Oh my god! I haven't posted in a long time, but I just had to post again. I'm watching the premier of Grey's Anatomy -- any of you see this?? (new show on ABC)
The Doctor, after being questioned by a nurse says, "I'm just a resident, but you take 4 years of medical school, and let me know if I'm right." (Did I quote it right?)
Then, as he walks away he says, "I hate nurses."
Then, he walks up to a female resident and mistakenly calls her a nurse and she responds, with anger and indignation, "Did you just call me a nurse?" As though it were a racial slur!
I mean, nurses have historically been marginalized in many mass media outlets, but this is amazing!!
I agree with everybody that many people do not have a clue about what is involved in a nurse's education, nor what nurses do. However, I feel a little differently about the respect shown to us. If someone is not treating me with respect, whether it be a physician, family member of a patient, co-worker, or someone in management, I can stop that with one look, right into their eyes, solemn not angry, and just say "excuse me?", in a questioning, civil, but surprised-type tone. If a family member asks me to "get them some coffee/ice for their own drink/etc..I very politely direct them to the snack bar. People can TRY to treat me with disrespect but if I don't accept it because I respect myself, and know that they are just uninformed, they usually realize that I have a different job to do than what they just requested. I act on the presumption that the other person doesn't know any better, and instead of being angry or hurt or frustrated because of "no respect" I attempt to educate them quietly and professionally, by action and attitude rather than by words. They can treat me disrespectfully all they want but if I don't accept it and internalize it then it doesn't go anywhere. This has worked for me, and it works for anyone. Project yourself as the consummate professional and you will be treated like one, and if you're not, then ignore it. Go on about your business. I feel like I'm not explaining myself very well and I apologize for that.
Your comments regarding "Grey's Anatomy" have been received and will be passed on to the appropriate departments.
We appreciate you taking the time to express your views.
I just got this reply from ABC.
I got the same answer just now.
Here is my post:
To: ABC Public Relations
RE: Grey's Anatomy Premier
I just wanted to comment that I was extremely disheartened to see the portrayal of nurses on your new show "Grey's Anatomy". It was very upsetting to wait to see a show that I thought would be refreshing and fun to watch make fun and demean my profession. It may interest your writers to know that nurses are required to know an immense amount of information and have a great responsibility for holistic patient care. For this knowledge and responsibility they are overworked and underpaid. Without nurses MDs would truly be at a loss to provide optimal care. Further, the medical community is striving to teach new MDs the importance of effective communication with every member of the healthcare team. Allowing surgical residents or any other MD to go around and insult and demean nurses is simply outside of what any hospital administration should tolerate - and even more disconcerting is that these actions are being portrayed as the norm by a leading television network.
As someone who watches many ABC shows I would hope to see nurses given the respect they are due on any series that ABC chooses to run on it's network. Surely they would expect the same professionalism from the nurses that may someday care for ABC families.
I am not usually someone who gets offended very easily but being that I am an RN and am very proud of my profession, I have to say I was very disappointed in this program. I was hoping that with all the technology we have today we would finally be able to watch a television program that could accurately portray the healthcare environment. This show isn't that television program. As nurses I don't think we can just brush this off and say it doesn't matter. Everyday I work I see the strain that is placed on so many of us as nurses, when all we want to do is go to work and help people. I have had the opportunity in my short 3 1/2 years as a Registered Nurse to work with many different types of Doctors. I have worked with brand new interns and seasoned attendings. I have also unfortunatley seen how breakdown in communication can harm patients. I have worked with these stereotypical doctors and with the new interns who have no idea what's going on. Fortunately I have worked side by side with doctors whom have given me the respect I deserve as a collegue. I realize I may not have had as much formal education as an MD but I still don't think that that discounts the countless hours I have spent at bedsides learning what happens to patients and what signs and symptoms they display when there is a problem. I have worked with surgeons whom value my opinion and with those whom I've had to be a little more stern with to get them to hear what I have to say. I wish that in America in the year 2005 Doctors and Nurses could work together as the team that we should for the optimal care of the patient. Sorry for getting on my soapbox but I feel these opinions need to be expressed!
