Today I was filling out a survey. Under the occupation section I immediately scanned for "professional"
Boy was I startled to see these first 2 options:
•professional (eg doctor, accountant)
•semi-professional (eg nurse, technician)
ummm what?!?! 😡😡😡 so frustrating to not be viewed as a professional when I have a bachelors degree, a speciality certificate, and 7 years experience not to mention a specialised knowledge and skill set for my PROFESSION of nursing!
My insurance company gives discounts to nurses who are proessional. I do not get the discount because I have an ADN instead of BSN. I don't think somebody is going to ask my degree when I am performing CPR or shooting them with pain medication.
A big part of "being" a professional is acting professional. Is nursing a trade or profession? I don't know. If the expectations for professional nursing behaviors were set a little higher it would help the perception. I work in a well respected hospital that is working towards the 80% BSN by 2020 and encourages special certifications in your specialty. In staff meetings and at special training days "off the clock" you will see some people wearing yoga pants, jeans, flip flops. Other nurses show up in business casual or suit & ties. It's interesting to see some nurses embrace life long training and learning, working 'off the clock" on poster presentations, articles etc. Then there are nurses who grumble about everything..they just want to come in and do their job then go home. Professionalism is a mentality. Where I work it's a real mixed bag, but the bar doesn't always seem to be set to high.
If I'm off the clock and having to come in on my day off, I will absolutely dress as I please - or not come at all. That has nothing to do with professionalism. It has to do with working for free and spending my laundry day doing it.
And it has to do with being so tired of the whole mess. Nothing I do will ever be good enough to please my bosses any more than I do now, so why bother?
I really do want to be off on my day off. And come in on my work days, do my job and go home. What more should I have to give? I've been there, done that. I'm ready to retire soon.
For people who have families, errands, and things to accomplish on their days off, try to understand that they have other priorities than you do, apparently.
The OP was completing a paper survey; therefore, there would be no surveyor to correct unless she accomplished the nebulous feat of contacting the person/entity who wrote the survey.
I didn't know it was that hard to find out who created a particular survey. Thanks for the info.
I don't believe, nor do I identify with nursing being considered a "profession." We are not. We are highly trained technicians. We have no control over our day. We don't make decisions, we simply interpret results and alert those that need to know. We don't "really" function is the medical arena, but function in the nursing arena, we carry out others orders for a patient's care, meds, etc. We don't make decisions, we carry them out for others.
Also, not to be a jerk, but look at how nurses dress...scrubs with happy patterns and juvenile designs. It is hard to tell who is who. I work with a lot of techs and my manager spends an inordinate amout of time making sure the techs don't feel "different" from the RNs.
Specializes in Critical care, tele, Medical-Surgical.
What is the scope of practice of a tech? Who supervises the techs? Who is responsible for nursing care? Who is required to have substantial scientific knowledge and technical skills. who must, as a patient advocate know when to refuse to carry out orders?
This is the legal minimum professional requirements as outlined in my state:
STANDARDS OF COMPETENT PERFORMANCE
A registered nurse shall be considered to be competent when he/she consistently demonstrates the ability to transfer scientific knowledge from social, biological and physical sciences in applying the nursing process, as follows:
(1) Formulates a nursing diagnosis through observation of the
client's physical condition and behavior, and
through interpretation of information obtained from the client and others, including the health team.
(2) Formulates a care plan, in collaboration with the client, which ensures that direct and indirect nursing care services provide for the client's safety, comfort, hygiene, and protection, and for disease prevention and restorative measures.
(3) Performs skills essential to the kind of nursing action to be taken, explains the health treatment to the client and family and teaches the client and family how to care for the client's health needs.
(4) Delegates tasks to subordinates based on the legal scopes of practice of the subordinates and on the preparation and capability needed in the tasks to be delegated, and effectively supervises nursing care being given by subordinates.
(5) Evaluates the effectiveness of the care plan through observation of the patient or
client's physical condition and behavior, signs and symptoms of illness, and reactions to treatment and through communication with the client and the health team members, and modifies the plan as needed.
(6) Acts as the patient/client's advocate, as circumstances require by initiating action to improve health care or to change decisions or activities which are against the interests or wishes of the patient or client, and by giving the client the opportunity to make informed decisions about health care before it is provided.
There is a very big difference from being "professional" and nursing being a "profession."
Your individual attributes determine whether you are professional, nursing being considered a profession has a bit more formal definition.
The single greatest thing that is keeping us from being considered a full, unquestioned profession is our lack of a formalized standardization of education for the entry into the profession.
@Commuter: My ex-husband is an engineer; my brother is also a chemical engineer, plus both have an MBA. Guess what? They both punch a time clock. They also work shift-work. I don't consider anyone a "professional" just because they work day-shift, wear what they want to, etc. I don't know where you came up with this. A doctor is considered a professional. Should they not be considered professional if they are an ER doctor who works night shift, week-ends, etc.?
@Asystole: Registered Nurses do indeed have a standardized education. We all have the same basic education that grants us the privilege of taking state boards. Just because there are different pathways for getting there~ADN, ASN, BSN, etc.,~ the NCLEX and license is the same, and grants us the same scope of practice. An MSN prepared nurse in my state has the same scope of practice that a diploma prepared RN has.
Yeah, that is really stupid. An ADN and a BSN have the SAME EXACT SCOPE OF PRACTICE and take the SAME EXACT TEST TO GET LICENSED. I do wish people realized there is so little difference in the degrees. My ADN classes were so much harder than my BSN classes! The requirements to get into an ADN program are usually much more stringent. My ADN school required a 24 ACT score to get in, plus an 83 on anything was an F. The BSN program accepted a 16 ACT score, and a 70 was a passing grade!
Yeah, that is really stupid. An ADN and a BSN have the SAME EXACT SCOPE OF PRACTICE and take the SAME EXACT TEST TO GET LICENSED. I do wish people realized there is so little difference in the degrees. My ADN classes were so much harder than my BSN classes! The requirements to get into an ADN program are usually much more stringent. My ADN school required a 24 ACT score to get in, plus an 83 on anything was an F. The BSN program accepted a 16 ACT score, and a 70 was a passing grade!
Sounds like you did RN-BSN. I'm sure the actual BSN programs can be considered more challenging and harder to get into than ADN programs.
Sounds like you did RN-BSN. I'm sure the actual BSN programs can be considered more challenging and harder to get into than ADN programs.
What does having done an RN-BSN program have to do with an actual BSN program being harder to get into? The course load is the exact same; RN-BSN's simply are allowed to skip the clinical component and pre-requisites. You're making it sound as if the RN-BSN program is somehow inferior to the BSN path.
What does having done an RN-BSN program have to do with an actual BSN program being harder to get into? The course load is the exact same; RN-BSN's simply are allowed to skip the clinical component and pre-requisites. You're making it sound as if the RN-BSN program is somehow inferior to the BSN path.
Calm down, I'm not saying it's inferior at all. What I'm saying is that since RN-BSN doesn't have clinical components or prerequisites, it's going to be easier because you don't have to worry about either of those. Whereas in a four year BSN program there are prerequisites, clinicals, and whatever is in an RN-BSN program. So clearly it's going to be more challenging...
Desert Lady
46 Posts
My insurance company gives discounts to nurses who are proessional. I do not get the discount because I have an ADN instead of BSN. I don't think somebody is going to ask my degree when I am performing CPR or shooting them with pain medication.