According to Larsons (2016), Gallup poll showed that nursing was ranked the most trusted profession for the 14th year in a row. In 2016, 85% of Americans voted that nursing held a very high standard of honesty and ethical standards. A portion of the American population may view nurses as they are portrayed on television and in movies as this stereotype of being over-sexualized and a sex symbol. Another, stereotype is nursing is a profession only meant for women. With all these stereotypes and opinions out there the real question is what is the public’s view or image of the profession of nursing? The point of this paper is to explore different views on the profession of nursing the positive and the negative ones. Before discussing various public views, we most explore why a positive image of the profession of nursing is so crucial. The only reason why a positive image of the profession is so crucial is for our patients and their family members. When patients comes into the hospital nurses want to make them feel like they are in good hands. As nurses, we want any stereotype to be put aside and gain the patients trust, so that we can provide them with the best care …show more content…
The stereotype of nursing being a women’s profession is still very prominent making it difficult for men to see themselves in this profession. The media often portrays nurses as several different things that create a bad image such as, incompetent, caring little about their patients, or over-sexualized. Lastly, many still would like nurses to dress in the traditional white dress finding it easy to identify the nurse from other professions and finding the white dress to be professional. With representing ourselves in a professional way, knowing our value, and just continuing the support and great care we give our patients we can change the image of nursing and get rid of these
Often time, nurses has been viewed by patients, their family members and the medical team as basic emotional care givers, pill crushers or cart pullers and not as healthcare professionals who are more interesting in health promotion, disease prevention and better patient outcomes. They also often forget the emotional, physical, mental, and caring part that is involved with the profession. And to make matters worse, nurses are continued to be viewed as a threat by doctors more than ever before especially with the opening of Nurse Practitioners programs.
According to the American Nurses Association, nursing is defined as “the protection, promotion, and optimization of health and abilities, prevention of illness and injury, facilitation of healing, alleviation of suffering through the diagnosis and treatment of human response, and advocacy in the care of individuals, families, groups, communities, and populations” (American Nurses Association, 2016). Nurses have many jobs and responsibilities and wear many different hats. Nurses can perform at many different levels depending on their scope of practice which is defined by the board of nursing in one’s state of residence. It is important as nurses to understand and follow
During the mid-twentieth century American’s view of nurses was drastically changing according to Judd & Sitzman the authors of “A History of American Nursing: Trends and Eras.” Prior to this time period the job of a nurse was not something that was very valued. The women who chose this work were not looked upon as highly as they are today. Judd & Sitzman write that during this time “nurses were respected, revered, and deemed professionals; they were portrayed in recruitment posters.” Nursing was now a profession women could actually seek to do outside of the home that was not frowned upon. Nursing was now being viewed as a valued profession. The mere fact that there were recruitment posters being created and displayed proves this point.
When one imagines a female nurse in America, one may think of a smiling woman in pink scrubs helping a new mother care for her baby, a comforting hand to hold in a time of need, or even a soft voice counting, “One, two, three...” before administering an injection. Nursing is a profession that is dominated by women at ninety-two percent (US Department of Labor) and is accurately characterized by its commitment to the care for individuals and the promotion of healthy living. According to the American Nursing Association’s Code of Ethics, “The nurse, in all professional relationships, practices with compassion and respect for the inherent dignity, worth, and uniqueness of every individual, unrestricted by considerations of social or economic status, personal attributes, or the nature of health problems.” Because of these professional and altruistic values, it is no surprise that the profession of nursing has received the highest ranking in Gallup’s annual Honesty and Ethics Poll for the eleventh year. Eighty-one percent of Americans claimed that nurses have “high” or “very high” ethical standards (Gallup). Clearly, the American public thinks quite highly of nurses, however, when is turns on the television, these well-respected individuals are portrayed on popular medical dramas as disposable sexual objects and as subordinate helpers. This unrealistic depiction of nurses is a reflection of the misogyny in American culture that presents itself through entertainment such as ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy and Fox’s House.
Licensed practical nurses (LPN 's) fill an important role in modern health care practices. Their primary job duty is to provide routine care, observe patients’ health, assist doctors and registered nurses, and communicate instructions to patients regarding medication, home-based care, and preventative lifestyle changes (Hill). A Licensed Practical Nurse has various of roles that they have to manage on a day to day basis, such as being an advocate for their patients, an educator, being a counselor, a consultant, researcher, collaborator, and even a manager depending on what kind of work exactly that you do and where. It is the nursing process and critical thinking that separate the LPN from the unlicensed assistive personnel. Judgments are based
Positive portrayal of men in nursing is important in order to break down stereotypes, improve recruitment rates, and to increase gender diversity in the nursing profession. By reinforcing stereotypes and misconceptions of men in nursing, the public undermines the contributions of male nurses. It is important to recognize the significance and contribution of the male nurse through positive and accurate messages displayed by the media, nursing organizations, and educational institutions. Through petitions by the public, statements by the nursing organizations, and creative marketing strategies geared toward men in nursing, the profession of nursing will improve recruitment rates along with an overall positive image of male nurses (Stanley, 2012).