I'm probably going to get burned for this, but I really liked the show. I work in healthcare currently, and I will granduate with My RN in 8 weeks. The show is about 9 interns and what they go through in becoming Doctors. I agree that the first show didn't depict nurses in the best light. The character Alex was a real jerk and treated the nurse with no respect, but that is his character. At the end he ended up looking like idiot, not the nurse he tried to make feel like an idiot. How do we know that the show won't end up depicting nurses in a good light. No one seems to want to see what will happen. This isn't a show about nurses, and if it was would you get angry if it depicted doctors in a bad light. I just don't understand the immediate uprise.
Not that I don't think you are entitled to your opinion but I think that if the Nurses of today just sit back to see what's gonna happen we are going to regress about 50 years. If no one wrote the show or objected to it I really don't think they would change how they portray them, I don't even know if they will now. I guess if you take the show as strictly fiction then fine but if you want an actual portrayal of Nursing as a profession and of healthcare today, This show would not be the one to follow. I just hope young med students don't choose to idolize these MD's on the show.
Okay, I just watched the second episode, and I have to say my opinion is completely unchanged. I absolutely love this show, I'm sorry. It's officially on my TiVO season pass list. It's about doctors, not nurses. I accept that, and am just watching for entertainment. Of course I'd love it if they make a serious medical drama about nurses, and I think if they did it would actually help out this nursing shortage. But I don't see any reason to boycott this show, personally.
Something about it just grabs me. It's a sick pleasure, really, watching all these surgical interns doing scut work, getting reemed out on a regular basis, and royally screwing up each week. Like I said in my previous post, it's probably because I work at a teaching hospital and deal with green docs all the time. Watching this show reminds me of the first season of ER, where Carter was bumbling around in every episode with that deer caught in headlights look on his face.
Specializes in LTC, CPR instructor, First aid instructor..
I watched Strong Medicine on PAX instead. It's much more to my liking, and the show includes doctors, nurses, nurse practitioners, administrators, and even a free clinic. Definitely a well-rounded show, and it airs the same time as Grey's Anatomy does in my area, anyway.
I kinda like Strong Medicine these days myself...altho I don't go out of my way to watch it, if its on I will. I'm not a TV buff so I don't memorize times shows are on or anything altho my DH does. Movies are more my thing. :)
I am not usually someone who gets offended very easily but being that I am an RN and am very proud of my profession, I have to say I was very disappointed in this program. I was hoping that with all the technology we have today we would finally be able to watch a television program that could accurately portray the healthcare environment. This show isn't that television program. As nurses I don't think we can just brush this off and say it doesn't matter. Everyday I work I see the strain that is placed on so many of us as nurses, when all we want to do is go to work and help people. I have had the opportunity in my short 3 1/2 years as a Registered Nurse to work with many different types of Doctors. I have worked with brand new interns and seasoned attendings. I have also unfortunatley seen how breakdown in communication can harm patients. I have worked with these stereotypical doctors and with the new interns who have no idea what's going on. Fortunately I have worked side by side with doctors whom have given me the respect I deserve as a collegue. I realize I may not have had as much formal education as an MD but I still don't think that that discounts the countless hours I have spent at bedsides learning what happens to patients and what signs and symptoms they display when there is a problem. I have worked with surgeons whom value my opinion and with those whom I've had to be a little more stern with to get them to hear what I have to say. I wish that in America in the year 2005 Doctors and Nurses could work together as the team that we should for the optimal care of the patient. Sorry for getting on my soapbox but I feel these opinions need to be expressed!
directcare4me
173 Posts
I agree with everybody that many people do not have a clue about what is involved in a nurse's education, nor what nurses do. However, I feel a little differently about the respect shown to us. If someone is not treating me with respect, whether it be a physician, family member of a patient, co-worker, or someone in management, I can stop that with one look, right into their eyes, solemn not angry, and just say "excuse me?", in a questioning, civil, but surprised-type tone. If a family member asks me to "get them some coffee/ice for their own drink/etc..I very politely direct them to the snack bar. People can TRY to treat me with disrespect but if I don't accept it because I respect myself, and know that they are just uninformed, they usually realize that I have a different job to do than what they just requested. I act on the presumption that the other person doesn't know any better, and instead of being angry or hurt or frustrated because of "no respect" I attempt to educate them quietly and professionally, by action and attitude rather than by words. They can treat me disrespectfully all they want but if I don't accept it and internalize it then it doesn't go anywhere. This has worked for me, and it works for anyone. Project yourself as the consummate professional and you will be treated like one, and if you're not, then ignore it. Go on about your business. I feel like I'm not explaining myself very well and I apologize for that.