Public Policy: Nurse Licensure Compact as a Lesson in Legislative Action for the Case Management Community

Abstract

Public policy work-also known as political activism-is a crucially important activity for any professional organization in the United States. In many circles, it is difficult to discuss or even mention "political" issues. However, the United States is one of the best examples of democracy the world has ever known, and we are proud of our accomplishments. If we are going to continue the "great American experiment" in democratic self-governance, we will have to continue our growth toward speaking about politics in civilized and productive ways. One way to accomplish this important challenge is for our professional organizations to model and demonstrate the ways we can be politically active that allow for civil and pleasant disagreement, resulting in productive conversation and reasonable compromise. We must recognize that this level of active, civil engagement is the only way to preserve our democratic system.Despite any personal aversion we may have to engaging in public policy work, we must remember that at any given moment our careers and professions are being shaped by the democratic processes of our governments and communities. There is always federal-and state-level legislation being introduced that has something to do with case management. Examples include the PPACA (which used the term "case manager" more than 200 times); current legislation such as Senate Bill 1292 (Non-Opioid Directive Act)