Public Perception

[McArdle]

Im just wondering, what is the publics perception of nurses and nursing in general? I have always considered nurses to be professionals. However, after speaking with my father he explained that while he views doctors as having "white collar" jobs, he views nurses as having "blue collar" jobs. Im curious as to how prevalent that opinion is with people outside the medical world. Do nurses view themselves as professionals?

[fergus51]

Why can't you be professional in a blue collar job? I do consider nursing to be blue collar for various reasons (the pay, the physical aspect of the work, relatively less education required) but it is also a profession for various reasons (the responsibility, the specialized knowledge, the self regulation).

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

In my honest opinion, the general public trusts nurses. However, the public does not respect nurses or consider them as 'educated professionals'.

The pink-collar history of nursing contributes to this lack of respect, as well as the routes of entry into the profession that do not lead to a degree. But most fundamentally, the lack of respect for each other greatly contributes to the overall lack of respect. If nurses respected themselves and stopped bashing the different levels of education and inexperience, we would see more improvements in public perception. After all, no one will respect an individual if (s)he does not respect one's self.