The Complexities of Care: Nursing Reconsidered

Earlier this year, I learned about the results of a recent Gallup Poll in the United States. For the eighth year in a row, nurses received the highest ratings for honesty and ethical standards compared to other occupations This is good news. But after reading The Complexities of Care, a new book edited by Sioban Nelson and Suzanne Gordon, I have discovered that it might be important to ask the public at least one more question. The public may trust us, but do they think nurses are knowledgeable healthcare providers? Nelson and Gordon identify that in one US poll, "those who thought nurses were ethical and honest apparently also believed they had only the most limited knowledge, and would not ask them questions about women's health, osteoporosis, or sexually transmitted diseases" (p.26). Why might that be? Answers to this question can be found in this book, and the issues it raises require our attention.