Date of Award

January 2021

Document Type

Open Access Thesis

Degree Name

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

Department

Yale University School of Nursing

First Advisor

Lisa Summers

Abstract

Despite having an intimate knowledge of healthcare and possessing many capabilities that could easily translate to politics, very few nurses serve in political office in the United States. Resources such as a candidate training program that capitalizes on nurses' particular skills to prepare and assist them to run for elected office are practically nonexistent.A Campaign School for Nurses and Midwives was developed to recruit, train, motivate, and support registered nurses to run for elected office at the local, state, or federal levels. The Campaign School was to have been piloted at Yale School of Nursing in 2020 but was canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Instead, a two-hour webinar was held, featuring three nurse legislator role models and a political strategist to engage, inspire, and motivate nurses to run for political office. Forty-seven nurses participated in the webinar. Key post-survey findings indicated that attendees were more interested in running for office, felt more qualified, and felt more prepared. Although the webinar was successful, it also underscored the need for comprehensive, intensive, in-person training for nurses seeking elected office. With the pandemic, nurses and nursing have been in the spotlight. The time is now to empower nurses in electoral politics to capitalize on public attention and the ongoing trust for nurses at the ballot box.

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This is an Open Access Thesis.

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