Compassion is ever present in nursing. We consider it to be an essential quality and yet it isn’t clear that we know how to teach it or assess it. This semester I ask students to consider compassion as one measure for a good policy. We must find a way to speak about a policy that can engage those that profess common sense without the educational training to fully grasp how policy is made and do so in a compassionate manner. Compassionate discussion requires breaking down the issues and speaking at multiple levels of complexity. Does anyone do this better or more frequently than nurses?

I believe that those educated as nurses may be able to play a significant role in advancing compassionate policy.