Is nursing really a profession?

GHGoonette, BSN, RN · Jun 11, 2011

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!

yes, it's the snotty attitude about "professionalism" that sometimes ticks me off, too. however, as has been pointed out, this probably is a homework question, so the op is looking for that by which a profession is defined.

it's true, as someone said on the previous page, that "being professional" means having a professional attitude in whatever your line of work is, be it gardener, burger-flipper, nurse, doctor or lawyer, and taking whatever you do seriously enough to be the best you can be in that line of work, and constantly looking for ways to improve your skill and knowledge base. the big difference is, if a gardener or burger-flipper displays unprofessional conduct in his (or her) work, he's just get himself fired...he won't be hauled before the board of gardeners or guild of most excellent burger flippers and have his license revoked, or be struck off the register, thus preventing him from taking work with another company.

op, fyi, here's a definition of a trade:

the business which a person has learned, and which he engages in, for procuring subsistence, or for profit; occupation; especially, mechanical employment as distinguished from the liberal arts, the learned professions, and agriculture; as, we speak of the trade of a smith, of a carpenter, or mason, but not now of the trade of a farmer, or a lawyer, or a physician.

read more: http://www.brainyquote.com/words/tr/trade231513.html#ixzz1oyot2qfc

electricians and plumbers in my area of the globe (just thought i'd highlight the fact that i don't live in america) are defined as artisans, or skilled craftsmen. while there are registered organizations with which such qualified people may be listed, it's not required by law for every artisan who's passed his trade test to join such organizations, and they are not answerable to any professional body should they screw up, only to the person employing them.

Streamline2010 · Jun 11, 2011

(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...

Yes, but a female engineer is always an engineer, not ever a slop-cleaning Mommy-servant-girl. Sorry, but nursing does not have nearly the autonomy nor the dignity of engineering. And engineering and technology, you can swear occasionally, pound the table for emphasis, raise your voice in a heated argument at a meeting, and nobody thinks any less of you for doing that instead of being ohso demure and sweet. You'd probably not even get a raised eyebrow, much less a reprimand. Nursing puts women in a tiny, tiny, little box. Word.

3. Demonstrates a high degree of autonomy: Again, I lead with PHfffffft. Our job description continues to be and will forever be everything and anything they can't pawn off on the other laborers. How many of us, since the recession hit, have been told to pick it up and help out in non-nursing job related ways? Empty the trash, stock the cabinets, hand out trays, collect and clean the trays..........its endless. We are unable to define for ourselves what we will and will not do. You don't see them sending the Legal dept. any emails about helping maintenance do you? Any rules/laws concerning scope of practice are simply to protect patients from us should we decide to play doctor. No laws exist to restrict what can be expected of us away from the bedside (no, that would actually be useful, help the pt., can't do anything silly like that).
4. Has its own disciplinary system: Do I need to insert Phffffft again? Oh, I just did. We only qualify here if badgering, cattiness and petty write ups are "disciplinary". Nuff said.
5. Respect of the community: I'll resist the urge to insert the obvious lead here. I'll just point out the complaining about surveys thats been the norm lately. Lets face it folks, professions who have respect are not surveyed like this. These surveys resemble grade school report cards "Nursey doesn't play well with others". If we were "respected", we'd be the ones filling out the surveys on how to improve the model of care given.

That's from the "duck" thread. I could not agree more with those three.