title of "RN" most fully? "Registered nurse" is synonymous with "patient advocate." When you become a nurse, you take an oath to always act in the best interest of your patient, to speak up and speak out in the patient's defense. But to defend a life is complicated. A registered nurse will not walk past a person who had collapsed on the sidewalk simply because she or he is off the clock. Being a patient advocate goes far beyond bedside care, it goes deeper into the reasons behind why a patient is entrusted to the care of a nurse. Was the patient unable to receive NOVEMBER 2007 preventive medicine? Were they exposed to toxic substances leaked by nearby factories or plants? Did they have to skip doses of their medication because they couldn't afford it? Were they discharged prematurely from the hospital on their last visit? Did they have to come an extra 50 miles because the hospital in their town closed last year? There's no way to be "just a nurse." First of all, the diminutive "just a nurse" or "only a nurse" deemphasizes the remarkable skill, humanity, and intelligence that it takes to be a nurse. Most importantly, there is simply no way to isolate the effect of a nurse's experiences on the job from the causes of campaign I have complete confidence that nurses can be the catalyst to push guaranteed healthcare for all in this country, and I have yet to meet anyone who disagrees. Nurses are on the frontlines every day, picking up the pieces from our nation's insane healthcare "system." Don't let detractors tell you that you don't know how to run a healthcare business; healthcare isn't about business, it's about recognizing human dignity and giving care, and that is precisely what nurses do. Nurses are the experts. They hold the power—immense power. Nobody is going to give power to the nurses, but there are many who profit from healthcare who would take The diminutive "just a nurse" deemphasizes the remarkable skill, humanity, and intelligence that it takes to be a nurse. There is simply no way to isolate the effect of a nurse's experiences on the job from the causes of campaign contributions, health industry profits, environmental policy, and myriad other factors in contributing to the welfare of a society. Nurses must be organizers and agitators against human suffering. contributions, health industry profits, environmental policy, and myriad other factors in contributing to the welfare of a society. Nurses must be organizers and agitators against human suffering. Obviously, first on CNA/NNOC's agenda is single-payer healthcare. Single-payer is what's best for patients, nurses, and society. When nurses are at work, they must be allowed to do their job. Their knowledge of procedures, cures, and assessments should not be hindered by the willingness of a patient's HMO to pay for what the nurse deems necessary. More importantly, our society cannot be called free, wealthy, or democratic when its citizens are dying for want of basic medical attention. W W W. C A L N U R S E S . O R G it away. So nurses must grab that power, wield it, and use it intelligently, compassionately, and forcefully. Just as nurses wear their scrubs to the state capitol or to the picket line, so should they wear the sense of purpose, dignity, and power that comes from those actions when they go to work. Theirs is the hand that can force remarkable changes, in their units, at their facilities, in their cities, and in this country. This is your power: to heal the patient and to call into question who we are and what we believe in as a people, and as a country. ■ Rose Ann DeMoro is executive director of CNA/NNOC. REGISTERED NURSE 11

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