Alumna calls Nursing students to political action

by Sam Seaver, Chronicle staff

ursing majors need to be more politically active in order to respond to emerging issues in healthcare they will face as they enter the workforce, according to alumna Barbara Blakeney, president of the American Nurses Association.

     Blakeney, '76, who is currently on leave from her role as director of health services at the Boston Public Health Commission, spoke Feb. 25 about issues of political action and involvement with a professional nursing class of 60 Nursing seniors taught by associate professor Genevieve Chandler.

     "As students you can check nursingworld.org to read about major issues and write to your representatives in Congress. When you enter the nursing field we need you to join the Massachusetts Association of Registered Nurses to ensure your financial support and your political involvement." Blakeney said.

     She added "It makes a huge difference if I say 'Mr. President, I am here today representing 2 million nurses' rather than 'I am representing 100,000 nurses'...every member counts."

     She pointed out that a yearly membership equals the cost of going out for fast food once a week.

     Blakeney also addressed the issue of decreased staffing levels as a result of a 1997 Medicare bill in which hospitals contracted with HMOs and public health programs were severely cut, causing layoffs and an increase in patient-to-nurse ratios.

     She explained that it takes two to three years to become comfortable in the nursing field and expertise begins seven years later. A quality environment for new nurses is necessary to ensure effectiveness, she said. Blakeney also stressed political involvement to reverse budget cuts and lower patient-to-nurse ratios.

     "Anecdotes don't create policy -- you must conduct detailed studies and develop scientific evidence in order to successfully pass healthcare legislation," Blakeney said.

     For nurses deciding whether to seek employment at union or non-union hospitals, Blakeney said, "It's an individual choice. You first need to find a place where you feel welcome and will be provided with supportive mentors, then you should consider the issue of unionization." She added that when strikes occur, many people cannot emotionally handle the resulting turmoil in the workplace.

     In conclusion, Blakeney said, "Any of you can be where I am today. What you need to do is show up, do your homework, make a commitment to nursing and pick great mentors that will lead you as you grow."

     Blakeney graduated from the University Without Walls program in 1976 and went on to earn her master's degree at UMass Boston.

     Her professional career began in Orange, where she started a lead testing center for children. As a result of her research, which found that lead poisoning was a concern in rural as well as urban areas, the program expanded to surrounding communities. She went on to work at a family planning center and then became a nurse practitioner at Boston City Hospital.

     As part of her role in the American Nurses Association, Blakeney has been speaking to nurses around the country as well as working with the Bush administration on legislation for the smallpox vaccine.