Staff nurses' perspectives of hospital power structures

After almost 20 years of working and teaching in nursing, I am left wondering why physicians get all or most of the credit for successful patient outcomes, yet nurses frequently do most of the work--a fact that goes quietly unrecognized. Then there are the puzzling queries I hear repeatedly from students during their clinical experiences. They question why nurses seem unclear about a common identity--what it is they are doing that is unique to their profession. They also claim that nurses in conflicts often side with other health care providers or management, instead of supporting each other.