Date of Award

4-10-2013

Document Type

Thesis

Department

Political Science

First Advisor

Patrick Donnay

Abstract

There is no question; nurses play a key role in healthcare. Nurses provide direct care, coordinate health promotion activities, educate, and provide support and advocacy to patients. Today, there are over two million registered nurses in the United States. My research aims to determine the variables that influence some nurses to be more politically active and more engaged in unionization than their counterparts. I analyze The National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses 2004 looking at a variety of potential explanations for union participation. Findings show a strong regional variation in the percentage of unionization, however, some of the conventional explanations of participation (e.g. education levels) were not significant in increasing the likelihood of union membership. Determining why nurses choose to unionize will help determine future trends in patient advocacy and the workplace environment.

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