Letter to the editor: in response to: Morris-Thompson T., Shepherd J., Plata R. and Marks-Maran D. (2011) Diversity, fulfillment and privilege: the image of nursing. Journal of Nursing Management 19 (5), 683-692.

摘要

I have been a nurse for the past 15 years, the past 13 years as a neonatal intensive care nurse and a unit educator. I can identify with the perception of the nurses surveyed on the panel for this study and have been in the exact position of trying to explain what I do as a nurse, and how important it is to encourage the younger generation into this career as well as defend my role as a professional.I read the article by Thompson et al. (2011)with interest and agree that the public image of nurses is due for rebranding. The perception of nurses as the handmaiden of the physician has long being perpetuated by the image we see on television and print media, where nurses are portrayed as unintelligent and unable to make critical decisions without consulting the physician. Over the past 15 years, the popular image of the nurse has not only failed to reflect the changing professional conditions, but has also assumed strongly derogatory traits that undermine the public confidence in and respect for the traditional nurse (Bridges 1990).