The number of nurses serving as legislators is declining across the country, and Lt. Gov. Bethany Hall-Long is encouraging fellow nurses to consider running for office.
“We can bridge Republican and Democrat," Hall-Long says. "We can work in divisive times to moderate and bridge and to come up with consensus. Nurses build consensus every day, at the bedside and their scholarship and their academic setting wherever they’re working.”
There are over 7600 legislators in the country, and only 68, less than 1%, are former nurses. Nurses serving as state lawmakers have dropped around 30% over the last 10 years.
Hall-Long is one of two Delaware elected government officials that is a former nurse — State Rep. Melissa Minor Brown is also a nurse legislator.
During a webinar on nurse state legislators Monday, Hall-Long said having a seat at the table means being directly involved with policy — noting recent legislation in Delaware that gave APRN’s full practice authority and protects nurses providing reproductive care.
“Whatever our titles, everything, all of our clinical practice, our reimbursement levels, which have been under attack a lot, particularly for advanced practice registered nurses, our autonomy, who we delegate to with our nurse practice acts, all are dependent on having a voice at the table," she says.
Some states like California and Florida have no nurse legislators, but Hall-Long says that could change if work is done to recruit nurses to run for office. Here in Delaware, Hall-Long is the only nurse in a state office or a legislative seat.
Hall-Long notes diversity and equity in the nursing field are just as important as the nurse shortage. Compensation and salary are also two glaring issues in the nursing field that need to be addressed.
