Is Nursing A Profession Or An Occession?

Many people continue to have difficulty determining whether nursing is a profession or an occupation. A profession is something where you have dedicated time. An occupation is more something by trade. I personally believe that nursing is a profession in and of itself. According to Black, a profession is “ Work requiring advanced training and usually involving mental rather than manual effort. A profession usually has a code of ethics and a professional organization” (Black, 2015, p. 342). Throughout the years, many individuals have published lists of criteria in which they believed are characteristics of a true profession. There are many distinct differences between a profession and an occupation.

Firstly, education for a profession takes place in a college or university. Nursing, whether LPN, RN, or APRN, in order to obtain these degrees, you must dedicated an extended amount of time. For an occupation, the training will usually happen on the job and tends to be shorter in length. In a profession, decisions are based on science and research. The profession of nursing uses Evidence-based practice

According to Dr. Kelly’s first criteria, a profession provides services, which are essential to humans and all of society. Nurses provide care for all patients in society who are injured or ill, educate, and encourage health prevention. Her second criteria states, “ There is a special body of knowledge that is continually enlarged through research” (Black, 2014, p. 55). The profession of nursing is both an art and a science. The art of nursing is the caring and the science involves the use of evidence-based practice. Theories are developed and research is conducted to provide the best practices. Nursing uses a holistic approach, looking at all patients individually and providing specialized