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The Image of Nursing

The Image of Nursing

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A nurse cradling a child who is receiving treatment for asthma. A nurse holding the hand of a frail diabetic patient and encouraging him during the discharge process. A nurse’s empathetic expression for a frightened teenager facing emergency surgery.

Are these the images we leave with our patients? Do they reflect how we see ourselves? Is our image obvious only in what we do, or is it also about what we say, how we say it, and what we wear? Consider these questions:

  • How has our image changed over the years?
  • Who is defining the image of the nurse?
  • What can each nurse do to affect our image?
  • How do we confront and address the negative images of nursing?

Our changing image
Over time, nurses have had many images, ranging from the angel of mercy to the sexual stereotype sometimes portrayed in works of fiction. Florence Nightingale depicted the nurse as inferior to the physician. As a child, I read every book in the popular Cherry Ames series and dreamed that every day I worked as a nurse would be a Cherry Ames day. This series ran from 1943 to 1968 and, interestingly, is now back in print. Other representations and misrepresentations that have shaped our image include Hot Lips Houlihan in the television series MASH and some less-than-inspiring nurses in soap operas.

In 2001, the Center for Nursing Advocacy was founded to address the nursing shortage. After deciding to focus on improving the portrayal of nurses in the media, the Center began a series of annual Golden Lamp awards for the best and worst depictions of nurses. The Center has developed letter-writing campaigns to target producers of shows that don’t show nursing in a positive light, such as ER and House. In December 2006, after 5 months of effort, the Center persuaded Coors brewery to stop using “naughty nurse” imagery in its ads.

Most honest and ethical
For many years, a Gallup poll has identified the most honest and ethical professions in America. And for 8 years in a row, nursing has been in the top 10. For the last 5 years, nurses have been number one (see Most honest professions).

But is this ranking really relevant to the concern we have about our image? What really matters to patients and their caregivers? What do we care about and look for in our colleagues? How much impact do these perceptions have on our image? (See Nursing’s image: What do nurses think matters most?)

Dressing with Snoopy and Sponge Bob
As the image of nursing evolved with time and changes in healthcare delivery, our appearance changed, too. The catalogue scrub companies who bombard nurses with their mailings have played an important role in this appearance change. Today, many nurses think nothing of wearing clothing adorned with cartoon characters. What other professions that serve the public have cartoon characters on their uniforms? Police officers, pre-hospital staff, judges, firefighters, and others would not be seen with Snoopy, Sponge Bob, or animal characters covering their uniforms.

Why does nursing represent itself in this way? We let people outside of our profession influence how we present ourselves to the public. Sandy Dumont, an image consultant, makes this comment about the way we dress, “You’re the only thing between the patient and death, and you’re covered in cartoons. No wonder you have no authority.” Many organizations have started to address this issue by changing the dress codes for nurses. These changes also make it easier for the patient to identify who is a nurse.

The face of nursing
The face of nursing—that is, the overwhelmingly female face—also affects our image. Although the number of men in nursing is growing, we need more campaigns and targeted recruitments to draw men into the profession. The old Cherry Ames image keeps the profession primarily female. As more men enter the profession, they will become role models and mentors for others. And other men will look at nursing as they do other career options, such as being a police officer or firefighter.

Our patients may be in the best position to answer the question, Who is the nurse? A nurse diagnosed with cancer found herself on the other side of health care. Here’s what she had to say, “I must say the majority of the time I knew who the nurses were…by the way they carried themselves and their professionalism.”

Redefining our image
Professor L.D. Andrews of Rogers State University says that to create a new image for nursing, nurses must:

  • value nursing and project that image daily
  • take themselves seriously and dress the part
  • recognize the value of what they do
  • believe in themselves and their colleagues.

Our image is evolving as nurses fill seats in the House of Representatives and news stations use us as resources for their stories on healthcare issues. These opportunities allow us to represent the reality of nursing and to show how the profession contributes to health care.
These developments show promise, but our professional image needs more, and we need it now. Each nurse needs to explore how his or her actions or inactions affect our image. Nursing faculty need to work with the student nurse organizations to help promote the image of nursing. Nursing leaders need to recognize the daily impact they have on the perceptions of staff nurses, patients, and caregivers. And staff nurses must appreciate the importance of how they are perceived by patients and caregivers.

