The American Nurses Association encourages RNs to become involved in the 2012 elections by participating in Nurses Campaign Activity Night on Oct. 17.

The aim of the bipartisan, nationwide event is to generate support for candidates who support issues of importance to RNs.

"We cannot afford to sit on the sidelines," ANA President Karen A. Daley, RN, PhD, MPH, said in a news release. "There’s too much at stake in the legislatures, like safe staffing, reimbursement for nursing services, unnecessary restrictions on nursing practice and funding for nursing education. Election season is a great opportunity to advocate on these issues."

The ANA hopes RNs will sign up online for the event and organize to engage in political activities such as canvassing, phone banking and hosting fund-raisers for Democratic, Republican or independent candidates of their choice on the local, state and national levels.

The ANA in May endorsed Democratic President Barack Obama for re-election. The association’s political action committee (ANA-PAC) endorses roughly 100 candidates for Congress each election cycle who have demonstrated support for nursing and healthcare issues, including implementation of the Affordable Care Act, and who will best serve the interests of nurses and their patients.

However, the ANA stated, the focus of Campaign Activity Night is to involve RNs in advocacy and the legislative process, not to support any particular candidate.

More information about the event is available at www.rnaction.org/site/PageServer?pagename=nstat_take_action_nursescan_home&ct=1&ct=1.