Running head: Does Nursing Qualify as a Profession? Does Nursing Qualify as a Profession? Abstract Nursing will be compared to common characteristics of a profession to determine if nursing qualifies as a profession.
Does Nursing Qualify as a Profession? "There are six characteristics commonly used to asses whether a job is considered a profession: education of the practitioner, having a code of ethics, receiving compensation commensurate with the work, being organized to promote a needed service, having autonomy in practice, and being recognized by the government with licensure"(Pinkerton, 2001,p.130).
"Florence Nightingale first began professional education for nurses in 1860"(Encarta,2000ö3). Currently there are several levels of education for nurses, ranging from diploma to doctoral degrees.
Nurses are legally accountable to practice within the nurse practice acts set forth by legislature. These laws are derived from an official code of ethics that was first published by The American Nurses Association in 1971.
Group of nurses, Base Hospital #45
Nurse log, Quinault Rain Forest Nature Trail
Nurse PractitionerCompensation commensurate with work falls short when compared with autoworkers, who receive comparable, if not higher wages and better benefits than nurses do.
Nursing has several organizations. "The National League for Nursing (NLN) is primarily responsible for regulating the quality of the educational programs that prepare nurses for the practice of nursing"(Catalano,2000,p.10). Also, the American Nurses Association (ANA) which "is more concerned with the quality of nursing practice in the daily health-care setting" (Catalano,2000,p.10). According to Catalano (2000), "less than 15% of all nurses in the United States are members of any professional organization at the national level", rendering their voice weak in the political arena. (p.10) "In reality nursing is both an independent and interdependent discipline. Nurses must work closely with physicians, hospital administrators, pharmacists, and other groups in the provision of care. In some cases, nurses in advanced practice roles can and do establish their own independent practices"(Catalano,2000,p.13).