Critical care nurses who were at the frontline of the COVID pandemic say they do not want to be referred as "heroes" and "angels" as it makes them feel like "political pawns" who do not need better working conditions.
Researchers from the Bond University on the Gold Coast and other universities around the country interviewed critical care nurses in the UK, Australia and North America about the impact of the "hero" and "angel" narrative throughout the pandemic.
The study was published by Australian Critical Care last month and found the labelling "detracts from the skills required to undertake the role, moving the perception of the profession from one of skilled practitionership [sic] to one of tireless [servitude]".
The Queensland Nurses and Midwives' Union echoed that sentiment, saying nurses' everyday work was "heroic", but the term "hero" was uncomfortable for many of its members.
Registered nurse and Bond University assistant professor Jessica Stokes-Parish said the nurses interviewed that noted the labels contributed to gender stereotypes and burn-out by putting emphasis on showing up for work even when they were unwell.
"There was a lot of talk from our participants about how they felt like this idea of being an angel reminds [them] of Florence Nightingale, who is lauded as being the founder of modern nursing," Dr Stokes-Parish said.
"But also, her idea of modern nursing was that nurses were moral beings that didn't stay up past 10pm, that they were pure, and there was a religious tone to it as well.
"A lot of our participants felt like, 'I'm not a Florence Nightingale' and we've moved so far away from this concept."
One of the nurses interviewed said the labels made them sound like "a Mother Teresa-type profession" rather than a paid job.
'Political pawns'
Dr Stokes-Parish said some respondents said the titles made them feel like "political pawns" and that employers that used tags such as "healthcare heroes" during the pandemic were dismissing the need for improved workplace conditions.
"We really need hospital organisations and policy makers to reconsider using 'healthcare heroes' as a marketing strategy and really make organisational decisions that contribute to meaningful change," she said.
"That's workplace ratios, making sure there's good skill mixes, and representing nurses in a professional way that actually truly reflects their skills.
"The other thing that came out was people kept commenting on how these ideas see the job as a vocation and you do it because you love it, because you're a caring person.
"The sense was that caring is a skill and if you make caring a vocation, then it actually devalues the role of caring in health care."
The study also found some of the nurses felt dismissed by politicians and employers.
"They were saying, 'Oh we're heroes, giving free coffee … when you know, we were being worked to the bone,'" it said.
'Different spirit'
Dr Stokes-Parish said the participants responded differently when they were given the labels by their patients.
"They said they received it in a different spirit, because there was a relationship there," she said.
She said the study involved 23 nurses, which was more than usual for research that relied on interviews.
"This is qualitative research about experiences, not about frequencies," she said.
"It is actually quite a high number for this type of interview methodology — usually it would be about 10."
'Silencing people'
Queensland Nurses and Midwives' Union secretary Beth Mohle described the language as "totally unacceptable".
She said the labels made it seem as though nurses were working out of the goodness of their hearts and not as highly qualified professionals.
"It's absolutely a way of silencing people," Ms Mohle said.
"We did a survey of over 6,500 members in Queensland to ask them about what is actually the important issues for them to keep them in the professions, because what we are seeing is that people are leaving in droves.
"They're feeling undervalued and burnt out in the professions of nursing and midwifery.
"What they're saying is that the issues that are critically important to them are inadequate staffing, excessive workloads, the moral distress and fatigue that they are feeling … but particularly feeling unheard and not valued within the system."
