Sir, - I support the aspirations of Irish nurses to have their professional status properly recognised and rewarded. I hope the deal which has just been negotiated will lead to the resolution of the present dispute, and lay the foundation for the future development of the profession.
I would like to comment on an argument I overheard more than once in the course of the dispute. Striking nurses claimed that nursing is "not a vocation" on the grounds that nurses are "highly trained professionals". The concepts of vocation and professionalism are actually quite compatible. Priests, for example, are highly trained professionals, but nobody would suggest that priesthood is not a vocation. Unfortunately, the word "vocation," like many words in the English language, seems to have undergone a subtle change in meaning.
As I understand it, vocation is not so much what one does, as one's motivation for doing it. In non-religious terms, to say "I have a vocation" might be taken to mean that what I do is deeply rooted in who I am. For a person of faith, "who I am" carries with it the idea of a God who has called me into life and into relationship with him. It is a relationship in which others are included and cared for.
But even the most dedicated people have to eat, and to provide for their families. Too often in the past, highly motivated people in the various "caring professions" have been taken for granted. It is not surprising that, for many, the concept of vocation has been devalued and undermined. Perhaps the level of public support which the nurses received during this dispute may restore their confidence, and contribute to the development of a more realistic awareness of nursing both as a profession and as a vocation. - Yours, etc.,
Fr Kevin Doran, Director of Vocations, Archdiocese of Dublin 7