Nurse Legislators and Some of the Policies they have Helped Implement (Essay Sample)

Nurse Legislators
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Nurse Legislators
There is a link between politics and nursing. Nurses stand in a better position to represent the needs of general public in matters to do with health as well as the interests of their nurse colleagues. Because nurses approach the legislature’s job from a nurse’s perspective, they can represent the concerns of their coworkers in a manner that nobody else can (Buse, Mays, & Walt, 2012). Legislators such as Helen Thomson clearly understand the challenges encountered by nurses nursing profession. This paper discusses the role played by Helen Thomson, a registered nurse and a legislator, and some of the bills she sponsored in efforts to transform nursing profession.
While a student, Helen had started working at McLean Hospital in Boston. Helen also attended Boston University and later went to Scotland’s Royal Edinburgh University where she assisted in planning and starting a psychiatric rotation (Buse, Mays, & Walt, 2012). She was to begin her political journey in the year 1974 when she was elected as board member of the Davis Joint Unified School district education board. In the year 1986 she was elected to the Yolo County Board of supervisors and later reelected into the same board in year 1990 and 1994.
She later advanced her political career when she won a seat in California State Assembly as a legislator in the year 1996 and she served there for three terms. While there she chaired health committee as well as the select committee on mental health. In addition, she served in other assembly committees, leadership teams, and other leadership responsibilities (Buse, Mays, & Walt, 2012). She was able to author 81 bills that were signed into law by the governors from both republican and democratic parties. One of these bills was the AB 88. This bill brought to an end the discrimination of mental patients in insurance benefits.
Through her leadership role as a registered nurse and as a legislator she has played a significant role in transformation of the nursing profession and health delivery systems in the United States of America (Vincent, 2010). Through her leadership role she has been able to inspire many nurses as well as students including Irene who has been her long time friend. Out of her influence she managed to get the support of her colleagues into achieving her milestones. The fact that she has been elected and appointed into numerous committees even after her retirement is evident that her role is inevitable.
One of the prominent bills that Helen was able to author and was beneficial to health care delivery was the Assembly Bill 791 with the help of Carole Migden (Assembly Woman) (Vincent, 2010). The bill basically stated that the patient’s pain should be assessed and treated effectivel...