¶ … Nursing a Profession?
The world of work is a daily reality for many people. Indeed, any physically and mentally healthy adult is expected to find some form of employment to support him- or herself and any dependents there may be. It follows that there are many professions and jobs to choose from. Some of these can be categorized as unskilled labor, such as working as a sales clerk at a fast-food outlet. Others require a degree of skill or study. These can be referred to as professions, since they tend to be chosen for their long-term possibilities and their fit to the personality or specific passions of the professional. On a slightly higher level, there are those professions that can be considered a calling. Ministers of religion, for example, tend to regard themselves as "called." In my view, nursing is therefore not only a profession, but also a calling. Professional nurses need certain training and licensing to practice their work, making it a highly professional endeavor. In addition, nursing provides not only the satisfaction of a difficult job well done, but also the satisfaction of human connection through health care.
The purpose of this paper is therefore to show that nursing is both a profession and a calling, since it goes beyond mererly providing a product or service as most other professions do.
In terms of professional...
To practice the profession, nurses need years of study in various subject fields, including anatomy and psychology. In addition, various types of licensing is required for nurses to practice, which further legitimizes the work as a professional field. According to the Board of Registered Nursing (BRN, 2013), for example, standards for nursing programs are set by the Board in order to ensure the consistent training and excellence of trained and licensed nurses. In California alone, there are more than 140 prelicensure nursing programs. There are also more than 50 advanced practice programs approved under the requirements of the Board. The fact that there is an official entity that oversees the quality of training programs for prelicensed and licensed nurses provides legitimacy to the profession. Those who enter the profession are themselves also evaluated on a continuous basis to ensure that their work is of an acceptable standard. Hence license renewals are required for nurses who want to continue practicing. Licensure applicants must therefore complete particular educational requirements, write a national licensing examiniation, and be free from any criminal activities or convictions. Hence, because of these highly stringent requirements in terms of both education and personal integrity, nursing…
