Symbols and traditions in Polish nursing

Introduction
Symbols create the image of nurses, and together with traditions they contribute to the identification with this occupational group. They influence the feeling of pride and unity. They convey a clear social message concerning the occupational identity.

Aim of the study
To get to know the level of knowledge of selected issues on the history and current information about the symbols and traditions in Polish nursing among third-year undergraduate nursing students of the Medical University of Warsaw and female/male nurses who have worked in their profession for at least two years.

Material and methods
The research was conducted in March 2016 among 100 third-year undergraduate students of the Medical University of Warsaw and 100 nurses who had been professionally active in their field of expertise for at least two years. Dependency analyses using the 2 test and Fisher’s test were performed using the PQStat statistical package ver. 1.4.2.324. The research was carried out in accordance with the Hel-sinki Declaration.

Results
About 72% of third-year undergraduate students of the Medical University of Warsaw and 58% of nurses said that the most important symbol for the nursing profession is a nurses’ cap. One-third of all respondents (36%) did not know the words of the nurses’ anthem.

Conclusions
Knowledge about nursing symbols and traditions does not depend on nurses’ qualifications. According to the respondents, the most im-portant nursing symbols are the nurses’ cap and nurses’ uniform.