Being a professional 24/7
We also need to recognize the effect of our behavior outside of the workplace. For some nurses, nursing is just a job, and it shows in what they say and how they act at work and away from work.

I have heard nurses emphatically state that they do not want their children to go into nursing and have to work in an environment where they are not respected, are underpaid, and have to deal with people who have unrealistic expectations. Obviously, these nurses are not helping to improve our image.

When an old friend asks about your work, don’t roll your eyes or shrug your shoulders. Try responding by putting your shoulders back, looking the person right in the eye, and saying, “I am a registered nurse now, and I work at the hospital.” Encourage your child who is interested in nursing. Inspire a child to consider the privilege of being with people when they are at both their worst and best. Such everyday actions will improve the image of nursing.

What we must do
Part of changing our image is growing as a profession, and such growth requires a nurturing process. Our nurse leaders need to guide this process by doing the following:

  • Cultivating a professional image by the way they represent the profession
  • Defining unacceptable workplace behaviors and holding the staff accountable
  • Teaching nurses the benefits of scripting such as, “My name is Shelley, and I am your registered nurse today.”
  • Defining the appearance of the nurs­ing staff in written guidelines and following through with consequences for those who don’t comply
  • Involving the staff in developing the list of unacceptable behaviors and the specifics of a new dress code
  • Posting, circulating, and advertising nursing’s accomplishments
  • Using the local community newspapers for ongoing announcements
  • Having staff contribute to the community by writing health-related articles in the newspaper
  • Speaking to civic and community groups about what nursing is and does
  • Listening to patients’ and caregivers’ perceptions of nursing
  • Surveying staff, patients, and caregivers about these perceptions
  • Teaching and mentoring staff on how to validate all they do with appropriate documentation and active committee involvement
  • Teaching communication skills, so staff nurses feel empowered to respond to negative colleagues in a manner that confronts and stops behaviors that affect our image

The time for us to redefine our image is now. By working together, we can help ourselves and the public see the nursing profession clearly.

Selected references
Andrews LD. Current image of professional nursing. Available at: www.rsu.edu. Accessed March 30, 2007.

The Center for Nursing Advocacy. Available at: http://nursingadvocacy.org/action/action.html. Accessed March 30, 2007.

The in/visibility of nurses in cyperculture. Available at: www.nursing-informatics.com/visiblenurse7.html. Accessed March 30, 2007.

Johnson & Johnson Discover Nursing campaign. Available at: www.discovernursing.com. Accessed March 30, 2007.

National Student Nurses’ Association. Image of Nursing Guideline Booklet. Available at: www.nsna.org/activities/nursing.asp. Accessed March 30, 2007.

For a complete list of selected references, see May 2007 references.

Shelley Cohen, BS, RN, CEN, is the educator/consultant for Health Resources Unlimited in Hohenwald, Tennessee.

12 Comments.

  • I wear cartoon scrubs, and even T-shirts. I am a PICU nurse, and yes, I even sometimes hold the hand of a dying patient, hug their mom, and help the family say goodbye. I then might have to convince the 2 yr old in the next room to keep their high flow on. Part of my image is fun and colorful, but I am also competent and knowledgeable. I also make sure I am neat and clean, and my nails are trimmed. Nurses tend to be so judgmental of each other… We need to be more professional towards each other, and treat each other with more respect. We need to share what we love about nursing. I love to work with students and new nurses, and see them grow and learn. This will help change the perception of nursing.

  • Violet Jessup
    February 5, 2019 7:58 am

    I love what I do. I participate in non-mandatory continuing education, obtain elective certifications because I think its fun, and I do not wear cartoon character scrubs. I have started a Nurse Excellence and Advocacy Team at our hospital, and participate in Shared Governance. I appreciate how far I have come in over 20 years, and the opportunities I have been provided and earned. Ive received recognition awards, but most important, the mutual respect of peers. The saddest part of my career was the realization that none of this matters since the ANA has spearheaded the public perception that I am nothing without a BSN. And I was so proud to be a Diploma grad.

