Political competence of nurses: literature findings

Abstract

This is a literature review on the political competence of nurses in scientific texts of five books, 12 journals, and two master’s degrees dissertations, analyzing approaches in terms of content and context. The findings revealed that in the 1920s, when nursing was institutionalized, nurses seemed to be non-critical and passive as to the events of their time. There was a shy political movement in the 1940s, but only in the 1970s and 1980s the nurse position becomes socially concrete as to public health care system and when discussing the intellectual and political directions of the profession. In 1990s, a discussion on critical thinking and the social practice of nursing emerged. It was concluded that there is still a gap in the profession, with a politically aware and critical group in one hand, and a passive and lethargic on the other hand, making the political position of nurses incipient.