The American Nurses Association (ANA), which represents the interests of the nation‘s 4 million registered nurses, extends a resounding congratulations to nurses for maintaining the #1 spot in Gallup’s annual honesty and ethics poll. The American public, for the 17th consecutive year, rated nurses the highest among a host of professionals, including police officers, high school teachers and pharmacists.
“Every day and across every health care setting, we are on the frontlines providing care to millions of people. Nurses’ contributions to health care delivery, public health challenges, natural disaster relief efforts, research, education, and much more, are unmatched and invaluable,” said ANA president Pamela F. Cipriano, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN. “These results are a testament to nurses’ impact on our nation.”
According to the poll, 84 percent of Americans rated nurses’ honesty and ethical standards as “very high” or “high.” The next closest profession, medical doctors, was rated 17 percentage points behind nursing.
“As the largest group of health care professionals, nurses are leaders and change agents from the bedside to the boardroom,” said Cipriano. “This past June, nearly 300 nurses from 45 states conducted 277 scheduled visits with members of Congress and staff and were instrumental in the passage of critical legislation to help combat the opioid crisis. Nurses are a consistent and powerful voice in advocating for access to high quality, affordable health care for all. ANA empowers nurses to leverage their expertise and the diversity of the profession to influence changes that will best serve the needs of all people.”
