The image of nursing as perceived by nurses.

PURPOSE: To explore the image of nursing as perceived by nurses.
BACKGROUND: Nurses' image has always been a concern among those in the profession. The decision to enter nursing, to remain in nursing, to promote nursing, and to further a career in nursing may be the result of nurses' perception of the image of the profession. No recent studies have been done on how nurses perceive the profession
METHODS: A purposeful sample of 13 participants ranging in experience from senior student nurses to Registered Nurses with over 21 years of experience in direct patient care, participated in in-depth interviews. For this descriptive exploratory design, qualitative data were collected and analyzed.
FINDINGS: Three broad categories that were significant in how nurses perceive the profession emerged: a) role of nurses, b) nursing knowledge, and c) attitude of nurses. Those about to enter the profession have a positive image of nursing based on their roles and their nursing knowledge. Attitude of nurses significantly influenced participants' perceptions of nursing's professional image. As they progress through their career, nurses have negative perceptions of the profession, influenced by working environment and interactions with others in the health care arena.
CONCLUSION: Overall, nurses working in hospitals have negative perceptions of the profession; nurses working in maternal-child health have positive perceptions; nurses' perceptions of nurses working in areas different from theirs are negative; nurses perceive senior nurses in a negative light and senior nurses have negative perceptions of new nurses.