Empowerment and enterprise: the political economy of nursing.

Throughout the past decades, Australian nursing has made significant advances in the clinical, research, and political arenas. Capitalising on these advances is a critical step in empowering the professions and a sound investment in the health of the nation. There remains a need to energise and empower the professions, to see our work as an enterprise that has value and a sense of worth because of our professional activities as well as for the political and economic contributions we make to health and wellbeing, quality of life and social justice. The contributions made by nurses and midwives need to be articulated in the policy arena, focused in professional decision-making and elaborated in our research agendas. Our professional organisations provide opportunities for solidarity, and the leverage we need to effect change at the bedside, the community and the whole of society. Renewed commitment to primary health care at the global, national and community level provides a timely rallying call to the professions to refine the way we articulate our position in health care, re-commit to culturally appropriate, socially just actions and embolden our professional goals to inspire the next generations of nurses for a more equitable future.