Spheres of Political Action

Spheres of Political Action

            According to McCaffrey (2012), the four spheres of political action are the workplace, government, professional organizations and community. First, the workplace policies and politics have a substantial impact on the actions and decisions of nurses. Secondly, the government influences nursing and healthcare through laws and regulations that define the nursing practice, healthcare reimbursement systems, care delivery and nursing education and certification. Thirdly, professional organizations influence nursing through lobbying, policy-making and nursing standards. Finally, the community provides a social unit comprising of distinct interest groups, activities, health and social problems and the resources relevant to addressing healthcare issues.

            The four spheres are interconnected in that the nurse’s participation in one sphere affects the outcomes in the other spheres. Therefore, the nurse must be active in all the spheres to support his or her healthcare interests. For example, a nurse who desires to see increased access to breast and cervical cancer screening services must lobby at the local, state and federal levels to influence the modification of the existing laws or creation of new ones. The nurse will engage the local community groups, professional nursing organizations such as ANA and write to or call the state and federal legislators to gain their support on the policy issue (Whitehead, Dittman, & McNulty, 2017). The lobbying actions at the different levels must be synchronized.

            The main ethical considerations relating to the four spheres of political action are fair lobbying and soliciting funds. Unfair lobbying disregards the needs and interests of the disadvantaged groups. An ethical lobbyist should recognize the concerns of the disadvantaged groups to ensure that the adopted policy promotes the common good (Mason, Gardner, Outlaw, & OGrady, 2015). Furthermore, lobbyists require funds to facilitate their political activities. A lobbyist should take measures to ensure that grassroots, political and professional lobbying strategies are not funded by persons engaging in immoral or illegal activities.