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Aim: To explore the way the nursing profession was portrayed in online news coverage before and after the COVID-19 pandemic., Background: The power of the media can be used as a tool to introduce nursing services to society, make nursing visible, and influence the public perception of nursing., Introduction: Analyzing the image of nursing as portrayed in the news can be a guide for more effective management of the media as a tool for positioning nursing in the future and presenting the right message., Methods: A qualitative design was applied. Three online newspapers published in the Turkish language-the most widely read newspapers in Turkey-were analyzed. The sample for this research consisted of 505 news articles containing the keywords "nurse" and "nursing" published before and after the COVID-19 outbreak. The MAXQDA2022 software was used for data management., Results: The articles selected were themed as news reflecting the nursing profession negatively, positively, and neutrally. When the negative and positive themes were compared, the two most repeated subthemes included (1) working conditions and being unprofessionalism; (2) impact on health, social recognition, and neutral included only subtheme that happens to you as a citizen/individual., Conclusion: Compared with the pre-COVID-19 period, there was an increase in news coverage reflecting portrayed nursing positively on the nursing profession in the post-COVID-19 period. Mass media, which are indispensable in social communication, can be used as an effective tool to improve the image of nursing in society., Implications for Nursing: From nursing students to policymakers, all professionals must act in a planned and purposeful manner to present nursing professionals positively as leaders in public healthcare., (© 2023 The Authors. International Nursing Review published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of International Council of Nurses.)

Background . The COVID-19 pandemic has transformed people's lifestyles by imposing social, economic, and labor changes. Health professionals have been in the spotlight, occasionally even elevated to the status of "heroes", as they have been at the forefront of the health emergency. Media exposure has undoubtedly played a pivotal role in the evolution and perception of the public's image of nurses, especially within the Italian context. Currently, there is only one study conducted in Italy during the pandemic period. For this reason, we have opted to delve further into this subject during the post-pandemic period, with the ultimate goal of identifying this perceptual evolution. Methods . An online snowball sampling survey was conducted among the Italian population using social networks between August 2022 and January 2023. The survey utilized the Nursing Attitude Questionnaire (NAQ) to collect data. Results . The sample consisted of 564 individuals. Among the respondents, 63.8% (n = 360) were familiar with the nursing pathway, and the level of agreement regarding the training of nurses was 81.5% (n = 260). In terms of recognizing the professional role of nurses, variations emerged in certain domains of the NAQ. Specifically, professional values of nurses were more pronounced in northern and central Italy (M = 26.27). Moreover, stereotypes were more prevalent in the north (23.73 ± 3.538) and the center (23.13 ± 4.104) ( p = 0.001). Conclusions . The sample acknowledged a unique competence inherent to nurses that cannot be replaced by other professionals. The study population perceives the nursing profession as pivotal within the IHS (Integrated Health System). However, the attractiveness of the profession remains exceedingly low. This study was not registered on a publicly available registry.

This study aims to explore the perceptions of patients and family caregivers on the image of nurses and midwives in Ghana. The study adopted a qualitative exploratory descriptive approach. A total of 25 participants were interviewed during data collection. Content and thematic analysis were applied in the data analysis to develop themes. The findings are captured under two major themes that describe the primary influences on participant images of nurses: Thus, (1) nurses' and midwives' attributes with four subthemes; staff appearance, communication strategies and behaviors, work attitudes, and professional competence and (2) patients' status and subthemes were; uneducated poor and educated rich. We conclude that patients and families in Ghana recognize the professional attributes of the nurse and midwife, which reflect in their personality, grooming, communication, competencies, and attitudes. However, low publicity of the professional roles of nurses and midwives may have negative repercussions for their professional image. A policy to perform a regular public audit on the image of the Nurse/Midwife is important for professional advancement., Competing Interests: The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article., (© 2022 The Author(s).)

