Americans tend to trust medical personnel overall, but they may tend to trust their travel nurse the most, according to a recent Gallup poll. Gallup has been conducting a poll on the most trusted professions, and for the 13th year in a row, nurses have claimed the No. 1 spot, with medical doctors and pharmacists following.
Nurses earn an A+
Just how much do Americans trust their nurses? An overwhelming 80 percent of respondents claimed that nurses had "high" or "very high" standards of honesty and ethics. This is a stark comparison to members of Congress, who received a 7 percent rating in the same category. Although, to be fair, the poll did indicate that ratings for politicians have not been historically positive since Gallup began taking such surveys since the 1970s.
Since 2005, at least 80 percent of respondents have indicated that their views of nurses' honesty and ethical standards were "high" or "very high," so there's no indication that these favorable opinions are going to slow down anytime soon. These figures are especially impressive when you consider that since 2013, all professions either dropped or stayed the same when it comes to honesty and ethics. Gallup also indicated that due to recent headlines, the fact that these ratings have stayed so streamlined is even more impressive.
"The high ratings of medical professions this year is significant after the Ebola outbreak which infected a number of medical professionals both in the U.S. and in West Africa," the survey results stated.
Reasons why nursing jobs are so respected
Nursing jobs have already been lauded by the general public, and there are several reasons why, according to Nursezone.
"I think the public responds to nurses' long-standing, demonstrated commitment to patient-centered care, which includes patients and their families (and) significant others," Dr. Judy Halstead, president of the National League of Nursing, said to Nursing World. "They trust that nurses will listen to their concerns and serve as an advocate for their needs."
Halstead went on to explain that nurses continually strive to preserve the health of the U.S., and that nurses typically always put the patient first. Clearly, the public sees and appreciates the efforts put forward from the nursing profession. Still, some nursing experts believe that there is more work to be done to showcase the great work that nurses do.
"Nurses just kind of hide; they hide what they do," Sandy Summers, executive director of The Truth About Nursing, explained to Nursezone. "We need nurses to get out there and tell [people] about all the great work that they're doing."
Halstead also indicated that the great impression that the U.S. has toward nurses will continue to live on in the next generation of nurses and nursing students, especially since the public expects such high standards.
"I think that nursing students and future nurses need to understand that being a member of the nursing profession brings with it a legal and ethical responsibility to always hold themselves to the highest level of professional accountability in the care they deliver to their patients," Halstead said.
Job security and the nursing profession
If you've been in the nursing world for a few years, there's a chance you have heard about a potential nursing shortage. While the repercussions of the nursing shortage might still be ongoing, there are signs that the nursing profession will continue to grow. According to the Modern Medicine Network, the U.S. Health Resources Administration is actually predicting a nurse surplus by 2025, showing that across the U.S., there is high demand for travel nursing and nursing students in general. Overall, the HRSA predicts that full-time equivalents will grow 33 percent nationally during that same time period.
However, not all areas of the U.S. will experience the same growth, according to the HRSA. For instance, 16 states are projected to see slower RN job growth, with 10 of the states located in the West, four in the South and two in the Northeast. The greatest shortages should be expected in Arizona, Colorado and North Carolina.
According to the source, the reasoning behind these figures could be because the rate of new nurse graduates "has skyrocketed over the last decade." In fact, the numbers increase from more than 68,000 in 2001 to more than 155,000 in 2013. As impressive as these numbers are, the source stated that the turnout of new nurses might lessen, as the production capacity at nursing schools has begun to wane. However, the Bureau of Labor Statistics states that the employment of registered nurses overall is projected to grow 19 percent from 2012 to 2022.
It's clear that nurses have become some of the most respected professionals in our society. Because of appreciation they receive from the general public and the positive signs of job growth, now is the perfect time to start thinking about travel nursing jobs.