Are you a professional?

AORN Journal, March, 2005 by Nancy J. Girard

Recently, AORN President William J. Duffy, RN, BSN, MJ, CNOR, introduced the concept of professionalism in his "President's message" in the Journal. (1) A profession, such as perioperative nursing, usually requires a specific body of knowledge, and those who have that knowledge belong to the profession. The questions I want to pose in this editorial are, is nursing a profession, and are you a professional?

TRAITS OF A PROFESSION

There are many ways to define a profession. The most common traits of professions were identified decades ago, and they still are in use today. These traits include the following.

* Members of a profession have specialized knowledge in a specific area.

* A profession typically requires university-associated education for its members, or it has certification or competency testing.

* Members of a profession adhere to a code of conduct.

* A profession is formally organized with altruistic service. (2)

IS NURSING A PROFESSION?

Nursing exhibits all the traits of a profession, and, thus, it always has been considered a profession. Recently, however, some have questioned this position. At one time, the dean at our school of nursing challenged graduating seniors to debate the question, "Is nursing a profession?" Nursing students presented the pro side of the argument, and the dean presented the con side. Faculty members and students were invited to the debate, and the audience determined who won. The exercise was meant to demonstrate to graduating seniors that the profession they were about to enter was dynamic and professional.

We held these debates annually for three years. Unfortunately, they were discontinued because the dean always won. The students could not present a strong enough argument that nursing was a profession. Several factors led to the students' difficulties.

* Nursing appears to be seen as losing its monopoly on the practice of nursing because of the redistribution of tasks to unskilled and semiskilled technicians. This redistribution is associated with attempts to decrease the cost of health care.

* The nursing profession appears to be losing its special status because of the fragmentation of education and knowledge.

* The lobbying bodies for legislative reform in nursing have a difficult time clearly expressing the differences between nursing occupations and the occupations of others in health care.

* Nurses are arguing among themselves about whether they are considered professionals, while other members of the health care delivery team appear to already have written them off as semi-skilled employees or day laborers.

The issue was to what degree can members of the nursing profession resist losing their skills and still maintain some measure of autonomy within health care. This still is a concern today.

Perioperative nurses have been aware for decades that others in nursing have not considered the OR to be a place for professional nurses. AORN and its members are increasing the visibility of perioperative nursing through their multidisciplinary work and national exposure; however, there still is an aura of mystery about the OR. This leads to other specialties and academia frequently not considering or recommending the OR as a practice site for professional nurses. The main reasons for this are

* historically, others do not know what perioperative nurses do;

* many students have bad experiences or no experience in the OR;

* perioperative nurses do not publicize their practice to those outside the OR; and

* perioperative nurses may not show professional characteristics or serve as good role models to those visiting or rotating through the OR.

ARE YOU A PROFESSIONAL?

Perioperative nurses consider nursing a profession, but each of us must determine whether we present a professional appearance. This is why you must analyze your attitude, practice ethics, role, and appearance. Ask yourself the following questions to ascertain your level of professionalism.

* Do I have a personal code of nursing ethics and behavior?

* Do I consistently act as a professional?

* Do I positively defend nursing and speak of being a nurse proudly?

* Do I lead by example so others can follow?

* Am I a mentor, and do I share professional knowledge?

* Do I always use a surgical conscience regardless of who is watching or even if no one is watching?

* Do I work to my highest potential?

* Am I a contributing representative member of my staff, profession, community, and society as a whole?

* Do I continuously strive for personal and professional growth and development?

* Do I set personal and professional goals and accomplish them?

* Do I belong to and participate in my professional nursing organizations?

LOOKING FORWARD

It falls on the shoulders of every RN to reflect the professional aspects of nursing. Everyday duties often overwhelm us, fatigue and frustration may arise, and boredom from repeating the same activities may dull our professional appearance. In spite of these factors, I hope each of you declares today a "professional acts" day and becomes the exceptional spokesperson for nursing we know perioperative nurses are.