*POLITICS AND LEADERSHIP IN NURSING*
Politics at first is from a Greek word called "POLITIKA" which means Affairs of the cities.
Politics can be defined as a process of making decision that applies to member of a group or a community.
The concept of political leadership as it has recently been develop in nursing profession is of highly significant in issues that are very obscure.
Nursing is a political activity, in the broadest sense of word, politics affect every area of nursing profession whether it is education, practise or research.
According to Mason et al (2007) he defined politics as the process of influencing the allocation of scarce resources.
Knowledge of political leadership in nursing would be very vital if nurses are to be effective in influencing and allocating of health care resources.
Many nurses, particularly in Nigeria think politics is a Dirty Game, some see it as a distraction from their profession but politics is not what they think.
What nurses do not realise is that they are already a politician whether they are negotiating with patients at the bedside, with employees, or hospital committee.
Political activity takes the work of nurses from been a discrete event in one setting and raise it to a societal level.
Some of the benefit of political leadership in nursing profession is as follows;
1. It help the nurse to advocate for the patient needs. According to World Health Organization (WHO) one of the primary function of a nurse to advocate for the patient. Advocacy is very important for nurses because social justice is a core value of nursing profession. When we work in the clinical settings we can help one patient at a time and this work is central to our profession.
2. So that nurses can be presented in the interest of the profession; most nurses are experiencing or have experienced a period where there have been health care cutbacks, wages freezes, salaries not be increased or paid, strike(recently JOHESU strike) working without contract . When we engage in politics and been been voted in any political office we support, fight for general interest and reinforce the importance of our dear profession just like the other professions are doing. Political leadership gives nursing chances to represent and advocate for the professional values.
Every nurse should be a political nurse. We should learn the ABC's of politics and power as the first step to personal and professional empowerment.
_To be a nurse is important but to be a political nurse is more importanter -By Nurse Gbemiga._
This article is written and dedicated to Nigeria universities nursing students association(NUNSA) national convention at Igbinedion university okada(IUO)
_NAME: Kareem Oluwagbemiga_
_SCHOOL: Ambrose Alli University Ekpoma Edo State(AAU)._
_DEPARTMENT: Nursing Science_ .
_LEVEL: 500L_
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