What can we do?

Nursing Students General Students

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Specializes in Public Health.

As students, what do you feel we can do politically on a local, state and federal level to make a difference with the way people percieve nursing and politics in general? Please post your thoughts. This is something I have been dealing with for many years. Thank you in advance, Julie:idea:

I think the most important things nurses could do is have one unified organization that we ALL belong to. So one umbrella nursing organization and then maybe join one in your specialty. If all the nurses in the U.S. were in ONE organization, imagine the power THAT organization would have!

Specializes in ED, ICU, MS/MT, PCU, CM, House Sup, Frontline mgr.

I would like to see the media display nurses as professionals with intelligence. The only time I hear anything about a nurse having intelligence is either when the media distinguishes a nurse as "advanced practicing" or if the Registered Nurse is on trial for murder.

Television shows make Registered Nurses look like handmaids or angry secretaries. I cannot think of one that is not that way! I especially HATE "ER", "HOUSE" and "Grey's Anatomy"! The producers and writers of those shows think they are doing a service to women. They are wrong! Women work as Registered Nurses too and have no desire to become physicians! But I digres...

Most nurses work directly with patients if he/she works bedside in real life. However, TV shows and movies makes it seem like all the doctors do everything nurses do in real life! While nurses float around gossiping about whatever.

Furthermore EMTs, Fire Fighters, and other life saving professions have shows that illustrate their profession in a positive light. The characters manage to save a life without a doctor around, but Registered Nurses aren't capable of that on TV.

By the way, most shows lack team player scenarios. Nurses are not the equals of the doctors. Nurses are background noise waiting for the doctor to show up. The hero is the man or woman that makes things happen and the character is not a Registered Nurse.

Registered Nurses on TV do not give their professional opinions or suspect a disorder ever! Doctors do not even ask someone whom he/she may trust about his/her opinion (which does occur in real life). And unlike the EMTs, Fire Fire Fighters, Police, Coroners, etc. on shows, Registered Nurses have no opinions.

Registered Nurses usually deliver lines like, "Doctor, I am glad you are here... one minute the patient was [blank] the next the patient was [blank]." A child can make the same observations. Who the heck needs to go to school and pass a national exam???

It drives me nuts. I'm sorry I really did not answer your question since you asked about what we as students can do... but thanks for listening. :jester:

PS. If I ever get enough money, I will have a show where Registered Nurses are the heroes who work along side doctors who are the miscellaneous characters because the show will be about the nurses. However, I am hoping someone beats me to it because I would prefer to do something else with my life; like be a Registered Nurse! :nurse:

As a student, become politically active at your school or with community organizations and always identify yourself as a nursing student. As a nurse remain politically active, always identifying yourself as a nurse -- and join a union!

Join your local chapter of the nursing students association. At my school we have a very active group. I just came back from a convention over the weekend and many of these same issues were discussed. We work at the local and state levels, and join with the national organization to problem solve and lobby for change. Here is a link to the National Student Nurses Association.

http://www.nsna.org/

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