Background: Although nursing has made progress as a profession, there are still some negative myths to be dispelled., Purpose: This descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the nursing image perceived by the society during the Covid-19 pandemic., Methods: The research population consisted of 663 people who were not in the nursing profession in Turkey. The data were collected with a sociodemographic data form that was prepared by the researchers and a questionnaire that contained questions on the image of nursing. The McNemar Test was used for statistical analysis., Results: Individuals have positive views towards the nursing profession compared to the prepandemic period. Nursing is accepted as a profession that is well known (82.8%), respected (69.8%) and difficult working conditions (88.2%) by individuals in the society (p < .05). However, nursing profession is still perceived as "doctors' assistant" (71.5%)., Conclusion: Although nurses are more visible during the pandemic period and there are positive changes in public perception of the nursing profession, some unfortunate traditional perceptions persist., (© 2022 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Background: Nursing students' professional perceptions are affected by the environment they live in. Nursing students think that the nursing profession is important during the pandemic., Purpose: This descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the nursing students' professional image perceptions and the affecting factors during the Covid-19 pandemic in Turkey., Methods: The research population consisted of all nursing students (N = 750) of two universities in Turkey. The research data were collected using a personal information form and the Scale for the Image of Nursing Profession (SINP)., Results: Of the students, 76.4% were not infected with Covid-19, 30.8% had an individual in their family infected with Covid-19; 34% had an immediate family member who died of Covid-19; 99.4% thought that the nursing profession is important during the Covid-19 pandemic. A statistically significant difference was found between the place where the students live and the SINP (p < .05)., Conclusion: The students' image perceptions toward the nursing profession were found to be at a good level. This indicates that image perception toward nursing profession has increased during the pandemic. It can be said that the place where the students are in the pandemic process and their thoughts about the nursing profession affect their professional image perceptions., (© 2022 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Background: Nurses have been labelled "heroes" by politicians, the mass media, and the general public to describe their commitment to providing front-line care to people with COVID-19, despite the risks of exposure and lack of clinical resources. Few studies have examined the implications of the hero discourse to nurses' professional, social, and political identities., Objective: To critically examine the effects of the hero discourse on nurses who are contending with the ongoing COVID-19 crisis and to consider the political, social, cultural, and professional impact of this discourse on nursing work., Methods: A poststructural discourse analysis, employing the theoretical ideas of truth, power, knowledge, subjectivity, and normalization, was conducted to explore the mass media's constructions of nurse as hero in the contexts of COVID-19. Media electronic databases were searched between March 1, 2020 to August 1, 2020 to locate newspaper and magazine articles, corporate advertisements, videos, social media postings, and institutional/corporate websites., Setting: Data sources included English language media accounts that originated from Canada, the USA, and the UK., Results: Three main elements of the hero discourse include: 1. Nurses as a "necessary sacrifice" - portraying nurses as selfless, sacrificing, and outstanding moral subjects for practicing on the front-line without adequate protective gear and other clinical resources; 2. Nurses as "model citizens" - positioning nurses as compliant, hardworking, and obedient subjects in contrast to harmful individuals and groups that ignore or resist COVID-19 public health measures. 3. Heroism itself as the reward for nurses - characterizing hero worship as a fitting reward for nurses who were unappreciated pre-pandemic, as opposed to supporting long-term policy change, and highlighting how heroism reconfigures nursing work from the mundane and ordinary to the exciting and impactful., Conclusions: The hero discourse is not a neutral expression of appreciation and sentimentality, but rather a tool employed to accomplish multiple aims such as the normalization of nurses' exposure to risk, the enforcement of model citizenship, and the preservation of existing power relationships that limit the ability of front-line nurses to determine the conditions of their work. Our study has implications for approaching the collective political response of nursing in the ongoing COVID-19 crisis and formalizing the ongoing emotional, psychological, ethical, and practice supports of nurses as the pandemic continues., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Background: Nurses have been overlooked as autonomous healthcare providers due to an inaccurate image which projects them as caring and trusted, yet lacking in influence and autonomy. It is important for nurses to understand the image their profession wishes to convey, how the image falls short, and what can be done to improve it., Purpose: To examine responses of Registered Nurses (n = 286) describing factors influencing nursing's inconsistent brand image., Methods: Qualitative data were thematically coded, analyzed, and grouped into eight influencing factors., Findings: Factors contributing to nursing's inconsistent image included: variety of education/credentials, image not a priority, lack of leadership development, lack of professionalism, portrayals in the media and online, patients' personal experiences, treatment by other professional colleagues and gender role assumptions., Discussion: A strong brand image could dispel outdated and inaccurate views while communicating new visionary leadership which aligns with priorities for the nursing profession., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to rage worldwide, Taiwan has achieved outstanding performance in controlling the spread of the outbreak domestically, earning global appreciation. Nurses on the frontlines deserve much of the credit for the ongoing success in fighting against this outbreak in Taiwan. Taiwan's success to date is grounded in proactive preparedness and deployment by the government and effective teamwork among government agencies, medical institutions, enterprises, and the public. Comprehensive containment strategies and preparedness have allowed nurses to effectively perform their duties and combat the pandemic. Nurses safeguard the public's health a myriad of ways, including implementing quarantine measures at air and seaports, conducting fever screenings, delivering inpatient isolation treatments, performing case contact tracing, providing community care services, and operating special chartered-flight services. The Taiwan Nurses Association (TWNA) provides vital lead in this pandemic response, advocating for the safety, health and wellbeing of nurses; highlighting the contributions and value of nurses; and enhancing the professional image and status of nurses. Furthermore, through its global platform, TWNA shares with peer organizations worldwide the content and efficacy of actions taken by the national government, the contributions of healthcare workers, and the support and encouragement received from the public in COVID-19 containment to demonstrate values of Taiwan and nursing.

