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Nurses and midwives from across the United States recently gathered at Sanford for the inaugural Campaign School for Nurses & Midwives hosted by Healing Politics in partnership with Polis: Center for Politics.
The Sanford collaboration was established through a connection to Sanford faculty member Nick Carnes, renowned for his research that promotes working-class citizen involvement in political campaigns. Carnes has published two books on this topic thus far: White-Collar Government: The Hidden Role of Class in Economic Policy Making & The Cash Ceiling: Why Only the Rich Run for Office--and What We Can Do about It. This expertise was a natural fit for the mission of Healing Politics to encourage medical professional candidates in local and national elections.
The event was a resounding success, with attendees quickly building a community thanks to the practical information and guidance provided by Healing Politics' faculty of campaign professionals. Over two-and-a-half days, participants learned about campaign structure and organization from campaign expert James Haggar. They also formed strong bonds with fellow nurses during formal sessions and casual moments at receptions and breaks. Nurse legislators from North Dakota, Minnesota and North Carolina shared their experiences of bringing their nursing perspective and expertise to public service, showing the cohort that running and winning is possible.
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As part of the opening night dinner hosted by Healing Politics, Sanford's David Price and Deondra Rose hosted a question-and-answer session as they shared their combined wisdom on political life and policy expertise.
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The Sanford conference was an excellent opportunity for healthcare workers to engage with experienced political professionals and gain valuable insights into politics. The event gave nurses and midwives practical information, guidance, and support to become successful political candidates. The event also included training in communications, messaging, media interaction, and plenty of important networking. The American Organization for Nursing Leadership sponsored the event, and participants left with plans for what's next, whether it's running for office, becoming more engaged in the political process, or helping another nurse in a run for office.
Healing Politics is dedicated to helping nurses and midwives become successful political candidates, and their inaugural Campaign School marks an important milestone in this mission. Healing Politics is on a mission to inspire, motivate, recruit, and train nurses and midwives to run for elected office up and down the ballot while building a culture of civic engagement within the professions. Overall, the Campaign School provided nurses and midwives with the practical information, guidance, and support they needed to become successful political candidates.