National Nurses United

NATIONAL N ational nurses United expressed gratitude and pride after Gallup named nurses the most honest and ethical profes- sion for the 21st consecutive year. "We are thrilled by this continued recogni- tion as the nation's most trusted profession," said NNU Executive Director Bonnie Castillo, RN. "It strengthens our movement for better working conditions and patient care stan- dards in the broken U.S. health care system." In a poll conducted Nov. 9 to Dec. 2, 2022, 79 percent of U.S. adults said nurses have "high" or "very high" honesty and ethi- cal standards. According to Gallup, this is "far more than any of the other 17 profes- sions rated," continuing a 21-year streak for the nursing profession. With nearly 225,000 members nationwide, NNU has been a lead- ing force for building an equitable health care system that puts patients over profits. Nurses have taken the number one spot on Gallup's poll in all but one year since they were added in 1999. The exception is 2001, when firefighters were measured on a one-time basis shortly after the Sept. 11 ter- rorist attacks. "Nurses take seriously the sacred bond of trust that patients, their families, and the public share with us. It drives us to do any- thing and everything in our power to protect our communities from corporate greed," said NNU President Deborah Burger, RN. "As we move into the fourth year of the Covid-19 pandemic, we are renewing our fight against a money-driven health care system that refuses to adequately prepare for and protect against public health crises." NNU just capped a banner year of organ- izing and legislative victories that will build union nurses' strength and increase nurses' power to protect their patients. NNU members—registered nurses at hospitals from California and Minnesota to Texas and New York—won historic union contracts that improved standards for safe staffing and health and safety protections. In California, NNU affiliate California Nurses Association fought for and won A.B. 1407, a critical step in end- ing health care discrimination by requiring future health care workers to be trained in recog- nizing implicit bias. On Capitol Hill, NNU leaders testified in support of Medicare for All and helped usher the VA Employees Fairness Act through the House of Representatives. Most notably, 42,000 members of New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) joined NNU, a historic milestone in the national movement to advance the interests of registered nurses and their patients. "We are empowered by the public's trust in our profession, especially as we look to build on the incredible momentum nurses showed in 2022," said Castillo. "We're only going to get stronger and louder." —Michelle Morris J A N U A R Y | F E B R U A R Y | M A R C H 2 0 2 3 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 Applications are available as of April 1, 2023 for scholarships administered by the Califor- nia Nurses Foundation for the benefit of CNA members in selected geographic areas, or for students pursuing ADN programs in selected states. The 2023 application dead- line for all scholarships is July 15, 2023. Complete information and online forms to apply can be found at the CNA and NNU websites under the "Resources" tab, or at the following url: https://www.national nursesunited.org/cnf-scholarships Get money for school! Applications for the California Nurses Foundation Scholarships Available April 1, 2023 For the 21st consecutive year, RNs ranked most trusted profession Nurses named most honest and ethical profession by public

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