Interpreting political agendas from a critical social theory perspective

Abstract

A lthough there has always been ,a shortage of well-educated nurses, the 1987 staffing vacancies brought national attention to this issue. Complex problems have led to this crisis and have subtle implications for the recruitment a.nd retention of professional nurses. Nursing enrollment and availability are linked to economic and social factors that determine nurse income and status. Correcting longstanding wage compression, societal undervaluing of n.ursing, and external perceptions of nursing as a noncognitive endeavor requires some major overhauls in the health care systemincluding some readjustment in the economic and social power of physicians, who historically have encouraged creative alternatives to increasing the supply of well-educated and appropriately paid nurses. Critical social theory is the study of the dominant ideologies present in a society from within a historical context. Inherent in the analysis is the political, economic, and social perspectives that mark a given time period.