Current Image of Professional Nursing

1
Current Image of Professional Nursing

• Prof. L. D. Andrews

2
Nursing Shortage

• Average age of nursing graduate is 33
• Average age of RN is 44
• Average age of faculty is 50
• By 2015, 50 of RNs expected to retire
• By 2006, job opportunities increased by 21

3
Images of Nursing

• 1844, Sairy Gamp
• 1854, Nightengale in the Crimea
• 1857, Santa Filomena
• 1915, Edith Cavell
• 1936, White Angel
• 1942, So Proudly We Hailed
• 1942, We Band of Angels

4
Images of Nursing

• 1962, Nurse Ratched
• 1972, Hot Lips Hoolilhan
• 1940s, Nurse Rivers
• 1997, The English Patient
• 1997, Golf Magazine
• 1990s, Vietnam War Womens Memorial
• 2000, Meet the Parents

5
Image Makers of Nurses

• Nurses of America Campaign
• convey to public that RNs are expert clinicians
• raising consciousness of invisibility of nursing
  in the news media

6
Public Concern with Nursing

• What is the image of nursing being created today?
• Saint vs. Sinner image
• Can I trust my life to this RN?
• Public want to believe that knowledgeable,
  caring, committed and dedicated RNs will be
  available for them.

7
What the Public Believes About Nursing

• RNs ranked highest among all professions for the
  highest professional standards of honesty and
  ethics
• Public seek advice in 4 areas
• self-care or immediate post op care
• OTC health care products
• admin and SE of prescription drugs
• interpreting physician-provided information

8
Why do RNs deride themselves in front of the
public?

• Tee shirts
• Nurses do IT better
• Nurses get to the POINT
• run a CODE naked
• Sloppy clothing
• dirty, wrinkled
• childish symbols

9
RNs Clash between Beliefs and Reality

• Chose nursing because
• professional status
• made a difference (patient care rewards)
• pride in their profession
• 1990s Healthcare
• multiskilled, unlicensed workers
• avoid increasing salaries
• administrators earn high salaries

10
Business Model of Health Care

• Shift from altruistic to business model
• Mismatch nursing care marketed and nursing care
  provided
• Amount and type of nursing care negotiated
  through third parties with economic concerns
• Competitive Marketplace
• scarce resources
• unlimited wants

11
Nursings View

• Female dominated by persons socialized to be
  anti-intellectuals
• Focus on skills rather than critical thinking
• Knowledge is power

12
Communicating with Physicians

• Factually document medical problems in patient
  care terms
• Stay on the issue, not personality
• Appropriate communication
• protect your time
• do not allow inappropriate interruptions

13
Communication Patterns

• RNs have a last name, use it
• Expect to be addressed in a professional manner
  as you would address other professionals

14
Believe in Nursing

• Valuing Nursing
• Only RNs should attend nursing staff meetings
• Identify yourself
• Protect the name of Nurse
• Insist on being addressed as a professional

15
Creating a New Image

• Nurses value nursing and image it daily
• Nurses take themselves seriously and dress the
  part
• Nurses recognize the value of caring, health
  promotion, health teaching, and illness care
• Nurses believe in themselves and their colleagues