Professional Identity And Image
Please answer the following Discussion Question. Please be certain to answer the four questions on this week DQ and to provide a well-developed and complete answer to receive credit. Also, please ensure to have read the assigned chapters for the current week.
Case Study, Chapter 23, Professional Identity and Image
Nursing care is frequently perceived by the public as simple and unskilled. Many male nurses live in fear of how their caring actions might be interpreted. Many nurses hold that stereotypes about the profession are true, just as the general public does. Public identity and image has been a struggle for nurses for a long time. The greater public clearly does not understand what professional nursing is all about, and the nursing profession has done a poor job of correcting long-standing, historically inaccurate stereotypes.
1. What are the common nursing stereotypes?
2. What was the role of the Center for Nursing Advocacy? Discuss the role of Truth about Nursing in addressing inaccurate or negative portrayals of nursing in the media and the process they use to raise public and professional awareness of the issues surrounding nursing public image?
3. What are some of the ways of changing nursing’s image in the public eye?
4. One of the most important strategies needed to change nursing’s image is to change the image of nursing in the mind of the image makers. What are some of the key ways for nurses to interact with the media?
Chapter 23 Professional Identity and Image
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Overview
Image: a reproduction or an imitation of something or impression of something
Terms used to describe nurses
Commonly: nice, hardworking, caring, ethical, honest
Rarely: highly educated, bright, powerful, independent thinking, prestigious
Trust and admiration do not necessarily equate to respect
Stereotypes continue to be pervasive
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Nursing Stereotypes
Angel of mercy (Florence Nightingale)
Love interest (to physicians)
Sex bombshell/naughty nurse
Handmaiden to physician
Paul Krugman suggestion that nurses perform “menial work dealing with the physical world”
Stern, aged “battle-axe” (Nurse Ratchet)
Male nurse as gay, effeminate, sexually predatory (see Box 23.1)
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Contemporary Stereotypes on TV
ER
Carol Hathaway
Abby Lockhart
Samantha Taggart
Grey’s Anatomy: nurses with trivial roles
Nurse Jackie
Private Practice
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Question #1
Which of the following terms would most likely be heard when asking the public to describe nurses?
A. Highly educated
B. Caring
C. Powerful
D. Prestigious
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Answer to Question #1
B
Most commonly, the public describes nurses as caring, nice, hardworking, ethical, and honest. Terms rarely used include highly educated, bright, powerful, independent thinking, and prestigious.
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Nursing Image on the Internet
Many unprofessional images
Research showing 70% of sites with nurses portrayed as intelligent and educated; 60% as respected, accountable, committed, competent, and trustworthy
Internet as providing opportunities to improve nursing’s image
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Ingraining of Nursing Stereotypes
Inaccurate, negative stereotypes well-ingrained based on research
Stereotypes instilled early in life (i.e., gender stereotyping)
By age of 3, most children with firmly rooted gender-based ideas (see Research Fuels the Controversy 23.1)
First graders identifying nursing as a high-status female occupation
By end of middle school, most have minds made up about desirable and undesirable careers
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Center for Nursing Advocacy and Truth About Nursing
Center for Nursing Advocacy to address media’s disrespectful portrayal of nurses—dissolved in 2009
Creation of Truth About Nursing
Increase public understanding of the central frontline nurses play in modern health care
Promote more accurate, balanced, and frequent media portrayals
Increase media’s use of nurses as expert sources
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Consequences of Inaccurate or Negative Images #1
Recruitment challenges
Limited ability to recruit the best and the brightest
Review of nursing image studies by Ten Hoeve, Jansen, and Roodbol (2014) noted factors determining self-concept of nurses
Public image, work environment, work values, education, and culture
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Consequences of Inaccurate or Negative Images #2
Undervaluing by clients, families
Lack of understanding of what nurses do, that they make a difference in patient outcomes
Campaign for Nursing’s Future
Wood (2016) notes that professional socialization is the taking on of the identity, skills, and knowledge that are characteristic of a profession
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Question #2
Is the following statement true or false?
One of the goals of Truth About Nursing is to decrease the number of nurses used by the media as expert sources.
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Answer to Question #2
False
Truth About Nursing is seeking to increase the media’s use of nurses as expert sources.
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Changing Nursing’s Image in the Public Eye #1
No magic silver bullet
Multiple strategies
Active interaction with media
Restriction of “nurse” to licensed nurses
Increased efforts to publicly praise, value nursing
Emphasis on nursing’s unique contribution to patients, health outcomes
Increased involvement in the political processes shaping nursing
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Changing Nursing’s Image in the Public Eye #2
Finding voice in the press: changing image in mind of image makers (one of the most important strategies)
Proactively seeking positive media exposure; proclamation of self-worth
Media training for skills and self-confidence (see Box 23.4)
View of relationship with media as symbiotic rather than feared
Accurate depiction in trade publications
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Changing Nursing’s Image in the Public Eye #3
Reclaiming the title of Nurse
Title only for licensed nurses
Proactive introductions with full names, RN title
“Nursing out loud”
Dressing like professionals
Positive talk by nurses about nursing (ambassadors for the profession)
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Changing Nursing’s Image in the Public Eye #4
Emphasizing uniqueness of nursing
Underscore depth, breadth of scientific perspective
Evidence-based practice, best practice principles
Blending of art, science (caring, curing)
Participating in political arena
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Question #3
Is the following statement true or false?
Currently, there is no single strategy that would be effective in changing nursing’s image in the public eye.
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Answer to Question #3
True
Changing nursing’s image in the public eye will not be easy, nor is there any magic silver bullet. Rather, multiple strategies are needed.
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End of Presentation
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