Each year, Gallup asks Americans to rate how honest and ethical they believe common professions are. In 2014, nurses, doctors, and pharmacists rounded out the top three. Eighty percent of respondents chose “high” when asked to rate the honesty and ethical standards of nurses, over “average” or “low”. On the opposite end of the spectrum were car salespeople and members of Congress, with 8 percent and 7 percent ratings, respectively.
These rankings change very little from year to year: since 1999, the first year nurses were included in the annual survey, nurses have topped the list every year with the exception of 2001 – when firefighters were ranked number one, probably due to the September 11 attacks. What’s interesting is that nurses almost always rank above doctors, although both are in the medical profession.
Some cite consistency and reliability: while doctors walk in and out of patient’s rooms, the same nurses are almost always there, allowing patients to form a relationship with them. If someone is sick, there’s multiple consultants from different specialties, and the nurse is the only one with any continuity. The poll, conducted over four days in December, also ranked bankers and police officers as having high ethics.
If you’re interested in helping others by becoming a nurse, take the first step towards a nursing career and enroll in CNI’s programs.