The Criteria for Professionalism in Nursing in South Africa

Abstract

The professional status of nursing has been questioned in some countries by some sociologists, and health service administrators and even by some nurses. This arises from the fact that there is much confused thinking about the criteria by which professional status is measured as well as from the incorrect use of the word “ profession” . Chief amongst the proponents of the concept that nursing (at least in the countries wiui wmcn they are familiar) is not a profession, but a semi-profession, are such authors as Buick-Constable (1969) who maintains that nursing in New Zealand is semi-professional, Etzioni (1969) and Bernard and Thompson (1969) in America who propound the same viewpoint about American nursing.