Nursing in the 21st century: results of a pilot survey on attitudes towards nurses and nursing

Abstract

Nursing is one of the most trusted professions, yet it is poorly defined. There are many definitions and characterisations of nursing. This study sought to pilot a survey exploring the views of nursing in the 21st century. Methods: This study piloted an electronic survey with open and closed questions. Descriptive statistics were collated for closed questions using Excel. Open-ended questions were analysed using the text analysis program Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC) for tone, emotion and criticality. Results: This pilot study recruited 72 participants from professional and non-professional backgrounds. Respondents displayed diversity in their perceptions of nursing, the role of nurses and the role that nurses perform. Conclusion: Nursing is a complex, multifaceted profession. The view of nursing was generally positive and authentic although not easy to define. Nursing was felt to be an inclusive profession; however, it is extremely diverse in nature. Further research is required to explore these concepts in greater depth.