18
April
2019
|
15:23 PM
America/Chicago

Nursing Is Most Trusted Profession

Poll shows most Americans rank nurses highest for honor and ethics

It takes a special person to care for the sick and injured. 

Apparently, Americans recognize that as, for the 17th year in a row, a Gallop poll ranks registered nurses at the top of the list of the most honest and ethical professions.

The findings don't surprise Tammie Jones, Vice President of Patient Care Services and Chief Nursing Officer at OSF HealthCare Saint Anthony Medical Center. Jones, who has been a nurse for nearly 39 years, says it's a calling. That, to be a nurse, you really have to like people and have a commitment to always do what's right for the patient. 

"It does take someone who is very passionate about helping people often times at their - in the worst times of their lives," says Tammie Jones, Vice President of Patient Care Services and Chief Nursing Officer at OSF HealthCare Saint Anthony Medical Center. "And it does take some skill. And nursing is just not a science, it's also an art. So, it really takes a special person that has those two qualities."

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Tammie Jones, CNO on what it takes to be a nurse

Brandon May discovered he had what it takes for patient care while working in a nursing facility as a teen a decade ago. It prompted him to pursue a career in nursing, which brought him from California to OSF HealthCare Saint Anthony College of Nursing.

Graduating this spring and preparing to pursue a dual doctorate in family practice and acute care, May is now convinced he's on the right career path and that he knows he can make a difference.  

"I feel it's really important, as nurses, just to care for people," says Brandon May, nursing student at OSF HealthCare Saint Anthony College of Nursing. "And I'm not talking about, like, health care. I'm talking about, like, just, you know, be there for the person. Because, you know, when they come into the hospital, or any kind of setting, they're vulnerable. And I think that, like just myself, I feel, like, you know, when I do my missionary work, that stuff is all volunteer. And I truly do just care. And, yes, it's good to have all these technical skills and everything, but being there, taking your time, let the person know they're important and an equal person, I think that's highly valued." 

 

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Student Brandon May on qualities of a good nurse

With an estimated one-third of Illinois nurses expected to retire in the next five to six years, the need for nurses is critical. And Jones, who believes the hospital care model will continue to quickly evolve to only intensive care, says there will still be plenty of opportunities for nurses outside the medical center.

"One of the key roles for nurses going forward, as we really focus in on population health, is care coordination," says Tammie Jones, Vice President of Patient Care Services and Chief Nursing Officer at OSF HealthCare Saint Anthony Medical Center. "So, it's really managing that patient from the office visit through the entire continuum. And really managing patient's health throughout their entire life." 

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Tammie Jones, CNO on future nursing careers

May would like to work in acute care in an intensive care unit or emergency department, And with his passion for mission work, he plans to provide primary care overseas in countries like Haiti and Nigeria. Honorable, indeed.   

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Student nurses b-roll