Level of Community Awareness and Public Image of the Nursing Profession in Saudi Arabia

Challenges in Shaping Public Perception of the Nursing Profession in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Nursing has been around since the dawn of humanity, and it has evolved and advancedalongside globalization. Nursing, like all professions, is profoundly shaped by the culture of the people itserves. Even more so, the public perception of nurses seems to be negative in nations where culturaltraditions substantially restrict women's participation in employment outside the house. Despite the factthat many people enjoy working with patients, some are reluctant to become nurses because of thenegative stereotypes they have heard about the profession. The failure to increase nurse educationcontributed to the formation of the prevalent negative perception. The nursing profession in the Kingdomof Saudi Arabia confronts considerable obstacles, such as a dearth of high-achieving students enrollingin nursing programs, an unclear nursing identity, and a general lack of public knowledge of the field.Boosting the public's perception of nurses and the nursing profession is essential to increasing thenumber of people entering the field and keeping them there, as well as to bolstering nurses' own senseof worth.