Critical Comparison of Public and Nureses Perception Assignment 2022

Running head: CHARACTERISTICS OF A NURSE AND NURSING
Critical Comparison of Nurses and the Public’s view of a nurse and nursing characteristics
Name
Institution

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CRITCAL COMPARISON OF PUBLIC AND NURESES’ PERCEPTIONS
Introduction
In today’s world, nurses in their own right have become healthcare experts with a
significant amount of knowledge and skills. However, the society at large does not seem to
appreciate their competences and skills obtained through innovation and education (Hoeve,
Jansen & Roodbol, 2014). Notably, nursing career choices are influenced by perceptions that
comprise of experiences, attitudes, and knowledge typically developed through social interaction
with the immediate environment. In the nursing profession, these perceptions have a fundamental
contribution in retention of nurses in the nursing profession and retainment of student nurses
(Glerean, Hupli, Talman & Haavisto, 2019). Notably, this occupation has a distinctive position in
the U.S healthcare system, with over 3.1 million nurses working in different fields. The aim of
this paper is to critically compare the stereotypical view of the public on of a nurse and nursing
characteristics, against the nurses’ views of what are the necessary characteristics.
Characteristics of a Nurse
For a long time, nurses have had numerous perceptions from the ‘angel of mercy’ to the
‘sexual stereotype’ occasionally portrayed by fiction works (Cocozza, 2017). According to a
study by Glerean et al. (2019), the following are the characteristics nurses believe are necessary
for nurses or nursing:
i. Open-minded, patient-centered, adaptable, and positive: Nurses are expected to maintain
positivity even when they are pressed for time.
ii. Social, brave, and pedantic: the nursing profession demands the ability to cope with
physical conditions and stress as well.
iii. Sufficient language and math skills as well as good general knowledge.

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iv. Theoretical competence (Knowledge in medication, hygiene, physiology, and anatomy).
v. Excellent skills in management, communication, and professional nursing.
Critical Comparison of Nurses and the Public’s View of a Nurse and Nursing
Characteristics
Nurses’ Perception
The nursing image is significantly ascertained by how the nurses and the public view
nursing. Previous studies show that the society’s perception of nurses is different from nurses'
own perception of nursing (Jansen & Roodbol, 2014). By analogy, the perception by the general
public is predominantly influenced by stereotypes and misconceptions that are based on
misleading nursing stereotypes by the media. Notably, the media holds a bigger hand in
immortalising the nursing stereotypes as ‘angels of mercy,’ and as a result, the society perceives
these healthcare providers as caring and feminine, instead of autonomous providers of healthcare
services.
Nursing professionalism can be traced back to Florence Nightingale who is attributed to
laying the modern nursing’s foundation stone (Khalil, Majeed, Bio, A & Gilani, 2017). It has
been noted that nursing students join the profession with high expectations and attitudes with the
hopes that the profession will quench their thirst for education. Notably, these students’ views
with time changes as a result of a theory–practice gap (Wall, Andrus & Morrison, 2014).
Conversely, these factors do not impact the public’s perception since their assumptions are
purely based on what they hear or see in the media. Nursing students’ perceptions also vary with
gender and having a previous associate nursing degree as well as nursing studies being a priority
choice (Henderson, Cooke, Creedy & Walker, 2012). New students have the idealistic perception

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that the nursing profession is all about caring, development, and consideration (Safadi et al.,
2011). Most of them view the profession as attractive and even those who initially do not like the
profession with time come to appreciate working as nurses. According to Khalil et al. (2017),
positive perception helps nursing students achieve a certain clinical competency as it plays a
significant role in improving the professional approach. Further, Khalil et al. (2017) notes that
nursing students gain skills in critical thinking, psychomotor skills, and patient care skill which
the nurses believe are necessary characteristics of a nurse.
According to Carter & Fuller (2015), one's self-concept of symbolic interactionists is
geared by a person’s environment towards themselves. In this context, the self-concept of nurses’
symbolic interactionism is negatively influenced by the public’s reactions toward their
profession (Hallam, 2012). Hoeve et al. (2014) noted that expectations and social norms have a
significant influence on an individual’s self-concept. These negative public responses notably
deprive nurses their autonomy, and further serves as a mirror negatively impacting their self-
concept.
Public Perception
Minimal attention has been assessed to scrutinise the perception of the public about
nurses and the nursing profession. From the above analysis, it is clear that how the nurses view
themselves and how the public views nurses differ significantly. Even though the patients today
have more knowledge about healthcare in comparison to the past care and even want more
insight on their options of treatment, their perception has not changed much. According to an
article published by ASRN (2019), it is evident that no individual thinks or analyses a nurse until
they are in need of healthcare services or in a situation where they get to interact with a nurse.
Contrary to the perception of nurses on nursing, the public perceives nurses as just some staff

