The current public image of nursing and how the events in history have formed that image.

Current Public Image of Nursing
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Current Public Image of Nursing
The field of nursing has evolved over the years to factor in significant developments that have been propelled by the increasing changes in technology, reorganization of the healthcare systems and general service delivery. Technology and necessity have facilitated improvement in service delivery. Nursing refers to the science of providing professional and personal care to the sick for the purpose of enhancing their health. It can either be practised in hospitals or the patient’s homes. While there have been notable advancements in nursing, the public perception of the profession does not match the actual degree of professionalism that is practised in the field.
Professional nursing is approximated to have begun in the 19th century where it was either practised in hospitals or homes of the ailing patients. Florence Nightingale is said to be among the first nurses to provide these services. While attending to the sick, Nightingale noted the need for personalized and comprehensive care for the patients who included British soldiers injured in war. As a result, the patients would also be able to take care of themselves instead of waiting for the nurses’ help.
Institutionalization of nursing has faced various challenges since it is perceived as a medical profession. The media further, portrays nurses as people who provide routine tasks alongside doctors. Thus, the dominance by medicine has made it difficult to assess the independence of the profession.

Besides, the public perceives this as a tedious job which lacks responsibility, status and challenges compared to that of medical practitioners (Hoeve, Jansen &Roodbol, 2014). The subordination, therefore, makes it difficult to create the independence that the profession commands.
The formed culture on nursing as a second to the medical profession has challenged the technical and scope of operation of nurses. It limits the degree to which nurses can accord care while being treated as professionals. Arguments have been raised that nurse have increasingly sought to equip themselves with technical skills and demand respect in their practice. While this may be important as a way of improving service offering, the public perceives the profession as a simple and one with few challenges to command such recognition. Technical skills and knowledge allow nurses to develop innovative ways of approaching healthcare, monitoring patients and most importantly, being culturally competent (Hoeve et al., 2014). Cultural competence allows nurses to provide personalized and optimal care to a patient which in turn enhances their health.
Besides, nursing is perceived as a female-dominated field where the media reinforces such attitudes. This has been present since the 19th century and is still held to date because a considerable number of nurses are women and not the males (Johnson, Cowin, Wilson, & Young, 2012). However, various measures have been employed to erase these stereotypes to ensure that nursing is perceived as an autonomous profession and gender inclusive. Specialized training, clear and defined scope of practise and formation of organizations that support this practice have been formed.
In conclusion, nursing is a profession that still suffers from perceptions of the past. These perceptions include dependence on the medical profession which robs the profession of its respect; as a job that lacks challenges; as a profession that does not require technical skills and a female dominated career. Thus, this image needs to be erased to create the independence that the profession deserves and reflect the professionalism that is practised.
References
Hoeve, Y. T., Jansen, G., &Roodbol, P. (2014). The nursing profession: public image, self‐concept and professional identity. A discussion paper. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 70(2), 295-309.
Johnson, M., Cowin, L. S., Wilson, I., & Young, H. (2012). Professional identity and nursing: contemporary theoretical developments and future research challenges. International nursing review, 59(4), 562-569.