RAISING THE PROFILE Raising the Profile of Nursing

RAISING THE PROFILE Raising the Profile of Nursing Issues in the Media and other Public Fora By Claire Fagin

RAISED QUESTIONS • Do you agree that nursing researchers need to be part of the public information scene and why? • Do public discussions of your work help or hinder the aims of nursing research from the standpoint of finding and/or evaluating methods to improve nursing practice?

RESEARCH PRIORITIES RANKED IN NURSING • Education & training • Practice • Role ? • Management and resources • Client groups • Organization of care

I AM CLAIRE FAGIN, RN I AM A “R”(EAL)” N”(URSE)

WHAT NURSES OFFER • Birds eye view of society and the influence of a broad array of health factors on the problems people face from birth to senescence • Understand how health factors influence children’s learning • Understand how nutrition affects the way children face their day in school • Understand the effects of sensory deprivation on youngsters and older people • Nurses see what everyone else is doing in the health care field

QUESTIONS: • Whether or not nursing researcher's need to be part of the public information scene for nursing and for nursing research? • Whether or not nurse researchers believe that one of their aims must be to find ways to publicize their work and that of other nurse researches?

WHO ARE THE AUDIENCES? • Nurses • Other health professionals • Consumers

DAVID MECHANIC “There is outstanding research in nursing, but much of it is invisible to the outside world. ” • Mechanic, D. (2000): Contributions of Nurses to Health Policy: Challenges and Opportunities. Unpublished, pg. 5

MESSAGE • Getting through the busy environment • Intra professional • Inter professional • Public

VENUES FOR MESSAGE COMMUNICATION • Interviews • Letters • News release • Op-eds and the like

MESSAGE TIPS • Choose your audience • Think about what you want to communicate • Keep it simple, no jargon • Be clear on your goals and do midcourse checks on these • Give compelling facts, stories

GROUND RULES • What does the reporter want? • How much is on or off the record? • Know what to expect in terms of name identification and sources • Off record information should be used sparingly • Can you see the article before it is published? (Rarely) • Reporters frequently use what you say or write

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR • “Seize the opportunity!” • Send it quickly • Email when possible • Don’t expect 100% success

FIRST IMPRESSIONS • First seven seconds count (Golden rule for written and verbal communication) • Remember the polluted environment of communications • Images help; tell human stories • Use of jargon is poison

IMAGES • Build images by giving human examples of what our research has accomplished • Spell out in human terms the effect on individuals and families of what you have done • A real life example is best, but a made up one works as long as you personalize it • Goals are to get the meaning of your research across and the way to do it is to help people understand what it means

SUMMARY • Know your audience • Keep it simple, no jargon • Be in control of your facts • Amplify important points verbally and with images

LEADERSHIP IN GLASGOW REBECCA THOROGOOD STRONG & WILLIAM Mc. WEN • Matron of the Royal Infirmary at Glasgow (1890’s) • First educational program for nurses

Edith Cavell • Martyr of WWI • British nurse who ran hospital & training school in Belgium • Organized escape route for allied soldiers and cared for all soldiers • Accused by Germans of spying • Executed October 12, 1915

Sister Kenny • Australian nurse, practicing in U. S. • Raised the profile of nursing • Expert in using the media • Fundraising - polio

Margaret Sanger • American public health nurse • Advancement of women in society • Successful fundraising organization • Sanger’s background currently used by planned parenthood leaders

Virginia Henderson • Definition of nursing • Discipline

Martha Rogers • Catalyzed quest for distinct theory of nursing

Florence Nightingale • Reformed military health system • Created system of nursing education • Reformed hospitals • “Mother of the use of health statistics” • The prime exemplar

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN’S WORDS “Hide not your talents, they for use were made” “What’s a sundial in the shade? ” Benjamin Franklin, October 1750