NURSING

The Image of Nursing

The Image of Nursing

Historical Image of Nursing

The word nurse is derived from Latin word "nutrire", which means to nurture or nourish. The profession of nursing is believed to have founded by Florence Nightingale. There was a letter written by Nightingale to the sisters of Mercy. The analyses of that letter reveal that Nightingale was influenced by these pious women, who looked after the wounded and injured. When Nightingale returned to England, she used the gained knowledge and experience for care of patients similar to that done by nurses. According to Nightingale, the definition of characteristics of nursing knowledge is leaving the injured in such state that there is no disease left. She served the profession of nursing when nurses were perceived as incompetent and untrained. In 1856, after the battle of Crimean War, there was a change in the public's perception of nurses. People began to view nurses as angel of mercy. All this happened due to efforts of Nightingale (Samawi et. al, 2009).

The image of nurses and nursing continued to reform and form. The current view of nurses is perceived as careerists. The priorities of nurses during the 1920s were considered as marriage, romance and motherhood. However, nurses were given the title of professionals and heroines by the end of World War 2. Unfortunately, the nurses were tagged as “sex object”, the image was portrayed that nurses satisfy the needs of male physician and men. Throughout the mid 1960s till the 1980s, the image of “sex object” and “careerist” were in consideration. However, by the end of 1980s, it was the image of “sex object”, which prevailed over “careerist” image (Kelly, 2010).

The Image of Nursing and the Role of Media

Although nurses have outstanding achievements, they have not changed the image of them which is transmitted in media. The picture is full of stereotypes nurse. Image of the nursing profession currently works as a transparent infrastructure, apart from the health care system and the national health system. This transparency, in our opinion, is magnified by the absence of visible signs that identify the members of this profession, as if the nurses did not need to display your image.

The images are not isolated structures but are within a context from which they are received and decoded by the audience looks at, relating in a more or less consciously with a reserve of learned codes. When someone interprets an image you do agree with previous values in relation to it. This analysis leads to the concept of stereotype, which is the set of beliefs and values, commonly accepted, on the attributes that characterize a social group that helps categorize those attributes to make more consistent understanding of the world (Mee, 2006).

The mass media act as agents and report reinforce certain attitudes and beliefs, stereotypes and values, etc. The social image of a profession is highly influential; by the way, it is represented in different media. This form is the one that is shaping the perception society has of that profession. So it would seem very successful trend, growing ever more research, use and interpret non-traditional databases, such as images, movies, novels and ...