Medical Discourse on Contemporary Nurse Education: An Ideological Analysis

Abstract

Recent changes in nurse education in Australia have prompted serious objections from the medical profession. While medical opposition to changes in the organisation of nurse education is not new, the current attacks are of particular interest in that the 'nursing problem' is being viewed by doctors as part of the wider malady of public health care provision in Australia. This paper identifies the semantic domains of this medical discourse on contemporary nurse education and analyses how these seek to reinforce popular images of nursing. The preferred meanings within this discourse, it will be argued, perform an ideological function in attempting to shape public agendas on nurse education in ways that sustain the traditional subordination of nursing to medicine.