Aladeen - not sure if it was your intention - but that is a huge, broad question that would require specifics to answer it. Also - the question implies that 'all is not well in nursing and its image' - when there are many good things that occur and the question could equally ask 'what can we do to more widely promote the great things that already happen in nursing and its image?'

Dear Aladeen.

You ask the follwing: What do you believe practicing nurses and nurse educators should do to improve the image of nursing?

Let me say, that, as our dear Dean notices, your question implies that all is not well in nursing and its image. This is not surely the case. Even though, any state of affairs can be better than it is.

To my undesrtanding, nursing involves, say, two components, a treatement/technical component, and a caring component. It is often the case that nurses are more concerned with the technical component of their profession than with the caring component. The focus on the former at the cost of the latter may lead some people to think of nursing as a bit dehumanized profession. So, I believe that the more nursing takes into account its caring component, the more it will be seen as a real helping profession. Note that nurser Florence Nithingale's thinking on nursing focus on both components.

Best wishes,

Orlando

I concur with Orlando that the question implies there is a problem with the image of nursing. As the most trusted profession year after year I would argue that our image is excellent. Additionally, the view of patients about both nurses and nurse practitioners is excellent.

Dear Colleagues,

Thanks for your answers

I think the wrong on the image of nursing from the perspectives of how the profession views its own image and how those outside the profession view nursing and nurses. How nurses see themselves—their professional self-image—has a direct impact on professional self-esteem.

I think in developing countries, most of the nurses see their profession badly when they compare it with other professions such as medicine. Also, the culture plays a large part as to how the role of the nurse is perceived.

Best Regards

I just finished Hillary Clinton's book and while she says nice things about nurses she also refers to them as service workers. Sadly, this is not the impression as I profession I want and think it comes from the association of many nurses with unions in the US.

Dear Dr Roberta,

I agree with you, we have many factors influence nursing image.

Enhancing the nursing profession's prestige , social position and providing the opportunity for creativity and originality in nursing practice will change the self-image of nurses, facilitating effective and lasting changes in nursing's image.

I do agree that the caring nursing aspect is probably what is suggested by the question, because I do believe there is a lot of answers on how to share knowledge and skills to various of levels of professionals. Obviously the problem has to be described in more detail, but I am making the assumption, for the sake of this discussion, that there is a punitive culture from the top down - enforcing systems and managing nursing processes (which is needed in some way to maintain quality of nursing processes), then I would suggest focusing on emancepating nurses, get them to care more about themselves and what they need - to be able - to be -"better" practitioners - and implement strategies from the bottom up. Nurses should believe in the value they add everyday - they are not only instruments to use as the system requires. Another assumption..... if nurses believe more in themselves - the image of nursing will also change.

Dear Kimre,

I agree with you regarding your second assumption "if nurses believe more in themselves - the image of nursing will also change."

Every time a nurse says to family, friends, or in public that he or she is a nurse, the nurse is representing the profession. This has an impact on the image of nursing.

Buresh and Gordon stated, “We cannot expect outsiders to be the guardians of our visibility and access to public media and health policy arenas. We must develop the skills of presenting ourselves in the media and to the media—We have to take the responsibility for moving from silence to voice” (Buresh & Gordon, 2000, as cited in Benner, 2005, p. 15).

Best Regards

Since the US public has voted nursing, once again, the most trusted profession in the US, I'm not sure if ther IS a problem with the image of nursing in the eyes of the public.

Of course, nursing is generally portrayed on television in an unrealistic fashion. Our professional organizations work hard to set that straight and nurses on an individual level have been sucessful in helping producers portray nursing in a more accurate light, through letter-writing campaigns. and sponsor boycotts when necessary.

I totally disagree with Orlando that nursing is seen as a dehumanized profession. On what is that observation based?

Prezados colegas,

entendo que a enfermagem precisa se posicionar com argumentos, defender seu espaço multidisciplinar. Possibilitar a sociedade entender que somos profissionais que ocupam seu espaço no ambiente da prestação do cuidado. Precisamos ser profissionais que valorizam as questões do ambiente, da saúde, da família e do indivíduo no planejamento do cuidado.

Att

Reinaldo

Use of more tech facilities

https://nurseslabs.com/uplifting-image-nurses-6-ways-can-help/

What do you mean by improving the image of nursing? All over the world, nursing is the one of the best professions. Nurses are heroes who save lives. Nursing has already a very good image. Unless you are not proud to be a nurse. In my opinion, we can elevete the sandards of nursing profession, but not improve it's image.