HJAR May/Jun 2023

62 MAY / JUN 2023 I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF ARKANSAS NURSING Branding Ourselves as NURSES COLUMN NURSING are and who they help. They clearly un- derstand their strengths, identify areas of expertise, and consistently communicate the message to the public. The American Medical Society makes sure this is well understood and has developed a branding strategy to use as an advocacy tool, offer- ing sessions on these topics in their annual meetings across medical specialties. Research points out that nurses do not see themselves as powerful decision makers, having advanced degrees, having technical capabilities, or as being auton- omous, interprofessional health experts or researchers. Not identifying ourselves as researchers or having technical capa- bilities is concerning given that nursing pushes evidenced-based practice as the foundation of care and healthcare driv- en by technological advancements. What factors contributes to the lack of branding MOST nurses would say they are advo- cates, caring and compassionate, critical thinkers, and essential members of the healthcare team. Research says most nurs- es would pick these descriptors as defining characteristics of nursing as a profession. These are positive and appealing quali- ties of nurses and define our actual brand image, but does it speak to who nurses are or what they contribute? What brand do we want to present? Branding is pro- moting ourselves as a profession through communicating our unique position in healthcare and how that sets us apart from others. Branding should create a strong perception in the minds of those we are trying to influence. Our physician colleagues understand the importance of branding for their pro- fession and go to great lengths to articulate their unique value by defining who they for nurses? Research says it is many fac- tors including varying education levels and credentials, lack of priority placed on brand image as a profession, a perceived lack of influence, lack of leadership devel- opment, assuming subservient roles that are often viewed with a lack of profession- alism, the image of nurses being portrayed in the media, and gender role assump- tions. What nurses find appealing when discussing brand position statements are those of being patient-centered care giv- ers and leaders in education, research, and practice as well as in healthcare reform. Interestingly, the Institute of Medicine rec- ommends nurses assume key roles in lead- ership in the areas of reform and integrat- ed patient-centered healthcare. One would think just by sheer numbers, over 60,000 strong, nurses would have great influence on healthcare as the largest workforce, but If I were to ask you to give me your thoughts on who a nurse is, what would you say?