Aims: To explore registered nurses' perceptions towards the role of advanced practice nurses and to examine registered nurses' interests in becoming advanced practice nurses., Background: Globally, the development and implementation of advanced practice nurses have been deemed propitious. Advanced practice nurses are recruited and developed from the current pool of registered nurses. Empirical research is needed to inform practice on ensuring the sustainability of the advanced practice nurse workforce through the recruitment and development of the current population of registered nurses., Methods: A nationwide cross-sectional online survey was conducted in Singapore. Registered nurses from all public health care institutions were surveyed., Results: Respondents (n = 1,025) displayed optimism and acceptance towards advanced practice nurses. However, only 30.7% hoped to become advanced practice nurses. Nursing leaders were reported to have a low success rate in identifying registered nurses who were both suitable and interested in the advanced practice nurse role., Conclusions: Registered nurses' positive perspectives towards the role of advanced practice nurses do not translate into interests in the role. The study offers pragmatic applicability in ensuring the sustainability of the advanced practice nurse workforce., Implications for Nursing Management: Advanced practice nurse-specific residency programmes for pre-master registered nurses may be facilitative to retaining and recruiting registered nurses for the advanced practice nurse workforce., (© 2019 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

The aim of this study was to create an empirical model that would help understand how to obtain the optimal level of professional satisfaction among Polish nurses. The study was performed using a standardized questionnaire among 1066 nurses. Descriptive and explanatory methods have been used in the statistical analysis of path-analytic approaches. The simulations showed that the model that achieved the highest measure of fit was a simple one which included 15 thematic areas, determining the varying degrees of job satisfaction of Polish nurses. The modeling approach to the process of understanding the professional satisfaction of Polish nurses allows for it to be used in the process of motivating and building organizational commitment of nurses, which creates new opportunities for effective management. This is especially important in an era of growing social needs in the care services sector, not only in Poland but throughout the world.

