NURS 3100 – Issues and Trends in Nursing
Week 2 Discussion: The Most Trusted Profession

Course and Assessment Overview

Course: NURS 3100 – Issues and Trends in Nursing (RN–BSN)
Assessment type: Graded online discussion (main post + replies)
Suggested timing: Week 2 (often paired with “The Most Trusted Profession” theme)

Length: Main post 250–300 words; two replies 100–150 words each

The purpose of this discussion is to examine why nursing is consistently rated as the most trusted profession in national surveys, and to connect that public trust with your ethical responsibilities, leadership potential, and role in advancing health equity.

Discussion Context

For many years, national polls have ranked nurses at the top for honesty and ethical standards, ahead of other health professionals and well above non‑health professions. That level of trust creates opportunities and obligations. Your voice carries weight in conversations about patient advocacy, safety, and equity, and the way you practice can either strengthen or weaken the public’s confidence in the profession.

Recent reports on the future of nursing emphasize that trust alone is not enough. To improve population health, nurses must use that trust to confront health inequities, support colleagues’ well‑being, and lead changes in systems and policy.

Learning Outcomes Assessed

• • Explain why nursing is widely regarded as a trusted profession in contemporary healthcare.

• • Relate public trust in nursing to ethical practice, professional values, and leadership roles.

• • Describe at least one way nurses can leverage trust to advance health equity and support the well‑being of the nursing workforce.
• Engage in scholarly online discussion that uses current evidence to support ideas.

Preparation

1. 1. Review your required Week 2 readings on nursing ethics, professional values, and current issues in nursing from your NURS 3100 course site.

1. 1. Read at least one recent article or report that discusses nurses’ trust rankings and their role in health equity or the future of nursing (for example, Gallup polling data or a National Academies report).
2. Reflect on a recent practice experience where trust in nurses was clearly present or noticeably strained.

Discussion Instructions

Main Discussion Post (250–300 words)

By the due date for the main post (as listed in your course calendar), publish a cohesive, well‑supported post in response to the prompts below.

1. 1. Briefly summarize one current source that describes nursing as the most trusted profession or highlights the public’s view of nurses’ honesty and ethics. Indicate the key statistic or statement that stood out to you and cite the source.
   2. Describe how this level of public trust shows up in your own practice or workplace. Focus on one specific example, such as a situation where a patient or family relied on your judgment, confided sensitive information, or sought your guidance above others.
   3. Choose one key area related to nurses’ role in improving health and healthcare (for example, supporting nurses’ well‑being, advancing health equity, strengthening community and public health nursing, or fostering nurses as leaders) and explain how trust in the nursing profession can help move that area forward.
2. Explain one concrete way your ethical practice and leadership potential can contribute to building or maintaining trust while addressing that area in your own setting.

• • Integrate at least two recent scholarly or professional sources to support your ideas in the main post.

• • Write in cohesive paragraphs rather than bullet points, and use a clear academic tone that still reflects your own voice.

Reply Posts (Two replies, 100–150 words each)

By the reply deadline, respond to the main posts of at least two colleagues.

• • Affirm one or more strengths in your colleague’s analysis of trust and nursing practice.
  • Add one insight, example, or piece of evidence that extends their thinking, such as a different setting, population, or leadership role.
  • Ask a focused question that invites further reflection rather than only agreement.

• • Include at least one scholarly source in each reply, cited in the body and listed at the end.

Submission and Participation Requirements

• Platform: Post in the Week 2 Discussion forum in your learning management system.
• Timing: Main post by mid‑week; replies by the end of the week (follow the schedule posted in your course).
• Citations: Use your program’s required referencing style when citing sources in your main post and replies.
• Netiquette: Maintain a respectful, professional tone and protect patient confidentiality at all times.

Marking Criteria (Discussion Rubric)

 

Criterion	Excellent (85–100%)	Proficient (70–84%)	Developing (55–69%)	Needs Improvement (0–54%)	Weighting
Quality of Initial Post	Addresses all prompts with clear, specific, and insightful ideas; integrates evidence smoothly; shows strong understanding of nursing as a trusted profession and related contemporary issues.	Addresses most prompts clearly; uses at least two sources appropriately; demonstrates a sound understanding of key issues, with minor gaps or generalizations.	Addresses some prompts but omits or skims others; uses limited or weakly integrated evidence; understanding of issues is basic or partly inaccurate.	Does not address core prompts; evidence is minimal or absent; content is largely off‑topic or inaccurate.	40%
Use of Evidence and Scholarship	Consistently supports claims with recent scholarly or professional sources; citations are appropriate and relevant to nursing trust, ethics, or health equity.	Uses evidence in most key points; sources are generally relevant though not always well integrated.	Relies mostly on opinion with occasional or weak references; sources may be outdated or tangential.	Provides little or no evidence; sources, if present, are not appropriate or not cited correctly.	20%
Engagement with Peers (Replies)	Provides two or more substantive replies that affirm, extend, and critically engage with colleagues’ ideas; uses at least one scholarly source in each reply; promotes further discussion.	Replies are supportive and on‑topic; at least one reply integrates evidence; questions or comments add some value.	Replies are brief, largely agreeable, or repetitive; minimal new insight or evidence.	Few or no replies; posts are perfunctory, off‑topic, or not aligned with instructions.	20%
Professional Tone and Clarity	Writing is clear, organized, and respectful; language reflects professional standards; grammar and mechanics do not interfere with meaning.	Writing is generally clear with minor errors; tone is appropriate for academic discussion.	Writing shows issues with organization or clarity; some errors or phrasing distract from the message.	Writing is difficult to follow, unprofessional in tone, or not suitable for an academic forum.	10%
Timeliness and Participation	Main post and replies are submitted by the specified deadlines, allowing ongoing dialogue throughout the week.	All posts are submitted within the week but may cluster toward the end, limiting interaction.	Posts are late or missing, reducing opportunities for peer engagement.	No meaningful participation within the required timeframe.	10%

Gallup’s national polling has repeatedly placed nurses at the top of the list for honesty and ethical standards, which means patients and families often look to nurses first when they need clear information or reassurance about complex care decisions (Reinhart, 2020). https://news.gallup.com/poll/274673/nurses-continue-rate-highest-honesty-ethics.aspx

References

• Reinhart, R. J. (2020) ‘Nurses continue to rate highest in honesty, ethics’, Gallup News, 6 January. Available at: https://news.gallup.com/poll/274673/nurses-continue-rate-highest-honesty-ethics.aspx.
• National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (2021) The Future of Nursing 2020–2030: Charting a Path to Achieve Health Equity. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. Available at: https://doi.org/10.17226/25982.
• American Nurses Association (2015) Code of Ethics for Nurses with Interpretive Statements. Silver Spring, MD: American Nurses Association. Available at: https://www.nursingworld.org/coe-view-only.
• Frogner, B. K. et al. (2020) ‘The economic value of the nursing workforce’, Nursing Economics, 38(6), pp. 292–299. Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33351520/.
• Turale, S. and Nantsupawat, A. (2021) ‘Clinician mental health, nursing shortages and the COVID‑19 pandemic’, International Nursing Review, 68(2), pp. 163–165. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1111/inr.12674.