Nursing- Not an allied health profession.

KelRN215, BSN, RN · Mar 2, 2013

Probably because, by definition, allied health professions are healthcare professions that are distinct from dentistry, medicine, nursing and pharmacy.

mariebailey, MSN, RN · Mar 4, 2013

Allied health professionals, depending on the specialty, have a specific set of technical or procedural competencies to support the work carried out by doctors & nurses. Nurses have a broader skill set & a more pivotal role in the patient's overall health. Also, nurses play more of a role of patient advocate & care coordinator. This is my perspective.

llg, PhD, RN · Mar 4, 2013

Why don't you tell us your thoughts so that they can be included in the conversation?

StudentOfHealing · Mar 4, 2013

Well I believe there are many factors as to why at least in the USA, nursing is regarded as a non allied healthcare profession.

1. Nursing, although independent of medicine has always grown next to medicine. Nursing and Medicine have been unified through out the ages. However now nursing is becoming ever more so independent of medicine. Beginning in the 1900s when nursing went from being taught by medical doctors to being taught by professional nurses.

2. Nursing is to an degree a technical profession however, nursing is more than performing skills and aiding another profession. Nursing is a profession of its own driven by responding to the response the patient has to the illness. Nursing is about advocacy and safety. Nursing is about teaching patients. Keeping them safe. Nursing is about responding not only to their physiological needs but psychosocial.

3. Within nursing, advancing is an option. Whereas some allied healthcare profession terminate any further education at am early stage.

4. Nurses are responsible for just about the entire execution of patient care.

5. Nurses... apart from their own knowledge base and skills have to know a little about a lot. Nutrition. Counseling. Pharmacy.

6. I found out that in many countries nurses must do the tasks of an RT. Nurses must perform tasks of a radiology tech. Nurses in the USA are very lucky to have the awesome respiratory therapists and the radiographer and so are the patients. Patients will benefit from people who were formally educated to function in those position while nurses get to be... nurses.

7. Once again... responsible for so much and yet nurses have very little authority... what a strange happening.

(okay back to studying for medsurg)

phuretrotr · Mar 7, 2013

Isn't that the beauty of nursing? That it is so broad that you can do so many different things. Sure, you aren't on top of the food chain, but that doesn't make it any less of a profession. The patient is to guide you anyways, so in reality, as nurses we even have to listen to our patients and disregard our judgmental thoughts. By that I mean, we do not have authority over what procedures our patient has or what is even an option to them. We can suggest to the physician what might work well with this patient and they can provide the option if they feel compelled to, but overall, nurses are their to serve the patient needs and not our own.

You could twist this post around to say that nurses need to serve our needs too. Yes, we need to go to the restroom and eat and sleep. Obviously. But by needs I mean our opinions. We can suggest our opinions, but we don't have near the advanced knowledge that a physician of many years has (Perhaps a resident needs put in their place every now and again :) ) to disregard their expertise.

Same as with RT or OT. They are separate professionals working together to keep the patient safe and many times increase health.

If you wanted authority, be a judge.