No Longer a 'Professional'? How a Federal Redefinition Would Impact Nurses, and America

A Quiet Federal Shift With Massive Real-World Consequences

A transformation has been quietly occurring across all federal agencies: long-established occupations that have historically been considered "professionals" are increasingly being reclassified by educational and employment regulations as non-professionals. While this may be perceived as simply reorganizing some internal agency bureaucracy, it actually will significantly impact how individuals are compensated, educated, viewed socially, and able to compete for jobs within the work force. The group most affected by this transformation will likely be nurses. Nursing has historically required advanced levels of education, extremely high levels of decision making while working with patients (and other medical professionals), and immense emotional labor. And yet, nurses are at risk of having their profession downgraded from being one that requires specialization, and thus protection, and instead being seen as requiring less skill or expertise. When a government changes its definition of what constitutes a "professional," it does not just change the rules; it also impacts on an individual's sense of self-worth, opportunities, and job stability in the sectors that our society relies upon.

How Redefining “Professional” Reshapes Pay, Hours, and Employer Power

The legal implications of this issue have profound consequences. The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) states that if a job classification is considered "professional" then the employee will be excluded from receiving overtime pay. If a professional job position has its classification changed to a non-professional classification, the employee may now be eligible to receive overtime pay, however; employers usually respond to this change by reducing their employees' hours, redefining the role of the employee or outsourcing the duties of the employee. Conversely, when more jobs are classified as "professional," it causes long working hours to become unpaid, gives employers greater control over scheduling, and shifts labor expenses back onto the employees. Ultimately, each time there is a change made to either broaden or narrow who is classified as a professional worker, the cost of work intensity is transferred to those doing the most difficult and demanding work, particularly in the healthcare industry where there is an epidemic of burnout.

The Education Fallout: Who Gets to Become a Nurse Now?

The new definition of a "health" program by the federal government will influence who can pay for access into these areas. The loss of professional degree status as of late has been an issue in some graduate-level health programs, such as certain advanced nursing and allied-health fields, which are now considered "professional schools" and no longer qual