Helper to get the raw value of a node field?
The only thing I know is field_get_items().

Your function makes a lot of assumptions that don't work for a core function.


Not all fields are prefixed with field_, only those created through the UI. body for example not.
Some fields have multiple values, your function only returns the first.


If you want a function that makes these assumptions, you could write a simple wrapper for field_get_items() that takes care of that.