Are nurses professional?

I would think it depends on a few things.

It probably varies depending on your location--small town, big city, etc. If you are in a small town, more people probably know more about what your job entails. thus, they might look at you as more of a professional. If you are in a big city where people don't know half the town, the whole view may be different.

Where I am, nurses are definitely viewed as professionals more often than as "assistants." We do have one patient that always asks for his "doctor's assistant." Makes me laugh inside. :)

Do you mean doctor's assistant? Not to be harsh, but part of being professional is using proper grammar.

This is a very controversial topic, or at least it was in my nursing class. The discussion ended with one of my fellow students practically yelling at the professor. I am interested to see where this discussion goes....

I don't know what the general public thinks but when my sister first starting working as an RN, one of her good friends got irritated that she was making considerably more than her "just for wiping asses". This friend has a BS. To be honest, I thought they did the same thing for a long time.

Nurses are a diverse group. Some are very career oriented. They have advanced degrees, certifications and aim to advance professionally.

Some nurses see nursing as a job. They have a factory worker attitude towards their work, these nurses put in their 8 or 12 hours and do no more than they have to do. If any continuing education is done, it must be mandatory.

Everything that I saw growing up (in Houston, Nashville, and New Orleans, all major metropolitan areas) pointed to Nursing as being "professional," and actually not too far down from doctors. I was shocked when I found out that I could earn the license in a two-year program. It just always seemed to me that as much as Nurses knew, and as much as they did, it must be at least a four-year program (this, though the mother of my best friend from high school was RN). Even when I decided to look into it for myself, I initially looked at the local University, and this is how I inadvertently found out about the local Junior College program.

I suppose it matters on the nurses you come in contact with, how your opinion forms. All of mine have always been stellar (though I have worked with a few not-so-much!).

Well I would say we're professionals train in uni,have a strong code of professional ethics,are accountable for our own actions,we are highly skilled,motivated and what makes us any less professional than say,doctors,lawyers,vets,engineers,etc?

I am an LPN student and this past week, my class of "future nurses" has definitely made me question this also! I believe nursing is a profession, therefore, we should act professional. But in all honesty, I have seen the most unprofessional, immature, and rather embarassing behavior from some "future nurses." I'll admit, yes, it's a classroom full of women, but right now, they are acting like a bunch of grade school girls bullying each other. They have actually started to threaten bodily harm to each other! It's not just my class either, the local hospitals here have really went down the tubes also. The nurses have the most vulgar discussions about their sex lives right at the nurses station, and the pts. hear every word. Before I started school, I was admitted to the ob unit at my local hospital for low AFI, and as I was waiting for the nurse to come back to the room, I found out I was being admitted before she came in and told me I was, simply because she was bitching rather loudly, that now they had no more beds because of the new admit, ME! So IMHO, nursing is a profession, but some nursing just don't understand the meaning of professional behavior!!

Everything that I saw growing up (in Houston, Nashville, and New Orleans, all major metropolitan areas) pointed to Nursing as being "professional," and actually not too far down from doctors. I was shocked when I found out that I could earn the license in a two-year program. It just always seemed to me that as much as Nurses knew, and as much as they did, it must be at least a four-year program (this, though the mother of my best friend from high school was RN). Even when I decided to look into it for myself, I initially looked at the local University, and this is how I inadvertently found out about the local Junior College program.

I suppose it matters on the nurses you come in contact with, how your opinion forms. All of mine have always been stellar (though I have worked with a few not-so-much!).

...here we go again! There might have been a "two-year program" but did you include all the pre-req credits? No! There is no such thing as a two-year program, there is a two-year clinical, okay... but no one can be a registered nurse in 2 years, as in 24 months.

BSN's have as their first 2 years of the "four-year program" their pre-reqs...those are the electives as well as the English and speech, Government, math, psych, sociology, biology, ethics, micro, A&P I and II, etc.

Please, can we come up with a different term for ADN nurse?

...here we go again! There might have been a "two-year program" but did you include all the pre-req credits? No! There is no such thing as a two-year program, there is a two-year clinical, okay... but no one can be a registered nurse in 2 years, as in 24 months.

BSN's have as their first 2 years of the "four-year program" their pre-reqs...those are the electives as well as the English and speech, Government, math, psych, sociology, biology, ethics, micro, A&P I and II, etc.

Please, can we come up with a different term for ADN nurse?

I have to disagree respectfully. An associates degree is considered a two-year degree. It doesn't matter how long it takes you to actually do it. If you spend 5 or 6 years getting a BSN, it does not mean that it is a 5-year degree. It is still considered a 4-year degree, as are all undergraduate degrees awarded at 4-year universities. Associates degrees are probably called "two-year" degrees because the majority of associate degree programs can be completed in two years. It may be true that most individuals earning an ADN actually spend more than two years doing it. If this is the case and people are upset about the ADN being called a two-year degree, then maybe nursing education needs to be reformed.

As far as nurses being professionals, I believe that it depends on the individual. And Happybunny, just because someone is a doctor doesn't mean that they are professional. The general public may consider them to be "professionals", as a group, but individual professionalism can vary greatly. That comment about nurses being "not too far down from doctors" kinda hurt.

Good points KatRN,BSN.

In my case, due to my school's entrance requirements, a person can get into the program with nothing more than high school Chemistry, Bio, and Algebra. This means that I can get my ADN in 2 years. All the extra classes that many schools or students may consider pre-reqs are co-reqs in my program, and while A&P 1 and 2 will get an individual extra points at my school, they are not required to get in. I happened to have a few classes done from a previous degree, but none that helped me get into the program or increased my points to gain entrance, so I disagree with psalm's response that you cannot get an ADN in 2 years. That may be the case sometimes, but not the rule.

I have to disagree respectfully. An associates degree is considered a two-year degree. It doesn't matter how long it takes you to actually do it. If you spend 5 or 6 years getting a BSN, it does not mean that it is a 5-year degree. It is still considered a 4-year degree, as are all undergraduate degrees awarded at 4-year universities. Associates degrees are probably called "two-year" degrees because the majority of associate degree programs can be completed in two years. It may be true that most individuals earning an ADN actually spend more than two years doing it. If this is the case and people are upset about the ADN being called a two-year degree, then maybe nursing education needs to be reformed.

As far as nurses being professionals, I believe that it depends on the individual. And Happybunny, just because someone is a doctor doesn't mean that they are professional. The general public may consider them to be "professionals", as a group, but individual professionalism can vary greatly. That comment about nurses being "not too far down from doctors" kinda hurt.

...you are missing the point. Yes, a person can get their BSN over 4 years or more...maybe even a little less if able to take classes year round. An ADN is 4 semesters= 2 years AFTER pre-reqs are satisfied. It may take more than 2 years, yes. Add on the credits for pre-reqs, which have to be completed before validation to clinicals which in a sense is the first 2 years of a BSN, then you have more than a "two year degree".

Regardless of the above, we should all behave professionally, whether an LPN, RN, NP, etc. We have all worked hard for our licenses and to maintain them thru CEUs and certifications for specialties.