The Image of Nursing

Virgo_RN, BSN, RN · Dec 31, 2007

Both doctors and patients bring a wide variety of perspectives into the clinical area. And at the same time, different nurses have different styles. Some are more "nurturing", while others are more "technical". Some patients seem to respect my knowledge and even treat me like an authority figure (which is weird), while others seem to think I'm there to bring warm blankets and refill their water pitchers and just do the doctor's bidding (which feels demeaning).

As a former broadcasting professional, I think the most powerful medium, at least in the US, is television. The way to change the public perception of nursing is through accurate portrayal of nurses on TV.

anonymurse · Dec 31, 2007

http://www.nursingadvocacy.org/

Tait, MSN, RN · Dec 31, 2007

http://www.nursingadvocacy.org/

Excellent site! Thanks for reminding us!

marie-francoise · Dec 31, 2007

My suggestions:

1) Yes, scrapping the title "nurse" I think would help. Would make nurses seem less servant-like. We're now calling patients "clients" and "customers", why not change "nurse" to "care provider" or some such.

2) Scrapping the nursing diagnosis language. It makes nurses seem as though they are straining for professional legitimacy by inventing their own odd, hyper-literal, "cult" language, when there are much more credible & practical, and effective, ways of obtaining professional respect.

3) Re-examine what managed care is doing to nursing. Nurses = payroll = understaffing to save $ = nurses viewed as cogs in wheel.

Katie82, RN · Dec 31, 2007

I think we are headed in the right direction. Since I graduated from Nursing School, I have evolved from a new grad who would jump up to give a doc my chair in the nurses' station to a case manager who advocates for my patient (I had enough of the "client" bs and now call them patients again) in any forum necessary, including the doctor's face. Several polls measuring the "profession you most admire" have named nursing as #1. What we must do, in this nursing shortage frenzy is lower our standards. I have a freind who is the director of a program in a Community College whose mission is to help "remedial" students get into nursing school. She holds their hand and spoon feeds them as they fail pre-reqs again and again. When they are finally ready, she cuts them loose in nursing school, where 68% of them drop out before the end of the semester. Those who fail cry that they need the same "nurturing" during the nursing curriculum in order to succeed. Nonsense!!! If you're not sharp enough to pass Nursing Math, I don't want you taking care of me........

Tait, MSN, RN · Dec 31, 2007

My suggestions:
1) Yes, scrapping the title "nurse" I think would help. Would make nurses seem less servant-like. We're now calling patients "clients" and "customers", why not change "nurse" to "care provider" or some such.
2) Scrapping the nursing diagnosis language. It makes nurses seem as though they are straining for professional legitimacy by inventing their own odd, hyper-literal, "cult" language, when there are much more credible & practical, and effective, ways of obtaining professional respect.
3) Re-examine what managed care is doing to nursing. Nurses = payroll = understaffing to save $ = nurses viewed as cogs in wheel.

Interesting thoughts!

1) Any thoughts on a new title?

2) Would you mind listing specific jargon here? I guess I don't quite understand.

3) Also I suppose it would see patients as cogs too, since it is there well-being at risk when nurses are overworked.

Thanks for the interesting points!

Tait

chadash · Dec 31, 2007

Not to diminish the importance of an accurate portrayal of nurses to the out side world....

In general, on the subject of "image", I would like to make this comment.

I have always told my children, how things seem is nothing, how things are, that is what matters.

What you do every day, that is what counts, the heck with who thinks what.

marie-francoise · Dec 31, 2007

Interesting thoughts!
1) Any thoughts on a new title?
2) Would you mind listing specific jargon here? I guess I don't quite understand.
3) Also I suppose it would see patients as cogs too, since it is there well-being at risk when nurses are overworked.
Thanks for the interesting points!
Tait

You're welcome.

1) I would think something like "Health Care Provider" or something along those lines might be more professional-sounding than "nurse".

2) Here is a thread on that point, with some examples: https://allnurses.com/forums/f8/does-anyone-think-nursing-diagnoses-just-plain-silly-264749.html

Diary/Dairy, RN · Dec 31, 2007

Thank you all for your ideas - I believe that nursing can be better tomorrow than it is today. If we all work at it, we can elevate this profession to one of true respect.

RNperdiem, RN · Jan 1, 2008

Here are some random thoughts.

1. Nurses in the media- most of the women's major roles in medical dramas are not nurses but women MD's. The nurses are in the background away from the action. The implied message is that smart girls go to med school not nursing school.

2. Nurses as angelic figures: totally out of fashion for now. There was a time from the first to the second world war that there was a lot of angelic imagery in nurse recruitment ads/posters. Seldom seen anymore, this does not speak to the younger generations.

3.Nurses as professionals: Yes, but not strongly, not compared with Doctors. The movement to professionalize nursing did recommend business cards. The belief that we could upgrade nursing from a trade to a profession included adopting the trappings of professionals-business cards, nursing diagnoses, higher education emphasis.

SAP2008 · Jan 1, 2008

This popped up on my road runner home page...that it was fitting for the thread. Being a nurse is considered one of the 10 "sexiest" jobs.

http://www.careerbuilder.com/JobSeeker/careerbytes/CBArticle.aspx?articleID=773&lr=cbtwcrr&siteid=cbtwcrr62&cbRecursionCnt=1&cbsid=1e386b076889474aaf4cc2bd5e9fa7e6-252454854-KA-5