Nurses Break Record as Most Trusted Profession for 19 Years Running

January 15, 2021

The World Health Organization’s Year of the Nurse (https://www.who.int/campaigns/year-of-the-nurse-and-the-midwife-2020) didn’t go as planned in 2020. Instead, Americans were forced to navigate unprecedented stressors, but among the conflict, fear, and uncertainty, nursing remained the most trusted profession (https://news.gallup.com/poll/328136/ethics-ratings-rise-medical-workers-teachers.aspx) in the United States, earning a record-breaking 89% score on the 2020 Gallup Honesty and Ethics poll, four percentage points greater than the profession’s 2019 rating (https://voice.ons.org/news-and-views/nurses-most-trusted-profession-for-18-years-in-row). Trust has to be earned, and not only have nurses done so, but they continue to foster and grow trust for their profession in an unparalleled way.

Steady Amid the Storm

The COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic rocked the globe, and although it was devastating and incessant, the health crisis highlighted the bravery, commitment, and unwavering presence of nurses.

The public leaned on nurses for education (https://voice.ons.org/advocacy/the-public-trusts-nurses-voices-during-health-emergencies), advocacy, and emotional support. Sure, nurses were fearful (https://voice.ons.org/stories/fear-on-the-front-lines-of-covid-19-in-the-united-states) and overwhelmed (https://voice.ons.org/stories/the-emotional-burden-of-covid-19-almost-made-me-leave-nursing) like everyone else, but they remained steady amid the storm. They donned personal protective equipment (https://voice.ons.org/news-and-views/proper-ppe-procedures-for-covid-19) (PPE), advocated (https://voice.ons.org/news-and-views/healthcare-industry-looks-to-public-amid-covid-19-ppe-supply-shortage) for themselves and their patients when PPE ran out, came out of retirement (https://voice.ons.org/stories/once-a-nurse-always-a-nurse) to assist on the front lines, expanded their influence (https://voice.ons.org/advocacy/racism-and-covid-19-nurses-in-politics-combat-social-determinants) in politics, and completely altered (https://voice.ons.org/news-and-views/telehealth-visits-during-covid-19) the healthcare landscape to be as safe and effective as possible.

As the pandemic persists, ONS remains steady, too. As the professional home for oncology nurses, ONS offers support, advocacy platforms, and education during this unique time:

Gallup produced its first honesty and ethics poll in 1976 and has updated it annually since 1990. Nurses have been the undisputed leaders for nearly two decades. Equipped with their evolving expertise and unwavering ethics, nurses continue to make the world healthier, safer, and stronger for their patients, who trust nurses with their most important asset: the health and the safety of the present and future.


Copyright © 2021 by the Oncology Nursing Society. User has permission to print one copy for personal or unit-based educational use. Contact pubpermissions@ons.org for quantity reprints.