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Poll names nursing most ethical profession

Nurse Leader Weekly, December 16, 2005

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Despite the many woes affecting the nursing profession today, nurses can be rest assured of one thing: they are held in high regard by the public. According to a recent Gallup poll, nurses ranked number one in ethics and honesty, with 82% of respondents categorizing nurses as having high or very high ethics.

"We regard the trust of the public as an honor and a sacred trust," said Deborah Burger, RN, president of the 65,000-member California Nurses Association, in a written statement. "We know that patients and their families regard us as the last line of defense when they are at their most ill and vulnerable, and see nurses battling with hospitals, insurance companies, and doctors to make sure our patients get the care they need and deserve."

Gallup conducts the poll annually, this year interviewing more than 1,000 randomly selected adults between November 17 and 20, 2005. The surveyors asked respondents to rate the honesty and ethical standards of practitioners of 21 professions on a five-point scale, from very high to very low. Telemarketers and car salesmen ranked at the bottom of this year's list.

The top six ratings are as follows

1. Nurses, receiving 82% high/very high ethical and honesty ratings

2. Pharmacists, receiving 67% high/very high ethical and honesty ratings

3. Medical doctors, receiving 65% high/very high ethical and honesty ratings

4. High school teachers, receiving 64% high/very high ethical and honesty ratings

5. Policemen, receiving 61% high/very high ethical and honesty ratings

6. Clergy, receiving 54% high/very high ethical and honesty ratings

Nurses have only been included in the Gallup survey since 1999, but have ranked at the top six times in the past seven years, averaging 80% high honesty and ethics ratings. The only year nurses did not rank first was 2001, when firefighters received the highest ratings following the September 11 terrorist attacks.

Gallup's first honesty survey was conducted in 1976. Former chart-toppers have included medical doctors, clergy, and pharmacists.

Source: California Nurses Association

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