Nursing is not like organised crime: A theoretically informed commentary

Area of Science:

• Sociology of professions
• Nursing sociology
• Social stratification

Background:

• A misconception presented at the ICN congress suggested sociologists view professions, including nursing, as "money sponges" akin to organized crime.
• This view implies professions extract societal resources without commensurate return.

Purpose of the Study:

• To contest misrepresentations of sociological perspectives on the nursing profession.
• To clarify the sociological understanding of professions and their societal role.

Main Methods:

• Review of sociological literature on professions and nursing.
• Analysis of the conceptual distinctions between professions and organized crime.

Main Results:

• Sociological research does not equate professions with organized crime; no tradition portrays professions as "mafias."
• While both are socially organized, professions possess legitimacy distinct from criminal organizations.
• Sociology of nursing research emphasizes emancipation, autonomy, and social justice.

Conclusions:

• The portrayal of nursing as "organized crime" at the ICN congress was an inaccurate representation of sociological thought.
• Sociological analyses of nursing underscore its essential role in the socioeconomic order and its legitimate, lawful, and transparent operations.