Is nursing a profession or trade?

Answer 1

The words "profession" and "professional" have come to mean a few different things, which blur the lines of questions like this one.

The first thing we must establish is that regardless of whether nursing can be strictly defined as a "profession" or not, nurses are without question vital to a functional system of health and wellness in both preventative and restorative cases. 'Professionalism', then, is not a mark of value or importance. And a more strictly defined professional is not necessarily as essential - said differently: functional importance is, at most, an 'accidental property' of a profession, not necessarily an 'essential property'.

The word 'professional' is sometimes used to mean either something akin to 'mature' in a work setting, or something done for pay instead of as a hobby. Clearly, the former is a quality of any individual in any position (a title doesn't ensure this kind of 'professionalism', only acting a certain way). The later can be said of any title at all, and offers value to answer the question.

Traditionally, a Profession has at least the following criteria, and perhaps more:

1. A specialised (usually sanctioned) scope of practice

In most jurisdictions, this is true of most nurses, especially those who have attained a BSN or higher.

2. Work that requires special training and education

This is true of a vast majority, if not all, nurses in the western healthcare system. The degree of specialisation and training can vary greatly depending on factors such as jurisdiction, the type of nurse one is, a particular nurse's setting, etc.

3. A degree of autonomy controlled by a professional board

This is, in general, less true of nurses than the first two cases. While a certain level of professional autonomy is attained, most nurses in most jurisdictions are directed by doctors and governed, at least in part, by state law more-so that autonomous professional boards. While this is not a perfect line to draw, it is at best contentious.

4. Emphasis on personal freedoms tempered by personal responsibility rather than protected freedoms and clear responsibilities

In the strictest terms, the emphasis on nursing unions in most western jurisdictions is an indicator of their trade status over their professional status. Again this isn't to denigrate nurses or their unions, but 'professionals' are traditionally expected to accept a looser job description and a higher degree of personal risk, and in return 'professionals' are given a degree of reverence in their field, where 'the public' is expected to favour or yield their professional opinion.

Unions have the opposite function, to protect the occupant from personal risk, which naturally comes at the expense of public regard (if my being wrong costs me nothing, then you are less inclined to believe me outright).

5. A dedication to uphold a consistent ethic

This is, theoretically anyway, upheld by the professional board. No doubt most nurses are ethical people, but their ethic may be upheld by something other than a professional stance.

While nurses may not perfectly fit some traditional mold of a strictly defined profession, their necessity is obvious to anyone who's ever worked in the healthcare field, ever been in the hospital or had a loved-one who had been, or ever been visited by nurses on home visits.

One of the benefits of the new world is we are finally learning that the definition of things is less important than the utility and necessity. That should be underlined.