  • I use to teach at Kaplan College as an Allied Health Instructor where I taught basic A&P, Med Calc, & certified my students in BLS prior to their going into another 5 months in the Medical Assistant’s, Phamacy Tech’s, or Medical Biller’s programs. I was not an RN at the time and when the class on Professionalism was up, I walked into class dressed in my normal scrubs; however, my V-neck T-Shirt was untucked in the back, wore black socks with pant leg’s high watered, hair moosed like I just rose from bed and sporting a 3-inch carved antler earring swinging from one ear… My students cried “Mr. Stine, what’s wrong… you don’t look right”. Of course this was a planned event, one that I enjoyed and it impressed on the students that appearance DOES make a difference in how others perceive you and whether or not they would feel confident putting their care in the hands of some one so ‘slovenly dressed’… When I asked the class what was wrong… didn’t I look professional… the unanimous vote was that ‘I did not look professional’. So if you think what you wear and how your are dressed doesn’t matter to the public, you are wrong. I personally don’t think you ladies should have to go back to the white stockings, dresses, and white caps… unless you want to. I can see how that might appeal to those individuals who relate to the ‘white-capped look’, it’s clean, neat, and nurses are easily identified… When posing for my graduation pictures, I was there early morning and second in line and I did get ‘personal shots’ of me in the white cap; however, they will never see the light of day!

  • Hassan sherief
    October 26, 2017 2:30 pm

    i think its really awesome to be high qualified nurse specialist that thing build trust and make our society(Egyptian Society) change their point of view about nursing as a profession . now i am doing master degree because i believe in nursing and the importance of helping and serving people .thanks

  • I truly hope the days of purity for nursing is over. The “white uniform” can no longer be the symbolic dove for nurses. We are strong, intelligent men and women. We have evolved just as nursing has evolved. Claire, I too am proud of that white hat with stripes for proof of my education, but it is no longer needed to prove who we are.
    Jazzykhan, If they build a city with cheap uneducated help. Don’t be surprised when the walls fall around them.

  • We need to wear white. Look clean and well tailored. I’m sure the guys would hate this and they could be exempt but I want the nursing cap back.

  • I appreciate this, Shelley Cohen. My mother and sister are both nurses and I am entering nursing school at MSU as a freshman this fall. I believe the calling for Professionalism in the work place for nurses is truly important and often overlooked. I hope to work with nurses like you who care deeply about their calling to be a professional caregiver. I take this very seriously.

  • pnc has divided nursing admissions as 90% female and only 10% male while through the world specially in pakistan the neeed of nurses is increasing day by day than why this type of revenging activity by the pnc lords are taking just only for their personal benefits
    no any structure of pay is there, no any incentives is there and no any restriction or accountibilty is there as in many institutes the nurse aids are doing the registered nurses jobs on low pay than why it is hapening plzz think it

  • hi, i am male registered nurse from Pakistan , i want to bring it in your notice that the nursing profession in pakistan has been captured by a particular group of people belonging from AGA KHAN UNIVERSITY and the registrar of PAKISTAN NURSING COUNCIL has captured this post since 20 years while according to the rule of pak nursing act 1973, any person could be selected only for two consecutive terms( one term is consist on 3 years) due to autocracy a huge curruption is going plz do somthing for

  • When a nurse starts talking like Diana, it means they need a new job.

  • king_edwards140@yahoo.com
    January 14, 2013 6:33 am

    ^^^^^ You need to be nicer young MAN.. yes you Diana Rutan.

  • Are you even listening to what you are writing because if you are you would have addressed the real issues of nursing such as being underpaid, receiving unrealistic requests from the patients, working short staffed.What you wear does not make you a professional,it is the care you provide with honesty and true caring.Using every resource you have to meet your patient’s expectations.Constantly striving to improve your practice is what makes you a professional. Wake up and practice bedside nursing.

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