Prestige of disciplines within the field of nursing: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Considering the global shortage of nurses, leaders in the field must understand the strengths and weaknesses of various nursing specialties in order to retain professionals within the field. Occupational prestige reflects the perceived contribution of an occupation 'to society', and measures its desirability, benefit and values. Understanding how experienced nurses view the prestige of nursing specialties may help to explain why some specialties are more desirable than others.