Nurses have been voted the most trusted profession in America in Gallup's annual survey which ranks professions for their honesty and ethical standards.

Eighty-one percent of Americans believe nurses' honesty and ethical standards are either "high" or "very high."

It is the 11th time nurses have been voted the most trusted profession.

"It's extremely gratifying to know that the public continues to hold the profession in such high esteem," remarked ANA President, Karen J. Daley, PhD, MPH, RN, FAAN.

"The public's high regard for the profession, coupled with nurses' education and skills, makes nurses well positioned to play a major role in the transformation of the nation's healthcare system," she said.

Since being included in the Gallup poll in 1999, nurses have received the highest ranking every year except in 2001, whenfire fighters received top honors. Results are based on telephone interviews with more than 1,000 adults.