Objective: To test the relationship between job satisfaction, professional self-image, work environment, organizational commitment (OC), and quality of life at work (QoLW) among public health nurses in Israel. To determine which variables can predict OC and QoLW among public health nurses., Design and Sample: One hundred and thirty-two public health nurses participated in this cross-sectional study with a structured self-administered questionnaire that examined OC, professional self-image, job satisfaction, nursing work environment, and QoLW. Pearson correlation tested correlations between variables and multiple regression was conducted to predict OC and QoLW., Measurements: The five measurements (job satisfaction, professional self-image, work environment, OC, and QoLW) based on validity questionnaires with high internal confident., Results: All five variables showed a significant positive correlation. Job satisfaction (t = 5.77, p < 0.001) and nursing work environment (t = 4.55, p < 0.001), contributed significantly to the explanation of OC and QoLW variance. Nursing work environment (t = 6.42, p < 0.01) and job satisfaction (t = 2.99, p < 0.01) were the variables that predicted QoLW., Conclusions: Nursing managers should be proactive and create a professional environment for nurses to encourage their OC and QoLW as factors that may influence public health nurses., (© 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Introduction: Physicians' posts on social media have the potential to impact the patient-physician relationship, interpersonal relationships at work, institutions' reputations, and the public's trust in health care professionals. Empirical research, along with several very public cases of unprofessional behavior by physicians on social media, suggests that resident physicians are not always aware of the implications of their actions online. Residency programs are being charged with ways to model positive online presence. The goal of this project was to develop a social media training program that emphasized perspective taking and fostered appropriate social media use., Methods: This training program involves an interactive lecture and discussion, with approximately 20 minutes of content, 20 minutes of small-group discussion, and 10 minutes of large-group discussion. We evaluated the effectiveness of this program by asking participants to complete presession and postsession surveys of social media knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors., Results: Survey responses ( N = 16) suggest that the social media training program was successful. Participants demonstrated an increase in knowledge of social media policies, ability to identify potentially inappropriate media interactions, ability to identify appropriate responses to such interactions, and understanding of how their actions on social media affect others., Discussion: We believe that the social media module is an effective and useful tool for members of the medical community as the internet and social media continue to grow in popularity and lines between professional and personal realms are continually blurred. While the effectiveness of this program was established with first-year pediatric residents, the module material is applicable to a broader medical audience., Competing Interests: None to report.

Background: In recent years, much effort has been invested all over the world in nurse recruitment and retention. Issues arising in this context are low job satisfaction, the poor public image of nursing and the reluctance of nurses to promote or market their profession., Aim: This study aimed to examine factors explaining the marketing of the nursing profession by nurses working at a general tertiary medical centre in Israel., Method: One hundred sixty-nine registered nurses and midwives from five clinical care units completed a structured self-administered questionnaire, measuring (a) professional self-image, (b) job satisfaction, (c) nursing promotional and marketing activity questionnaire, and (d) demographic data., Results: The mean scores for the promotion of nursing were low. Nurses working in an intensive cardiac care unit demonstrated higher levels of promotional behaviour than nurses from other nursing wards in our study. Nurse managers reported higher levels of nursing promotion activity compared with first-line staff nurses. There was a strong significant correlation between job satisfaction and marketing behaviour. Multiple regression analysis shows that 15% of the variance of promoting the nursing profession was explained by job satisfaction and job position., Conclusion: Nurses are not inclined to promote or market their profession to the public or to other professions. The policy on the marketing of nursing is inadequate., Implications for Nursing or Health Policy: A three-level (individual, organizational and national) nursing marketing programme is proposed for implementation by nurse leadership and policy makers. Among proposed steps to improve marketing of the nursing profession are promotion of the image of nursing by the individual nurse in the course of her or his daily activities, formulation and implementation of policies and programmes to promote the image of nursing at the organizational level and drawing up of a long-term programme for promoting or marketing the professional status of nursing at the national level., (© 2015 International Council of Nurses.)

Socio-cultural perspectives on the image of nursing: The Hong Kong dimension¶Using structured interviews a study was undertaken with 19 high school students in Hong Kong to elicit their perceptions of nursing as a profession. The study also sought to gauge the extent of the students' intentions on pursuing a career in nursing. Responses were content analysed to determine the extent of knowledge and understanding held, intentions on choosing nursing as a career and their reasons. Findings suggest the image of nursing to be poor and that nursing as a career is far from desirable amongst the teenagers of Hong Kong. The reasons appear to be related to the notion of monetary rewards and status within the Hong Kong community. There is also a lack of knowledge as to what nurses do. The implications of such findings include the lost potential for recruitment of candidates of high calibre with a lot to offer the profession and their society. It suggests the need for the profession to find ways of publicizing and marketing the positive aspects with elements of realism which the general population in that part of the world could relate to more readily.