Image

What the public thinks about nurses generally and what they specifically see or read in the media shape the current image of nurses. Annually, the nursing profession ranks very high as a trusted profession in the U.S., above physicians and other healthcare

Annually, the nursing profession ranks very high as a trusted profession in the U.S., above physicians and other healthcare workers.

workers. At the same time, the public is hearing about the stress nurses experience and the shortage of staff in hospitals; these reports prompt many to feel it is unsafe to leave family alone when hospitalized. There are images of striking nurses and headlines of layoffs and downsizing because of managed care. There are stories of nursing errors that have injured or killed patients, most recently in the Chicago Tribune (Berens, 2000a, 2000b, 2000c). These varied and conflicting images result in nursing appearing as an unstable, unpredictable and high-risk career option. Solution: Nurses must become more of a voice in the press. With every article about the shortage of nurses, positive letters to the editor acknowledging the challenges of nursing and recognizing the rewards are needed. Negative, complaining letters perpetuate the image that nursing is not a good career choice.

Like other predominantly female professions, the public undervalues nursing. While the public indicates high trust of nurses, there is a lack of understanding about what nurses do. Often, the role of a nurse is defined in relation to the physician and may still carry the image of "handmaiden." This lowered status has implications for other indicators of the "value" of nursing to society: the funding provided for nursing education, the compensation nurses receive related to the responsibilities of the job, and the work environments that nurses endure. Solution: Central to this issue is the need to revise how nurses are valued. Initiatives at the local level can affect the compensation and work environment issues and will be addressed later. Increased funding for education needs both local and national attention as discussed later.

Nurses also shape the impression that others have about the profession. For instance, they may discourage children regarding nursing as a career choice. Nurses frequently report that they do not encourage their own children to consider nursing as a career. This is quite different than the message that doctors or lawyers give to children. In social settings, nurses may complain about their work or diminish their actions, rather than bragging about or promoting their contributions to individuals and organizations. Solution: As simple as it sounds, all nurses need to be aware of the way in which they discuss their work in public.

Nurse executives can be helpful by starting an organizational campaign to educate their staff about how to communicate in social and community settings. Each nurse is the most important recruiter for an organization.

Nurse executives can be helpful by starting an organizational campaign to educate their staff about how to communicate in social and community settings. Each nurse is the most important recruiter for an organization.

Currently, there is an opportunity for individual nurses and nursing organizations to recreate the public image of nursing, to help the community understand the importance of an adequate supply of well educated nurses, and to entice young people to consider the profession. Solution: Rather than having competing advertising campaigns for nurses, healthcare organizations could combine their resources and develop strategies to elevate the image of nursing. In a recent initiative, the University of Maryland School of Nursing has shown there is opportunity to partner with public relations firms to accomplish this. This school is partnering with Gilden Advertising, who is donating $1.2 million in cash, services and in-kind gifts, to launch an integrated marketing plan to recruit more students into nursing. (University of Maryland School of Nursing Press Release, 2000 ).