Image of nursing speech - Essay Example

Nursing image affiliation Several findings have shown that nursing image has been dynamically encompassed in paradoxical, multi-dimensional and complex concepts. Such colossal contemporary reasoning concepts have made nurses to understand how the public view them in the past and currently. From the era of nightingale, there have been a lot of stereotypes and the negative unflattering definition of a nurse where some people were seeing nurses as the crusty battle-axe and the physician’s handmaiden.

Why should nurses care much regarding the image of nursing in the population, yet there are negative stereotypes across several professions? This question can be answered by arguing that, despite these other professions being portrayed inaccurately with stereotypes; they do not possess the same “baggage” as nursing. For example, despite the mockery, medicine and law are respected professions whose practitioners are usually assumed as well educated and competent. It should be understood that the work of a nurse is equally demanding, and most of the nurses have advanced in their career education, yet for several reasons the public take us for granted.

There are several antecedents of nursing image, most of the antecedents have painted negatively nursing image, they include: media; the media have fuelled majority of the stereotypes, in that it usually portrays nurses as naive as compared to other health care professionals. For example, several movies and advertisements have portrayed the negative image of nurses during their shows, like making the acting nurse to behave like a doctor’s puppet who is helpless when the doctor is not there. This makes the public view nursing profession as a lesser profession in the health care.

Gender and poor communication: Gender role is one aspect that children learn during their developmental milestone, and it usually leads to gender role stereotypes. Nursing is linked to female profession because it is much dominated by female gender as compared to the male gender. This has been perceived by several journalists as a barrier to communication, since nurses are not able to speak to various media houses to air their concerns to the public and other stakeholders. This has made nurses and the nursing profession to be like a land locked nation that is not known by majority of the public.

Moreover, several scholars argue that, the public view male dominant profession like medicine as more powerful than female dominant professions such as nursing.Clothing style: the main aim of introduction of the uniform in nursing was to bring homogeneity and neatness among the professionals. However, the public viewed the uniformed nurses as sexy nurse stereotypes, which led to damage of the nursing image. In addition, in some countries there is a conflicting problem in clothing style among different professionals and non-professionals.

Wearing of the white coloured attire has been attributed to unlicensed community workers who have been linked to nursing. This can in turn lead to undermining the image of nursing profession in the long run.Nurse’s behaviours in the clinical area have a big impact on improving or destroying our image. While in the clinical setting, a nurse interacts a lot with the patient. It follows that nurses should address themselves professionally according to the titles they possess like Mr, Mrs, Dr, and Prof.

It is imperative to note that addressing a nurse by the first name on duty roster boards portrays a nurse as less skilled and not fully identified individual in the health care system. In essence, to improve on nursing image while in the clinical area it is vital thereof to address individuals with their titles. The chronic poor nursing image has led to some consequences and shortfalls in the profession, they include: nursing shortage and staff recruitment, which is related to low prestige and sub servant negative image that has affected career seekers.

In addition, poor nursing image has led to low resource allocation as compared to other health professions. Poor interdisciplinary relationships; Bad nursing image has undermined the importance of the profession that has affected its relationship with other professions. Moreover, Burnouts of nurses and the sense of powerlessness has been linked to an unrealistic image of nursing (Rezaei-Adaryani, Salsali, & Mohammadi, 2012).ReferenceRezaei-Adaryani, M., Salsali, M., & Mohammadi, E. (2012). Nursing image: An evolutionary concept analysis.

Contemporary Nurse, 43, 81–89.