National Nurses United

J A N U A R Y | F E B R U A R Y | M A R C H 2 0 1 9 W W W . N A T I O N A L N U R S E S U N I T E D . O R G N A T I O N A L N U R S E 7 NATIONAL N urses topped the 2018 Gallup Poll ranking of how Americans view 20 major professions, with 84 percent of the public, four in five Americans, rating their honesty and ethical standards as "high" or "very high." Nurses have ranked first for 17 consecutive years and every year except for one in the 20 years that Gallup has surveyed public opin- ion on the honesty and ethical standards of various occupations. "This year's poll once again shows that our patients, their families, and the public know that they can always count on nurses to stand up for them," said Jean Ross, RN and president of National Nurses United. "We witness the challenges our patients face and care for them at their most vulnerable. We are honored to play the role we do as patient advocates." "We are deeply committed to fighting for public health and safety at the bedside and also out in the world," said NNU Executive Director Bonnie Castillo, RN. "We see how many times our patients' injuries and illness- es are preventable and understand how intricately connected the health and safety of our patients is to the health and safety of our workplaces and our communities." "We know that to provide our patients with safe patient care, our advocacy must encompass union organizing and the legisla- tive arena," said Zenei Cortez, RN and also a president of NNU. "Our health care system is shaped by for-profit industries that are focused on the bottom line. They make money off of our patient's suffering by delay- ing, denying, and rationing care. Nurses are focused on what's best for our patients: safe, quality care regardless of income, immigra- tion, or insurance status." NNU nurses exemplify what the public respects about registered nurses. In addition to collectively advocating for themselves and their patients in the workplace through union organizing, members have also led the fight for safe patient care at the state and federal policy levels. NNU members also champion health care reform at the societal level, leading the national grassroots campaign to win Medicare for All. "A growing majority of Americans support improved, expanded Medicare for All because they know it works," said Ross. "The nurses will stand up, show up, and speak up until the broken U.S. health care system is profoundly trans- formed. We will not settle for Band-aid fixes. We want the real deal: comprehen- sive medical care for all, regardless of abili- ty to pay." NNU members have also continued to speak out for environmental justice and called on policymakers to seriously address the climate crisis. Nurses have seen first- hand the grave consequences of this crisis as volunteers participate in medical missions to communities devastated by hurricanes and wildfires. —Staff report RNs again sweep annual poll for most ethical profession

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