UC Davis

Nurses make up the single largest group of healthcare workers in the United States and yet are underrepresented in the political sphere despite the encouragement of every major nursing organization. Nurses in our healthcare system have some of the most direct patient care and therefore have a unique insight into how it both functions and impacts patients. However, there has been little research into the political activity of nurses. This study investigated nurses who have become representatives at the state level and finds that the percentage of nurses in their legislature is lower than the percentage of working nurses in the population. In addition, a brief evaluation of the types of legislation they sponsored was addressed. This found that the most common type of legislation nurses wrote was related to public health and healthcare. This investigation scratches the surface of what we do not know about nurse activists and nurse legislators, and more research is needed to determine the most impactful courses of action for current and future nurse leaders.