How the Public's View of Nurses Has Impacted the Nursing Profession Essay Example
Length: 2000 words.
The naughty nurse, the battle axe, doctor’s hand maiden, sex objects or self-sacrificial angels (Stanley 2008); these names are all synonymous with popular stereotypes of a nurse. The public’s image has had an impact on nursing from the Crimean war era to present day in the 21st century. If nursing is to grow as a profession it has to meet a number of challenges due to society’s attitudes. This is an important issue for contemporary nursing. I feel the most pertinent of challenges nurses have is oppression in society. There are multiple causes for this oppression; the lack of power and control in nursing (Roberts 2000). The poor public image generated by the media’s representation. Nurses themselves lack a public “voice” that describes the contribution of nursing to patient care (Roberts 2000). Finally, the debate over whether nursing should gain status as a professional body. The lack of clarity regarding specific advantages…lead the authors to question: Is professional status a desired state for nurses (Cutcliffe & Wieck 2007)? These are the pertinent issues that will be analysed and debated throughout the remainder of the essay. In order to substantiate claims of oppression in nursing we must first define oppression. Oppressed group- a subordinate group that learns to hate themselves and their attributes because the dominant group is able to set the norms for what is valued. This dominant group will define roles for the subordinate which will usually involve services that the dominant group does not want to provide (Roberts 2000).
Many nurses feel disempowered and helpless when they think about the status of their profession. Many have difficulty accepting that persons other than nurses make many of the decisions that are critical to their work.... and the ability to perform their jobs adequately (Seago 2006). These feelings often lead to denial and hostility, often towards their fellow nurses or “horizontal
The naughty nurse, the battle axe, doctor’s hand maiden, sex objects or self-sacrificial angels (Stanley 2008); these names are all synonymous with popular stereotypes of a nurse. The public’s image has had an impact on nursing from the Crimean war era to present day in the 21st century. If nursing is to grow as a profession it has to meet a number of challenges due to society’s attitudes. This is an important issue for contemporary nursing. I feel the most pertinent of challenges nurses have is oppression in society. There are multiple causes for this oppression; the lack of power and control in nursing (Roberts 2000). The poor public image generated by the media’s representation. Nurses themselves lack a public “voice” that describes the contribution of nursing to patient care (Roberts 2000). Finally, the debate over whether nursing should gain status as a professional body. The lack of clarity regarding specific advantages…lead the authors to question: Is professional status a desired state for nurses (Cutcliffe & Wieck 2007)? These are the pertinent issues that will be analysed and debated throughout the remainder of the essay. In order to substantiate claims of oppression in nursing we must first define oppression. Oppressed group- a subordinate group that learns to hate themselves and their attributes because the dominant group is able to set the norms for what is valued. This dominant group will define roles for the subordinate which will usually involve services that the dominant group does not want to provide (Roberts 2000).
Many nurses feel disempowered and helpless when they think about the status of their profession. Many have difficulty accepting that persons other than nurses make many of the decisions that are critical to their work.... and the ability to perform their jobs adequately (Seago 2006). These feelings often lead to denial and hostility, often towards their fellow nurses or “horizontal