Envision a new world where nurses value nursing and image it daily. Nurses take themselves seriously and dress the part.
Nurses are highly visible to patients, families, and physi- cians because they have reclaimed their practice. Nurses are clear about the role boundaries between themselves and those who extend their practice, and others are also. Nurses are “stuck like glue” together. Negative comments about
a colleague are made to the colleague and to no one else.
Professional nurses recognize that their greatest benefit—
and one of the most efficient and powerful uses for their money—is the less than 1% of their salary they spend for membership in the ANA, the National League for Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International, and their specialty orga- nization. They look forward to annual meetings because such meetings provide an excellent opportunity to meet colleagues and discuss issues and practice innovations.
Because all nursing is valued, nurses recognize the value of caring, health promotion, and health teaching in addi- tion to the value of illness care. They celebrate that nurses save lives every day. In the modern health care climate, nurses supervise assistive personnel and use their authority to ensure that patient care delivery is excellent. Nurses value the caring, nurturing role of the nurse because it is worn with style. To this legacy they add the astute businessper- son, researcher, policymaker, legislator, and entrepreneur.
In this new world, nurses believe in nursing, in self, and in their colleagues. When nurses safeguard the image of nursing in local newspapers, television, media dramas, and daily practice, they realize that they play a part in forming the image of nursing on a daily basis. (See Box 2-1.)
BOX 2-1 HELPFUL ONLINE RESOURSES
American Nurses Association Press Releases www.nursingworld.org/pressrel
American Association of Colleges of Nursing Press Releases
www.aacn.nche.edu/Media/NewsReleases/newslist.
htm
National League for Nursing Press Releases www.nln.org/pressreleases/index.htm
Sigma Theta Tau International Nursing Honor Society—
Media
www.nursingsociety.org
S U M M A R Y
This chapter describes the major factors that have influ- enced the image of nursing and how society has viewed the profession during different periods throughout his- tory. Nursing actions that contribute to a negative view are described, as well as strategies that will lead to the public having a positive view of nursing. Nurses must be convinced that the twenty-first century image of nursing is one that they contribute to every day as they practice and describe nursing to others. Convincing the public that nursing is not
just about caring but is a profession that is based on science is essential. When nurses are widely recognized as knowl- edge workers, job satisfaction will increase and recruitment and retention will be less of an issue for the profession.
Additional resources are available online at:
http://evolve.elsevier.com/Cherry/
32 UNIT 1 The Development of Nursing
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