Nurses are regarded by most everyone as caring, compassionate professionals who are dedicated to delivering the highest quality medical care 鈥� day-in, and day-out. Great reasons why the profession is seen as one of the best in the country.
However, there are additional traits that must be added to the description 鈥� 鈥渉onest and ethical.鈥�
For the 16th straight year, Americans have ranked nurses as the most honest and ethical of the 22 occupations surveyed in a recent published on Dec. 26. In the poll, 82% of respondents rated nurses鈥� ethics as 鈥渧ery high鈥� or 鈥渉igh.鈥� Contrast that with the 鈥渓ow鈥� to 鈥渧ery low鈥� honesty and ethical ratings given to Congressional members (60%), lobbyists (58%) and car salespeople (39%).
Nurses鈥� 82% 鈥渧ery high/high鈥� ranking was 11-points higher than that of military officers (71%), with such 鈥渢rusted鈥� professions as grade school teachers, doctors, police officers, judges and clergy falling even further behind. According to Gallup, nurses have topped the ranking every year but one since the first survey in 1999 鈥� and that was in 2001, after the 9/11 terrorist attack, when firefighters were added to the list. Not surprisingly, 90% of American鈥檚 rated their standards of honesty and ethical behavior as 鈥渧ery high/high,鈥� pushing nurses out of the top spot.
Interestingly, three of the professions rated highest for honesty and ethical practices are in . In addition to nurses, doctors and pharmacists again made the list 鈥� a trend that has been the case in recent years.
While nurses鈥� 82% 鈥渧ery high/high鈥� ranking eclipsed all other occupations surveyed, the profession鈥檚 鈥渁verage鈥� (16%) and 鈥渓ow/very low鈥� (2%) rankings were the lowest of all surveyed, suggesting Americans鈥� trust of nurses is all-encompassing.
Results of the poll were based on telephone interviews of 1,049 adults from all 50 states and the District of Columbia between Dec. 4-11, 2017. The poll has a confidence level of 95%.
There鈥檚 no doubt it takes a special kind of person to be a nurse. But, to everyone who is one of those special people, Fortis Colleges and Institutes offer one of the nation鈥檚 largest nursing education and training networks. From licensed practical or vocational nurses to registered nursing (RN) degrees and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Fortis schools can provide the education and skills to help you excel in the profession.
To learn more about Fortis nursing options and the campuses nearest to you offering nursing programs, visit our Nursing Programs page.