ROLE OF NURSING

People's Perceptions of Nursing and the Role of the Nurse

[Name of the Student]

Table of Contents

Introduction3

Significance of the Topic3

Analysis4

Public Perceptions about Nursing4

Factors shaping public perceptions4

Social Factors4

Personal Experiences5

Return on Investment5

Role of Media5

Advanced Nursing Education6

Female-Dominated Field6

Strategies for Transformation and Future Practice6

Implications to Future Professional Nursing Practice6

Expected Resignation of Existing Nurses7

Baby-Boomers7

Growth of Nursing Jobs8

Hospital Nursing Vs Nursing Home8

Growth of Nursing Specialties8

Growth of the Nursing Profession8

Conclusion9

References11

People's Perceptions of Nursing and the Role of the Nurse

Introduction

Nursing is a very respectable profession because its primary aim is to serve humanity. It is focused on providing health care to individuals, families and communities so that they can recover from their illness and get their health back which is required to maintain a quality life.

Nursing is a very respectable profession and the role of nurses in the recovery of the patients cannot be ignored. Therefore, in this assignment, I am going to discuss the various perceptions about the nursing profession and the role of nurses in minds of public.

Significance of the Topic

According to a research done by Donelan (2008), “Nurses and physicians both rate highly with the public in trended national survey questions about trusted professions, prestigious occupations, and honesty and ethical standards of the professions”

However, despite being a very respectable profession, the contributions of nurses are not recognized in various parts of the world. Nursing is not a highly paid job and, in some parts of the world, this job is limited to females only.

Apart from this, in many parts of the world, youth does not consider nursing as a career choice because, they believe that nursing as a profession will not give them the due prestige and respect in the society. As a result, there is a significant shortage of registered nurses, due to which, hospitals are in a constant pressure to increase the headcount of nurses.

Analysis

Public Perceptions about Nursing

Factors such as personal experience, media messages, and socio-demographic factors have a direct impact on the role and perceptions about nursing in the eyes of public. On one hand, in the National Survey of Registered Nurses conducted in 2006, when people were asked, what is the first word that comes to their mind, when they hear the term “nursing”? They replied “care” and “compassion” (Rhodes & Morris, 2011). On the other hand, the perceptions of people on the role of nurses are based on the visual image they get when they visit hospitals. However, they see only one side of the picture. The other side of the picture is often ignored, which shows the medical education and skills required to perform the daily nursing tasks. Therefore, it will not be incorrect to say, that people's perceptions about nursing is biased and incomplete. They have not spent time with nursing professionals, and have not participated in healthcare settings so that their perceptions can be changed.

Moreover, many students are uncertain about the career opportunities in the nursing career. However, some of them are doubtful about the career progression opportunities in the nursing ...