Ep 175: Why More Nurses Need to Be Elected to Congress

As we approach another round of midterm elections, we wanted to introduce you to one of the few nurses around the country that hopes to represent her state in Congress. Renee Ellmers is running again in North Carolina after previously serving three terms and she’s doing so with the goal of improving access to healthcare in our country. We’ll also discuss why it matters to have nurses representing our profession as elected leaders and how it might have made a difference in a recent ruling in Tennessee.    How to help Renee's campaign: https://www.reneeellmers.com/    Read more: http://beyondthemaskpodcast.com    Get the CE certificate here: https://beyondthemaskpodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Beyond-the-Mask-CE-Cert-FILLABLE.pdf   What we discuss in this episode:  2:18 – Renee’s view of healthcare and why she’s running   5:45 – Why nurses make good elected officials 7:06 – Getting full practice authority 9:08 – Quality of care 11:57 – Restrictions lifted during COVID 13:59 – What can be done?   16:57 – Current nurses in politics 19:03 – Why are nurses elected more? 21:58 – Surprises in Washington 23:24 – Nurse in Tennessee convicted 27:54 – Did the lack of representation impact the ruling? 29:35 – The precedent it set 32:05 – How nurses can help her 35:23 – Advice for nurses 37:09 – Lightning Round