Every year, since 1976, the Gallup Poll releases Ethics Rankings for American Professions. On January 12th, the Gallup Poll’s 2025 rankings were released and again ranked nurses at the top of the list for ethical standards. This result is the 24th consecutive year of ranking at the top of the list of professions.
I speak on this often but why this year feels different is due to the continued socio-technical challenges we face with finding the right balance between what humans can do (and should do) versus what technology can do (and should do) in healthcare.
I started my career as a bedside nurse. Every shift I strived to give the best possible care available to each of my patients. Sometimes this meant refusing patients because the ones I had needed me too much to take on another one. Sometimes this meant pushing the medical or surgical team to decide who was responsible for the patient because the data I had did not look quite right to me. Sometimes this meant spending hours sifting through papers to figure out when the newly transferred ICU patient was due for meds because it just was not at all as clear as it could be. “It’s all there” I might hear. (Yes, it is all there buried in dozens of pages of small print).
Your decisions are guided by what is best for the patient as well as what is ethically sound. The nurse patient relationship is essential to know that patient and for the patient to know one’s care. Establishing trust is critical for that relationship as patients are vulnerable to the care they receive and who is providing that care.
Therefore, as we advance technology such as artificial intelligence that is more complex for the population, there must also be awareness on how these tools do or don’t work. Any technology tool that is used becomes an extension of the human’s care delivery. With approximately 50% of the U.S. population concerned about the use of AI in daily life, this creates a potential for mistrust in the care environment if AI is not articulated, understood and effectively used consistently for care.
Thus, as nurses and healthcare professionals, it is critical that we advocate for the tools that can assist in ways that improve our experience in delivering quality patient care rather than replace core functions of what it means to be a nurse. The patients depend on it, even if they do not say it.
Earlier this week, I was a patient in need of my annual physical exam. Every time I visit a health care facility as a patient, I gain new perspectives on what I saw, how it made me feel, and identify the broader healthcare implications. I can say that the overall experience was quite positive (despite some administrative frustrations to obtain a referral). My Primary Care Physician, PCP, treated me like a person, not box to check. Yet, I am also just one of many patients seen out of a large population.
The practice of nursing is both an art and a science. Yet, the individual nurse providing care is also acting from the heart.
The Heart of Nursing manifests itself in a variety of ways. As nurses, we develop relationships with patients and their families. We learn about our patients’ own interests and preferences. We develop relationships with our coworkers and fellow nursing colleagues. We step in to help our friends and families when they don’t know how to navigate the health care system. We also pour our energy into creating solutions to problems that are not receiving the appropriate attention. These are just a few of the many examples that occur each day.
“All I want is a blanket.” This was what I thought to myself while lying on a stretcher in pain at 3 am in an Emergency Room (ER) last year. I looked around at the nurses, doctors, and technicians with hopes one would make eye contact with me and say, “Do you need something?” After about an hour with no success, finally one nurse said to me, “Would you like a warm blanket?” My response, “Yes, please.” That small nursing intervention made a big difference in my patient experience.
Happy Holidays! We are in the heart of the holiday season. I thoroughly enjoy this time of year! I enjoy the act of gift giving to others. I know many of you who are reading this do as well. We tend to think of gifts as tangible. Tangible gifts are things that can be wrapped such as toys, clothes and coveted wish list items. Yet, gifts can also be intangible. Intangible gifts are things that cannot be purchased. Intangible gifts are often invaluable to their receivers.
So, what is an example of an intangible gift? I’ve heard parents often describe the birth of their children as gifts. I’ve also had moments where I received some help that was unexpected but very necessary at the point in time. That help from someone else was a gift to me. I’m sure many of us have had moments like that in our lives and/or stepped in for others in those moments. While there are many intangible gifts around us, I’d like to describe my belief that nurses are intangible gifts.
This Thursday we will celebrate another year of Thanksgiving in the U.S. It is often a time to reflect and be thankful for the blessings in our lives. I wanted to take a moment to write about how thankful I am to be a nurse.
I spent a couple of days recently discussing the nursing profession with a small group of nurses from across the country. We discussed the common bond we all share for wanting to help others and the feelings of internal fulfillment when we can provide nursing care to patients and their families. Yet, what is often not discussed is our inherent superpower that holds the potential to benefit the lives of other human beings.
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