Nurses and pharmacists top ‘ honest and ethical’ poll

Australia’s nurses and pharmacists have topped the list as the most honest and ethical of all the nation’s professionals, in a poll conducted by Roy Morgan Research.

The Australian Nursing Federation said that it was disappointed that the Australian Government did not place the same value on the role of nurses as the general public. The ANF said nurses today were being disadvantaged through the Work Choices legislation which imposed limits in particular on proper compensation for employees working different shift hours.

Pharmacists continued to maintain their long-standing second place in the annual poll, ranking just behind nurses. Eighty-five per cent of the respondents believed pharmacists had “high” or “very high” ethics and honesty, which was even an increase on the previous year.

The national president of the Pharmacy Guild, Kos Sclavos, said that “these findings reflect the level of trust and respect the Australian public places on its healthcare providers and particularly pharmacists. I am very proud to lead a profession that plays such a vital role in maintaining and improving the health of the Australian community”.