Is nursing really a profession?

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Is nursing just a calling, is it a profession or a trade?:confused:

Specializes in Med surg, LTC, Administration.
It's neither, it's a duck!

https://allnurses.com/general-nursing-discussion/time-call-duck-491956.html

Sorry, Erik, I just couldn't help myself!

Greatest thread, Ever!

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Marian Webster defines profession as:

a calling requiring specialized knowledge and often long and intensive academic preparation b : a principal calling, vocation, or employment c : the whole body of persons engaged in a calling

So would have to say yes, nursing most definately is a profession

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Oops I think its Meriam-Webster

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Very well played, Nursej22 :up:

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Specializes in ..
if j22 hadn't pointed the op towards that brilliant thread, i would have.

nursing is defined as a profession because it fulfills the requirements of the definition of a profession. it is composed of a specific body of knowledge, with rules of professional practice, requirement to be registered/enrolled as a nurse, legal scope of practice as defined by law, controlled by a governing body. certainly this description may also be applied to artisans, but there is (in my area of the globe anyway) far less control over the practice of trades than there is over the practice of nursing. like, anyone with a monkey wrench can do your plumbing :eek: but no organization can employ someone as a nurse without the necessary documentation from the nursing council (or board of nursing, as you call it).

whether nurses are regarded as professionals by either the public or the members of other professions is another question entirely.

i agree with your overall answer, but not with your reasoning.

this is a ridiculous question that should stop being asked. first of all, if you do something for a living, you are a professional (fill in the blank). any other view is purely academic. now, whether or not one does said job with professionalism (or is any good at it) is a different matter altogether. plumbing and electrical trades (for example) are highly regulated in all states in the u.s. for the same reason that medicine and nursing are: public safety. period. any other perception of professionalism is up to the individual practitioner regardless of their chosen vocation. there are physicians and lawyers who are not at all professional, while there are plumbers and electricians who are subject matter experts and extremely professional in how they conduct themselves and their business. professionalism is a trait. this whole question is another result of the erosion of respect for work in this country. it is erroneously viewed that the farther removed from actual labor one is, the more "professional" one is. don't get it twisted: mechanics, plumbers and others use their brains as much as we do. that's why we pay them so much money when we need them. ultimately, when this question is asked, people are often looking for some kind of automatic respect. "i deserve a certain level respect automatically because i am a so-and-so. i deserve more respect because i am a so-and-so versus a so-and-so." no matter what your chosen vocation is, whether or not you are a professional is up to you. don't worry as to whether or not nursing is a profession. simply conduct yourself in a professional manner worthy of respect and the rest will take care of itself.

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Specializes in Emergency Department.
Meriam-Webster defines profession as:

a calling requiring specialized knowledge and often long and intensive academic preparation b : a principal calling, vocation, or employment c : the whole body of persons engaged in a calling

So would have to say yes, nursing most definitely is a profession

(Fixed in the quote... ;) )

I would say that Nursing is very much a profession in very much the same way that Engineering is a Profession... and just like Engineering has LOTS of different ways to be an Engineer, Nursing has lots (probably more) of ways to be a Nurse...

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Specializes in L&D, Antepartum, Adult Critical Care.

Nursing is a profession.

Some of us take our work and our careers very seriously and are fully committed to providing the best care within our scope of knowledge and ability. Some of us go one step further in continuing our passion, notice I said passion, by furthering our education, sharing our knowledge with our clients and other nurses by teaching or conducting research.

Unfortunately, there are some of us that view nursing as a trade, a skill set to be acquired in order to make a buck, or two. Bottom line, it's what you make of it.

I choose to be a professional. :nurse:

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Your opinion on the topic would help better than linking to a thread from 2001 with only one reply. :cool:

it depends, i think.

if op is eliciting opinions only, then yes, member input is needed.

but if op would like to read professional nsg literature, then the link karen provided, was perfect.

leslie

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Sounds like a homework question.

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Specializes in ..
Sounds like a homework question.

LOL!! Didn't think about that one. If so, I definitely took the bait!

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Would a rose by any other name smell as sweet?

I worked as a ADN for for 23 years in a wide variety of positions, including 5 years as night supervisor.

I never knew, cared, or thought if nursing was a profession until I moved and was interviewing for a new job. The nurse was interested in hiring me and as a way of promoting her unit said, "We only use professionals in our unit." Honestly I didn't even know what she meant? I thought it maybe had something to do with ADN vs BSN, but she knew I was ADN? Then she added by way of explanation (maybe she saw the "UHH?" look on my face) that no CNA's or LVN's work on the unit.

The way she phrased the comment was almost offensive. Very much a "La de da, we ONLY use professionals."

I have worked with CNA's and LVN's whose work ethic, demeanor, competence, and caring was a gold standard that I have learned from and try to emulate. I have worked with BSN nurses who embarrass me to call a nurse!

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Specializes in M/S, Travel Nursing, Pulmonary.
Sounds like a homework question.

If it is, OP better take the "It is a profession" side of the debate. IDK many school teachers who want to hear otherwise.

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