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who assist doctors at the time of treatment and afterwards in maintenance of the patient’s
personal hygiene. Also, they assume their roles are only to provide prescribed medications as
instructed by the doctors and ensuing the patient’s welfare through services such as dressing the
wounds (Asrnorg, 2019). Hoeve et al. (2014) notes that nurses are more often than not prized for
their behaviours instead of their knowledge. Comparatively, some members of the public believe
that men should not work as nurses since they lack the capacity for compassion and offer care as
woman can. According to Hoeve et al. (2014), 36,000 films in 2008 were found to showcase
nurses as sex objects, romantics, and ‘self‐sacrificial heroines.’ Even though more recent films
showcase nurses as self‐confident and strong professionals, the public perception has not yet
changed.
According to an article published on Nursing Times (2016), patients only see nurses’
action but they do not understand the nurses’ thoughts. For instance, when a nurse is giving a
patient an oral medication, the patient would say “Looks simple! Why do they need university
for that?” The individual fails to see the cognitive process behind the nurse’s action drawing on
supporting knowledge to safely complete the administration of the medicine. From the nurse’s
perception they have to consider the drug’s effects, the drug’s pharmacology, the
contraindications, warning signs among many other things. The public (patient) perception of the
nurse’s role is minimised to the actions viewable at the moment instead of the comprehension
needed to safely administer those actions to the required standards.
Notably, the general public’s view of nurses is mostly influenced by documentaries, TV
drama, and soap operas. The media is very influential and continuously reinforces negative
imagery of nurses being unaffectionate, powerless, subservient, and unintelligent. Girvin (2015)
argues that the members of the public with personal experience or chronic illness have a

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significant realistic perspective. He further notes that it is only awry stories that reach the media
in case of dissatisfaction and not the good deeds. Notably, these comparatively informal sources
shape the perception of people towards nursing even though they do not have personal
connection to perceive what a nurse is and what they do (Girvin, 2015). Girvin (2015) also notes
that there has been a rise of debates in the recent years on whether nurses should be graduates as
a result of these stereotypes. The lack of public understanding of the nursing professional nature
and scope is damaging and demoralizing the nurses. According to Kelly, Fealy & Watson (2012)
public perception of the nurses carries stereotypes that rely on the ‘taken for granted’ gender- a
woman. Notably, these images and stereotypes present a manifestation of public debate which
has the power to construct identity of the nursing profession. Kelly et al. (2012) noted how
nurses and nursing identities are developed from YouTube videos: a ‘witless incompetent
individual,’ ‘sexual plaything,’ and ‘skilled knower and doer.’. Even though the results of these
studies present a significantly diverse image of the nurses, the stereotypical perception of the
nurses remain persistent nevertheless.
Conclusion
From the above analysis, it is clear that how the nurses view themselves and how the
public vies nurses differs significantly. For a long time, nurses have had numerous perceptions
from the ‘angel of mercy’ to the ‘sexual stereotype’ occasionally portrayed by fiction works. The
nursing image is significantly determined by how the nurses and the public view nursing. By
analogy, the perception by the general public is predominantly influenced by stereotypes and
misconceptions that are based on misleading nursing stereotypes by the media. From the
arguments presented in this paper, it is clear that one's self-concept of symbolic interactionists is
geared by a person’s environment towards themselves. In this context, the self-concept of nurses’

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symbolic interactionism is negatively influenced by the public’s reactions toward their
profession. Contrary to the perception of nurses on nursing, the public perceives nurses as just
some staff who assist doctors at the time of treatment and afterwards in maintenance of the
patient’s personal hygiene. Notably, the lack of public understanding of the nursing professional
nature and scope is damaging and demoralising the nurses.
References

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CRITCAL COMPARISON OF PUBLIC AND NURESES’ PERCEPTIONS
Asrnorg. (2019). Asrnorg. Retrieved 25 September, 2019, from https://www.asrn.org/journal-
nursing/249-the-real-public-perception-of-nurses.html
Carter, M. J., & Fuller, C. (2015). Symbolic interactionism. Sociopedia. isa, 1, 1-17.
Cocozza, P. (2017). Health warning: why the sexy nurse stereotype is no laughing matter
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Glerean, N., Hupli, M., Talman, K., & Haavisto, E. (2019). Perception of nursing profession–
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Khalil, A., Majeed, M. A. I., Bio, A. W., & Gilani, S. A. (2017). ASSESSMENT OF NURSING
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