A recent change by the U.S. Department of Education excludes nursing from its list of “professional degrees.” Discover how this impacts nurses at every level.
www.nurse.com
The internet and Media are filled with nurses outraged that the Trump Administration has classified them as not "professionals." Something to do with financing grad school, I think.
The word "professional" is badly misused, usually harmlessly, but it is instructive to take a step back every once in a while and look at what a "profession" really is. Here are a few pointers:
Professionals require a college degree BEYOND the Bachelors level. Law Degree, Medical Degree, Dental degree...you get the idea. A field of endeavor that you can enter with nothing more than a Bachelors degree is not a "profession."
A profession requires a large body of knowledge not known, perhaps not even available, to the general public, without which knowledge you cannot function in the profession. You can read law books and case studies until your eyes wear out, but I wouldn't trust you to write me a will, or defend me in traffic court. Same for taking medical advice from a well-informed member of the general public. It would be foolish indeed.
A professional can "put up a shingle" and practice the profession serving the general public without supervision.
A professional is certified competent by a "professional association" based on formal education,
passing of a brutal and comprehensive battery of tests, and usually some certification of good character. That professional certification can be withdrawn for demonstrated incompetence or acting in such a way that brings disrepute on the profession itself.
Last and I would almost say, most importantly, professionals are held to a higher standard than others. They must not only one competent, but they must keep themselves abreast of the latest developments in the profession throughout their careers. If they fail in that standard and a client is thereby harmed, they can be sued for "malpractice," which is a whole level beyond simple negligence.
So having said all that - I think the points are obvious to anyone taking the matter seriously - it is clear that there are lots of worthy and valuable fields of endeavor that exhibit "professionalism" (or they might), but are not true professions, to wit,
- nursing,
- teaching,
- engineering,
- accounting,
- architecture.
In a similar way, some small-p professions have created certification programs where by practitioners can set themselves apart and above their general peers with a "professional" certification. CPA's and PE's, come to mind, and I'm sure there are several others. Hell, I was a Certified Professional Contract Manager for many years, which required education, many years of relevant experience, and passing of a comprehensive test. (I'm also a retired member of the Pennsylvania Bar).
It is not an insult to be told that your field of endeavor is not a "profession." In the case of nurses, it's merely a statement of fact. Your contribution to society can be enormous - even greater than that of some physicians - but that doesn't make nursing a "profession."
Sorry.
