Nursing as a Profession From the dawn of time nursing has existed, in one form or another. Because healthcare varies between cultures, nurses have historically taken on many different roles: a folk healer, a healer with religious ties, and that of a servant (Ellis & Hartley, 2012). Because of these various roles, some may not realize, or accept, that nursing has evolved into a much needed profession. This essay will discuss what a profession is, the criteria needed to be present in order to be considered a profession, and the reasons why nursing should be considered a profession.
Criteria of a Profession In order to understand why I consider nursing a profession, you must first understand the meaning of the word. There are many …show more content…

This process is unique to the nursing field and would not be something that a lay person, one without any medical training, would be able to accomplish. The theoretical knowledge needed to effectively use the nursing process is gained only after attending specialized formal training. This knowledge, coupled with the distinct process used for utilization of theoretical knowledge, is proof that nursing meets this criterion of a profession.
Requires Relative Independence in Decision Making in Practice. This criterion relates to the nursing autonomy. According to Skår, “autonomy means having the authority to make decisions and freedom to act in accordance with one’s professional knowledge base” (p. 1, 2010). Many may assume that nursing lacks autonomy and that nurses are only there to do the physician’s bidding. While that may have been the case at some point in time, this is simply not true about modern nursing. Today, more and more nursing researchers are working to provide education and interventions that nurses can do autonomously, without a physician’s order. It is true that nurses are unable to make medical decisions in relation to patient care, but there are many non-medical options available for nurses to choose from. For instance, according to Black and Hawks, if you are a nurse and your patient is having a hard time breathing one of the interventions available to you is to place the patient in semi-upright position (2009). This intervention does