Turkish society's perception of nursing image during the COVID-19 pandemic

The status of nurses who form the backbone of the health system, and the society's perspective on nursing has undergone serious transformations during the COVID-19 pandemic. The visibility of nurses, who constantly fought on the front lines in the harsh conditions of the pandemic, increased even more in this period. Thus, this study was aimed at determining Turkish people's perception of nursing during the COVID-19 pandemic and investigating whether there is a significant relationship between the mean score obtained from the Nursing Image Scale and the descriptive variables.

The sample of this cross-sectional study consisted of 420 Turkish citizens. The "Descriptive Characteristics Form" and "Nursing Image Scale" were used to collect data. In addition to descriptive analysis, the t-test and One-Way ANOVA test were used.

Turkish people's nursing image during the COVID-19 pandemic was highly positive. Individuals who stated that they had a chronic disease perceived nursing as a professional occupation, which transformed their current nursing image to a more positive image during the COVID-19 pandemic and the mean score they obtained from the Nursing Image Scale was statistically significantly high.

We concluded that Turkish people's perceptions of nurses changed for the better during the pandemic and their awareness of nursing improved. It is the nurses' responsibility to improve the nursing image of the society. Therefore, it is critical for nurses to create a modern nurse image picturing them as producers of scientific knowledge and independent leaders.