Social inequalities for student leaders and professional organizations: Florence Nightingale’s political legacy

Abstract

Objectives: to analyze the nursing systems of understanding and social inequalities from the perspective of student leaders and representatives of nursing professional organizations. Methods: qualitative research supported by the theoretical framework of Marxist dialectics. Threerepresentatives of professional organizations and five student leaders participated in the study. Datawere obtained from individual interviews and submitted to Critical Discourse Analysis. Results: thediscourses are marked by commitment, relational identification and characterize the position of obligation and necessity of nursing in acting with the individuals in situations of inequality, indicating accountability as a social practice. Among the competencies necessary for nursing in confronting social inequalities, political competence is central and is associated with health advocacy. Final Considerations: we conclude that acting on social inequalities is part of the historical construction of nursing. Here, we emphasized the historical importance of Florence Nightingale and her legacy for political action and leadership in nursing.

Teaching Strategies for Health Advocacy for Undergraduate Nursing Students: A Scoping Review

“…Although Nightingale applied advocacy to the value of human rights and principles of nursing practice, recognition of advocacy in nursing practice dates to the 1980s in the United States (Vitale et al, 2019). It appears as a break from traditional nursing education and practice, which emphasized conformity and the subservient role of nurses to physicians (Silva et al, 2022).…”

“…From this perspective, current initiatives reinforce the debate about skills development in nursing education with the incorporation of elements to reduce and address global inequalities (Rozendo et al, 2017). The debate highlights the rescue of historical and philosophical roots of modern nursing as a political and citizenship agent born from the legacy and pioneering spirit of Florence Nightingale (Silva et al, 2022). Among nursing skills, one can find health advocacy, internationally recognized as a central and legitimate strategy to redress health inequities (Cohen & Marshall, 2017).…”