Doctors offended by TV show about nurses

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Specializes in Psychiatric and Mental Health NP (PMHNP).

Interesting post on KevinMD about a trailer for a TV show called Nurses.

https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2019/12/why-a-new-tv-show-offends-physicians.html

Nurses is a Canadian show. I couldn't find the trailer mentioned in the KevinMD post.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hm_cWMDtD28

What gets me is how upset doctors are about ONE show that is about nurses, when nurses are misrepresented so often in entertainment. And of course, someone then had to complain about NPs and PAs, which are very seldom depicted in entertainment.

Here is my comment on that post:

I'm a Nurse Practitioner and agree that TV and film would best serve the public, and healthcare, by showing the teamwork necessary to delivery good quality care. However, from a nursing perspective, the media generally portrays doctors positively and nurses are either ignored or debased. There is even a book about this: Saving Lives: Why the Media's Portrayal of Nursing Puts Us All at Risk, by Sandy Summers and Harry Jacobs Summers.

How many TV shows are about nurses? Other than the one discussed by the OP, there currently isn't a single one. In the past, we had Nurse Jackie. There was also a short-lived show about nurses starring Jada Pinkett-Smith, I believe.

How many TV shows are about doctors? Pretty much every medical show on TV now. And in most of these shows, nurses are ignored and the shows have doctors routinely performing nursing functions. Nurses are relegated to the background, usually just there to clean up messes. Gray's Anatomy - all about the doctors. House - he actively disliked and disparaged nurses. New Amsterdam - saintly doctor becomes CMO of large hospital, determined to improve it - but not one episode has focused on the importance of nurses in a large hospital. And so on.

Scrubs, Nurse Jackie, and the now gone Code Black, showed doctors and nurses working as a team. But this perspective is all too rare.

At any rate, I am sorry this trailer offended some doctors. But it might be a good thing - now doctors have a chance to experience what nurses feel when watching most medical shows. It would be great if we could all lobby Hollywood together to demand shows that portray the teamwork necessary to delivery good quality healthcare.

And a note: I find it odd that in a discussion about not showing teamwork in healthcare, some commenters are compelled to dump on NPs and PAs. There are no shows no, nor have there ever been, any American TV shows about NPs and PAs. BBC has a great show, "Call the Midwife" about CNMs, which are APRNs. If we are going to advocate for portraying teamwork, then we all need to talk the talk and walk the walk.

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Specializes in ACNP-BC, Adult Critical Care, Cardiology.

If they are referring to this new Canadian TV show called Nurses:

I watched the trailer and whatever "offensive" or "divisive" language used must have been edited out already. I'm actually surprised Canadian TV would paint physicians as country club going, luxury car driving, egotistical jerks. With their socialized medicine, I highly doubt that is the case over there on a larger scale. However, I can see why a Canadian network with hopes of US success for a new show would at least play into Hollywood stereotypes and sensationalize. Personally, I don't care if a small group of physicians are offended. People get offended at the slightest hint of shade these days. I think your thread should go to the General Nursing forum not only because the topic is not about NP's but also the fact that you would get more responses in the general forum.

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Specializes in Psychiatric and Mental Health NP (PMHNP).
3 hours ago, juan de la cruz said:

I think your thread should go to the General Nursing forum not only because the topic is not about NP's but also the fact that you would get more responses in the general forum.

Thank you and good points. Can I move this or do I have to repost?

Moderator: Would you please move this to a general Nurses area? Thank you.

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Specializes in FNP.

I work with a few hundred doctors and am active on Doximitry. Doctors threshold for complaining is ridiculously low.

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Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.
13 hours ago, FullGlass said:

Thank you and good points. Can I move this or do I have to repost?

Moderator: Would you please move this to a general Nurses area? Thank you.

Use the triangle with the ! to ask to have your thread moved. They cannot possibly read everything comment and see you ask in a post.

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Specializes in Education, FP, LNC, Forensics, ED, OB.

Thanks, everyone.

We moved the topic to General Nursing for more exposure. ?

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Specializes in Psychiatric and Mental Health NP (PMHNP).
15 hours ago, MikeFNPC said:

I work with a few hundred doctors and am active on Doximitry. Doctors threshold for complaining is ridiculously low.

Online they really do come across as whiny prima donnas. I often feel appalled or laugh when reading KevinMD. Yet in real life, the doctors I work with are cool. Here is an article by a doctor, telling them to stop whining:

https://www.whitecoatinvestor.com/stop-whining-about-job-satisfaction/

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Why not just have a whole hospital run by NPs and nurses?

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Specializes in school nurse.

Given the usual lopsided of media portrayal of doctors and nurses, I find that any grievances from doctors re: this show to be a source of...chuckles.

2 minutes ago, popopopo said:

Why not just have a whole hospital run by NPs and nurses?

Because there would be too many staff working with sever indigestion from all that NETY...

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There are four US shows that have a PA or NP as a regular or lead. The two that are currently airing is the Resident (2018-?) that has an NP, and Virgin River (2019-?) a NP and Midwife the two from the past are Royal Pains (2009-2016) and St. Elsewhere (1982-1988) both had PA's.

With Nurses as the main charters and doctors more on the side lines for the US I know of six, as for doctors (US only) I can name 20 easy.

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Specializes in school nurse.
1 hour ago, Red Shirt 6 said:

There are four US shows that have a PA or NP as a regular or lead. The two that are currently airing is the Resident (2018-?) that has an NP, and Virgin River (2019-?) a NP and Midwife the two from the past are Royal Pains (2009-2016) and St. Elsewhere (1982-1988) both had PA's.

With Nurses as the main charters and doctors more on the side lines for the US I know of six, as for doctors (US only) I can name 20 easy.

Unfortunately, in the Royal Pains finale, the PA's story arc ended by, wait for it, her going off to medical school.

And it's not like I'm a doctor-hater or anything, it just seemed like the writers thought she was living an incomplete life by being a mere PA...

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I think it's about time for a show like this. Putting nurses in the spotlight might help to change some peoples opinions. Anyone who gets all bent out of shape about it has a problem to be sure.

Most of the medical dramas are all doctors and (what's the real nurse to doctor ratio anyway?). Doctor sees pt for 10 mins, nurse sees pt all day.

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