What is in a name: the case of nursing.
The purpose of this paper is to create a debate on whether the name "nursing" has any influence on how the nursing profession is perceived today by other healthcare professionals and the general public the nursing profession serves. A quantum leap is being suggested by the authors, as only a paradigm shift could change the world's mindset on nursing and its recognition as a profession. A change in name is what the authors see as a way of changing the unflattering perception of nurses and enhancing its status to the level of respectability of other healthcare professions.
Thupayagale
Gloria
G
Landerlight Stress Management and Training Centre, Training and Counselling Services, Gaborone, Botswana. gthupayagale@yahoo.com
Dithole
Kefalotse
K
D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001294:Attitude to Health; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D009275:Names; D024802:Nurse's Role / Q000523:psychology; D009729:Nursing / Q000592:standards*; D017009:Professional Autonomy; D011361:Professional Competence; D011639:Public Opinion; D012660:Semantics; D012923:Social Class; D012938:Social Perception; D012945:Social Values