Rockford, IL,
17
January
2020
|
11:00 AM
America/Chicago

Nurses Recognized for Honesty, Ethics

Gallup Poll Honors Nursing Profession for 18 Consecutive Years

nursing photo

There's a famous quote that states 'Nurses dispense comfort, compassion, and caring without even a prescription.' It must be true, because for the past 18 years, Americans have rated nurses as the most ethical and honest profession, according to the most recent Gallup poll. The 2019 poll revealed that 85 percent of Americans rated nurses' honesty and ethical standards as "high" or "very high," coming in even higher than last year's numbers. Other medical professionals, including physicians, dentists and pharmacists, also ranked high in the poll. 

"To me, this study shows nurses are highly respected for integrity and ethics," said Shannon Lizer, dean of graduate affairs and research for the Saint Anthony College of Nursing. "It means the world to me. It means a couple of things personally. Nurses are still people that other people trust. And nurses are typically interacting with people with some type of vulnerability. If we're able to be trusted with people who have vulnerabilities, that just says it all." 

 

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Shannon Lizer Trust

According to health care experts, it comes as no surprise that nurses are well respected in the Gallup poll. Patients, after all, most often interact with nurses during an office visit or hospital stay. Being hospitalized can be frightening and patients can easily feel overwhelmed. Nurses are patient advocates and have a responsibility to protect their patients. As that bond between patient and nurse is formed, the patient is more likely to trust the information and education they are receiving from their nurse, a key in their recovery. 

"In spite of the challenges, the fact that nurses can maintain that level of trust and integrity, what that really means is that nurses are coming out of their programs, whether undergraduate programs or graduate programs, with a consistent value of serving people and advocating for people and taking care of the whole person instead of the heart or the lungs," said Shannon Lizer, dean of graduate affairs and research for the Saint Saint Anthony College of Nursing. "Nurses are prepared to put that patient first." 

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Shannon Lizer Patient First

Plenty has changed in nursing over the past several years, a trend that is only going to continue. In the next 5 to 10 years, nurses will realize a number of opportunities to utilize their training and education and continue to grow within their chosen profession. 

"The future of nursing looks very bright, I have to say," said Shannon Lizer, dean of graduate affairs and research for the Saint Anthony College of Nursing. "In the over 40 years I've been a nurse, nursing has come a long way. Now nurses have so much potential to take on different roles and different settings and home care and telecare, just whatever you can imagine. And I really think nursing is the best profession. There are so many opportunities for further growth. I think it's fabulous." 

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Shannon Lizer Bright Future

For more information on OSF HealthCare nursing programs, visit www.sacn.edu or www.sfmccon.edu 

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