Can nursing educators learn to trust the world's most trusted profession?

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Healthcare Management
• Sociology of Professions

Background:

• A paradox exists where the nursing profession, highly trusted by the public, exhibits distrust towards its own students and practitioners.
• Current nursing education often employs surveillance and anti-plagiarism technologies, framed as policing rather than development.
• Practicing nurses face increasing micromanagement and control over appearance and practice, reflecting systemic distrust.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the pervasive distrust in nursing education and practice.
• To identify the underlying systemic factors contributing to this distrust.
• To advocate for a paradigm shift towards trust and respect within the profession.

Main Methods:

• Conceptual analysis of current practices in nursing education and healthcare settings.
• Examination of the influence of neoliberalism and managerialism on professional environments.
• Critique of surveillance and control mechanisms in nursing.

Main Results:

• Distrust in nursing is perpetuated by surveillance technologies and managerialist approaches, often mislabeled as 'cop shit' culture.
• Neoliberalism and managerialism have normalized these practices, presenting them as standard in academia and practice.
• These systems foster an environment of suspicion rather than one that cultivates ethical scholarship and professional autonomy.

Conclusions:

• Dismantling the 'cop shit' culture in nursing education and practice is crucial.
• Replacing distrust with trust and respect is essential for the future of nursing.
• Aligning professional culture with the public's perception of nursing as a trusted profession is a necessary transformation.