Health
Americans trust nurses the most out of 23 major professions, new poll finds: ‘At the forefront’
In nurses, Americans trust — even more so than doctors.
That’s according to Gallup’s 2023 Honesty and Ethics poll, which ranked 23 major professions by the level of trust U.S. adults place in them.
Nurses hold the top spot as the most trusted profession, with 78% of Americans who took part stating that they adhere to “very high” or “high” standards for honesty and ethics, according to a press release from Gallup.
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This is the 22nd consecutive year that nurses have been ranked as the most trustworthy.
Overall, nurses’ trust ranking has dipped by 7 percentage points since 2019, but is still higher than dentists (59% trust rating in 2023) and medical doctors (56% trust ranking).
Nurses hold the top spot as the most trusted profession, with 78% of Americans stating that they “very high” or “high” standards for honesty and ethics, according to a press release from Gallup. (iStock)
Lower in the health care trust rankings were pharmacists (55%), psychiatrists (36%) and chiropractors (33%).
Pharmacists saw a record-low trust ranking this year, the poll found.
Overall, nurses’ trust ranking has dipped by 7 percentage points since 2019, but is still higher than dentists (59% trust rating in 2023) and medical doctors (56% trust ranking). (Gallup)
College graduates reported higher levels of trust for most of the professions.
In health care, the biggest disparities were for dentists (70% among college graduates and 53% for those who did not graduate), psychiatrists (47% versus 31%), pharmacists (64% versus 50%) and medical doctors (64% versus 52%).
College graduates reported higher levels of trust in regard to most of the professions, the Gallup poll found. (Gallup)
Gallup has been conducting this poll since 1976, with annual updates starting in 1990, the release stated.
For this most recent ranking, researchers polled about 800 U.S. adults between Dec. 1 and Dec. 20, 2023.
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Annette Wysocki, PhD, dean of the University at Buffalo School of Nursing, who was not involved in the poll, noted that nurses play a “crucial role” as the health care providers who spend the most time with patients.
“They not only provide extraordinary clinical care, but nurses also act as advocate, intermediary and counselor.”
“In moments of vulnerability, patients disclose details to nurses that they’ve never shared with any other health care provider and trust that nurses will advocate for them,” Wysocki told Fox News Digital.
“With the highest level of interaction among all health care professionals involved in a patient’s care, nurses become the patient’s voice and adeptly navigate health care systems to ensure the best outcomes for them,” Wysocki went on.
“Thus, research demonstrates that baccalaureate-prepared nurses lower the odds of hospital mortality by 25%.”
“In moments of vulnerability, patients disclose details to nurses that they’ve never shared with any other health care provider and trust that nurses will advocate for them,” a nurse told Fox News Digital. (iStock)
Regina Foley, chief nurse executive at Hackensack Meridian Health in New Jersey, also provided an external reaction to Gallup’s findings.
“Nurses are at the forefront of patient care, which allows for deep and meaningful connections with patients,” she told Fox News Digital.
“With clear competence and remarkable compassion, our nurses are there for our patients in their darkest, most challenging hours.”
“They not only provide extraordinary clinical care, but nurses also act as advocate, intermediary and counselor,” Foley also said.
“With clear competence and remarkable compassion, our nurses are there for our patients in their darkest, most challenging hours.”
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“Given the crucial role they play in a patient’s care, well-being, education and recovery, it is no surprise that nursing has been consistently recognized as the most trusted profession,” she added.
Lisbeth Votruba, an RN with AvaSure, a Michigan-based company that offers real-time patient monitoring and virtual nursing services, is a third-generation nurse and is proud of the profession’s trustworthiness.
“In the past, nurses did not have influence to match that level of trust,” a nurse told Fox News Digital. “I see trends to show this is changing.” (iStock)
“In the past, nurses did not have influence to match that level of trust,” Votruba told Fox News Digital.
“I see trends to show this is changing. Many of the IT-focused health care conferences are adding a nursing track for the first time in 2024,” she said.
“There are more and more nurses like myself, who sit on the senior leadership team of technology companies to be sure the voices of nurses and patients are heard as technology is being designed.”
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Yoga is known to boost relaxation, strength and flexibility – and now a new study has found the practice could improve cancer survivors’ quality of life.
A randomized trial led by the University of Rochester Medical Center found that a four-week yoga program significantly reduced insomnia, fatigue, anxiety and mood disturbances after cancer treatment.
The findings were presented last week at the 2026 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting in Chicago.
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The study was conducted across multiple U.S. community cancer care sites, including 410 adult cancer survivors averaging 54 years of age. Around 75% were breast cancer survivors, and none of them had practiced yoga regularly within the prior three months.
A randomized trial led by the University of Rochester Medical Center found that a four-week yoga program significantly reduced insomnia, fatigue, anxiety and mood disturbances in cancer survivors. (iStock)
The participants were randomly assigned to two groups. Half of them received only standard survivorship care without the yoga, while the other half received standard care and were also enrolled in the Yoga for Cancer Survivors (YOCAS) program.
As part of the YOCAS program, the survivors completed two instructor-led 75-minute yoga sessions each week, including 18 Gentle Hatha yoga and Restorative yoga poses, breathing exercises and mindfulness training.
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Based on questionnaires completed by the patients, the survivors in the yoga group experienced “moderate-to-large” reductions in overall mood disturbance, “small-to-medium” reductions in anxiety and “medium-to-large” reductions in fatigue, the study found.
The improvements in mood and fatigue appeared to be linked to yoga’s beneficial effect on sleep quality, according to the researchers.
As part of the YOCAS program, the survivors completed two instructor-led 75-minute yoga sessions each week, including 18 Gentle Hatha yoga and Restorative yoga poses, breathing exercises and mindfulness training. (iStock)
“This indicates that cancer survivors have an option to alleviate these cancer-related side effects at the same time, without adding another drug,” lead investigator Yuri Choi, PhD, of the Wilmot Cancer Institute, University of Rochester Medical Center, in Rochester, New York, told Fox News Digital.
The study did not reveal any major safety concerns or serious adverse events related to the yoga practice.
“This indicates that cancer survivors have an option to alleviate these cancer-related side effects at the same time, without adding another drug.”
The study did have some limitations, chiefly that the findings are preliminary and have not yet been peer-reviewed for a medical publication.
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“The sample in our clinical trial was relatively homogeneous, with most participants being women (96%), breast cancer patients (75%), Caucasian (93%), and having some college or higher education (82%),” noted Choi.
“We are adapting our intervention to reach all cancer patients and survivors, including the creation of a mobile app to reach people in rural communities.”
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The research also excluded patients with metastatic cancer (whose disease had spread to other parts of the body).
The total study was only four weeks, so more research is needed to determine long-term benefits.
If the findings are confirmed by peer-reviewed publications, this could lead to recommendations for structured yoga programs as a non-drug supportive therapy for cancer survivors, the researchers noted. (iStock)
If the findings are confirmed by peer-reviewed publications, this could lead to recommendations for structured yoga programs as a non-drug supportive therapy for cancer survivors, the researchers noted.
Some yoga studios may use different names for Gentle Hatha and Restorative yoga, such as Foundations Yoga or Healing Yoga, Choi noted.
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“Survivors should also look for certified yoga instructors who have experience working with cancer patients/survivors or individuals with other challenging health conditions,” the researcher advised. “They should not be afraid to ask their oncology team for referrals to qualified instructors in their community.”
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Choi also noted that the research did not reveal whether other types of yoga, such as heated-room or rigorous-flow yoga, are safe or beneficial for cancer survivors.
The study was funded by the National Cancer Institute.
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