The image of nursing is dynamic, changing from the late 1800’s to present, the images are made from individual’s perceptions by what is seen in the media, how education is taught in nursing and historical figures (Daly, Speedy, & Jackson, 2014). Historical figures mainly include Florence Nightingale and her, self-sacrifice and the nurses who transformed education (Fee & Garofalo, 2010, p. 1591; Allen, 2010, p. 35). Education has moved forward by the enhancing strategies of teaching student nurses to improve the image of nursing and gaining a tertiary education (ten Hoeve, Jansen, & Roodbol, 2014, p. 304). Media and film play a key role in the image of nursing (ten Hoeve, Jansen, & Roodbol, 2014, p. 298). Individual perceptions are developed from this medium to gain an image of what is expected of a nurse. These expectations that are developed result in many different public images and perceptions of the nurse as time goes on (ten Hoeve, Jansen, & Roodbol, 2014, p. 296).
Introduction McCurry et all (2009/2010)?? ** state ‘Nursing as a profession has a social mandate to contribute to the good of society through knowledge-based practice.’ Acknowledging this statement and in recognition of the challenges faced in today’s healthcare system it is imperative that nurses know who they are as a profession. Without an explicit understanding of our identity as nurses and our role in society we have no worth or purpose other than to aid and promote the medical discipline (Newman et al., 2008).
There was seldom a mention of male and male students choosing to become nurses. Along with the belief of nursing being a career choice more female-directed, there was also the repeated mention of the career being for middle-class women (Price, 2008). Historically, women have been the dominant face of nursing and it has always been considered a suitable career for women, whereas most careers in the past would never be acceptable for a female. For some of the female students who were interviewed, this stereotype was part of a deferent to choosing nursing. They did not want to be thought of as a stereotypical women, and be casted into a mould of what most women choose (Price, Hall, Angus, & Peter, 2013). In a modern society, more and more women are wishing to push the boundaries on what use to be referred to as a male dominated territory. This is true in careers as well. Many females second guess their decision in choosing nursing due to
Worldwide, nurses have developed themselves into professionals with a great deal of knowledge. Despite these developments towards professionalism, nurses are still portrayed in a misleading and inaccurate way and are not given the recognition for the skills they have acquired. The essence of nursing is not always clear and nurses still suffer from stereotypes (Hoeve,2014). A stereotype can be defined as “a cognitive representation or impression of a social group that people form by associating particular characteristics and emotions with a group” (Smith and Mackie, 2007). Of the many types of nursing, a very popular stereotype that is depicted of nurses is being doctor’s handmaiden and only performing repetitive and simple tasks (Hoeve,2014.) This public image of nursing does not match their professional images, in fact, it is quite the opposite. Nurses are strong independent individuals that play just as big a role in the hospital as due the doctors or surgeons. The problem is nurses are not depicted as professionals and the public is not aware that nursing today is very theory-based oriented and a scholarly profession. Over the last few decades, nursing gone through extensive and important
Among twenty leading female-dominated professions, registered nurses (RN’s) are the second most occupation that employed women in 2006¬. Similar to many traditionally female professions, the percentage of male in nursing is small. In fact, male nurses only comprised eight percent of RN’s in 2008. Although much effort has been made to recruit more men into nursing, many contributing factors have driven them away from this profession. Those factors include poor nursing image, negative public perception, low economic status, and gender stereotypes. One of the most significant factors that deter men from entering the profession is stereotypes. Research shows that men might be more likely to encounter stereotypes than discrimination; however, gender discrimination throughout the society still exists, which may discourage them from entering the profession. Gender segregation has separated male nurses into the minority group that faces many obstacles within the profession, in which negative stereotypes are the primary obstacle for men who want to enter the nursing force.
Nursing excellence is defined in various ways. I believe that nursing excellence is demonstrated when nurses are involved in promoting holistic patient centered care, quality and innovation, education, evidence-based practice, and nursing research. Nursing organizations plays a pivotal role in promoting nursing excellence. For this discussion post, I will be discussing the role of two organizations; the National League of Nursing (NLN) and the Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN), in promoting nursing excellence and nursing practice.
Each individual gets to a point in life whereby they assess their internal qualities, people reflect their profession aspirations and attempt to see which careers will make them happy in their lives. It is also important for a person to consider whether they have the qualities needed for a particular profession and also consider the available resources that will help him or her reach their set goals (Chafey, Rhea, Shannon, & Spencer, (1998). Every human being has weaknesses and strengths in their personal or professional aspirations. Having strength means that someone has the physical and mental power to perform things in a successful manner. On the other hand, weaknesses are the drawbacks, the inadequate lack of strength or power to accomplish important goals in life, and every human has some potential of being a leader in some way (American Association of Critical Care Nurses (2006). This paper will discuss the outcome results inventory on the nurse as a manager, it illustrates personal strength and weaknesses in relation to personal life and professional aspirations. The paper will also discuss planning for career, disciplines in personal expedition, practice
Although nursing was a profession started by men, as of 2011, men occupied only nine percent of the profession (Census Bureau, 2011). Today, when you picture a “typical” nurse you think of a female. As Evans (2016) states, “Almost never does the word nurse conjure up the image of a man” (p.4). This woman-dominated field has created a profession that has many gender stereotypes associated with it (Daley, 2013). These stereotypes, created by the media, are making men reluctant to join this profession. With that being said, stereotyping contributes to the low number of men entering the workforce which, in turn, affects patient safety.
The career i chose is a branch of the medical field. I chose a career in nursing, more specifically the career path of a registered nurse. This career consists of providing care for people of all ages and helping them with managing their conditions. I chose this career because my mother is an rn and my family has a strong presence in the medical field. It is important to understand the education or training requirements, skills, or talents needed, salary, benefits offered, and the duties for a particular career when making this decision.