I wish that someone somewhere would do a reality show about nurses. Go into ALL field of nursing, including LTC and do a reality show about how hard nurses have it, how it's a hard job, how we need to be respected more etc. I believe that COPS that has been on for YEARS really has contributed to how police officers practice now, I can imagine if I wanted to be a cop and watching that show as a kid, I would learn a lot from those shows and be more savvy. If you watch COPS from the 80's and compare the show to the present time I feel that the current cops learned a lot and are thus more safe, handle situations better etc.
I have seen documentary's about nurses but only in peds, or in NICU. But I feel that a reality show in ALL fields should be done. Now maybe legally it can't be done, because come on, for example what company is going to allow cameras to be in SNF's a whole privacy issue etc. Or what about just doing shows on interviews with nurses, their challenges, accomplishments etc.
When I was a teen I read a Echo Heron's books and I loved them, it gave raw details about nursing and I think she wrote from back in the early 80's.
I think the public needs to see what nurses do as a living, that way we're more respected, that way people will stnad up for us etc.
It's too bad that we as nurses can't even make it on reality shows....sad.....
ACTUALLY, I think I read somewhere that one of those "Real Housewives" of wherever was a nurse before she became married a rich guy and got a spot on show. Not really the type of person I appreciate bragging that they were a nurse at one point in their lives (because I think she was an LPN for only a year or so before she married rich and gave up working), but it goes to show you, if you're a rich snob of a nurse who's had tons of plastic surgery, you CAN have your own reality show!
I think we as nurses are going to have to be satisfied with the recognition of our peers, patients ( a stretch, often enough), and others in health care (a real longshot,sadly).
"Nurse Jackie" beat out "HathoRNe" in ratings, and were pretty much polar opposites in the type of nurse that was portrayed.
Just goes to show you.....the viewers watch the trainwrecks of society. It's interesting and titillating, and it sells.
I shudder to think of what would show up on TV after hitting the cutting room floor, if a producer decided to put on a "reality show" about Nurses.
Nurse Jackie was a much more interesting show than HawthoRNe, they dropped the ball on that show- it could have been much better.
ACTUALLY, I think I read somewhere that one of those "Real Housewives" of wherever was a nurse before she became married a rich guy and got a spot on show. Not really the type of person I appreciate bragging that they were a nurse at one point in their lives (because I think she was an LPN for only a year or so before she married rich and gave up working), but it goes to show you, if you're a rich snob of a nurse who's had tons of plastic surgery, you CAN have your own reality show!
That was Atlanta. She was never his wife, he just supported her like a sugar daddy!
It would be nice but we can't even get nurses to be shown doing what they actually do on regular TV. Heck your lucky if you see 2-3 nurses during an episode of a show like Grey's Anatomy or House. Like docs routinely put in IVs, draw blood, take their pts to tests? Ummmm no. It would be nice just to see them make a hospital on these shows show how it really looks. With people doing what they acually do in the real world. Heck I have never been in an ER where the surgical residents just hang out looking for cases to come in. Maybe one might be there who is on ER/Trauma rotation but not like 6 of em'! So as far as a reality show--maybe some day but I have mixed feelings about it to be honest.
I nursed a patient once who was a TV producer. I said why don't they do a show on nurses, and they said it breaches confidentiality. But they have RPA over here (Royal Prince Alfred) and show the patients on that, and they only show the patients being nice as well - not reality at all!
Consider a few things about some of the "reality" shows out there:
1. Prison Shows -- Totally voyeuristic. In the 18th and 19th century we
used to charge people to view the mentally within insane asylums. It was
a form of entertainment. That's basically what prison reality shows are today.
When you consider that a significant number of those in prison today are
mentally ill, we have come very far ethically, have we. And the prisoners
who aren't mentally ill but perhaps just evil? Why give them a platform?
2. COP shows. Tell me -- when's the last time you saw, on a COP show,
a white-collar criminal from Wall Street being cuffed and dragged to jail?
Observe these shows carefully. The poor, undereducated, disadvantaged,
drug addicted, are the "stars" of these shows. Rarely do you see even
middle class criminals from upscale neighborhoods. Cheap laughs at the
expense of human misery.
3. ER shows -- Consider real life shows, not the reinactments. A serious, life and death case comes into the ER. The cameras start rolling. Want to talk about informed consent? In a crisis situation like that, who's in any condition to give informed consent? Certainly not the patient, and I would suggest neither is a friend or relative, assuming they even have the authority. So, the film already exists before anyone is in any shape to give informed consent. How about the ethics of that? What most people don't realize is that, under Joint Commission rules, ER's are allowed to roll cameras for professional and educational purposes right from the beginning. They must eventually get informed consent, and if they don't, destroy films. But what if a patient doesn't want to be filmed from the beginning? Do they any choice?
Anyway, we could look at any number of "reality" shows. Their main purpose -- their reason for being -- they make money. It's not about education or informing the public. They don't have to pay high salary actors. They're relatively cheap to produce. That's what it's all about. Follow the money.
I will admit, some shows do give a relatively accurate inside view into some occupations (Ice Road Truckers, Deadliest Catch, etc.). But I'm very wary of shows that get into sensitive aspects of our personal lives, especially medically. In our culture, privacy is becoming an obsolete word and concept as it is. I don't think a nursing reality show would do any balanced justice to the "sacred and profane" elements of nursing that would even come close to the truth.
Did any of you watch Boston Med? It depicted real doctors and nurses in the top three hospitals in Boston. I loved it, but I am just a student nurse so I can't comment on how much is accurately portrayed due to editing and such. It wasn't solely a "nurse" show, but nurses got about 40 to 50% of the show's focus vs. doctors. I mainly loved to watch for the cases that they showed. The season finale showed America's first facial transplant. It was amazing.
Speaking as a cop, COPS has nothing to do with how we work. An informed viewer, such as a prudent officer, will routinely observe errors if not outright violations of law and procedure enacted by the officers seen on the program. You'll also see officers receiving more backup support than you ever will in real life. I've never been on the show nor have I worked for a department highlighted on the show, yet I know of and have spoken with officers who have been featured on COPS. They've told me that they've never experienced such a large amount of gung ho support from other members of their department. The reason: everybody wants to be on tv, and like many, some officers on the show, will engage in tough man activity that you'd never engage in in real life encounters. Some of it is nothing short of silly and stupid.
All that said, don't suggest that COPS has done anything for cops. Many of us watch it though for entertainment value as much as the "civilian" viewer does.
Paramedics was a show featuring paramedics. It was rather boring to me. I've been a paramedic as well, and I've watched paramedics while being a paramedic. It didn't hold my interest.
Trauma: Life in the ER has featured nurses. There have been similar programs that featured nurses in the course of the show. Most, however, feature doctors.
Let me qualify this with stating that I'm in nursing school now and plan to become a nurse. However, I don't think a show about nurses doing nurse stuff would last long. As a whole, (going out on a limb here) I don't think nurses have enough autonomy to conduct in the dynamic activity that a viewer would want to enjoy. What would be the setting? Medical-surgical, home health, rehab, critical care...probably not. People just wouldn't get into it. I wouldn't for sure. The emergency department has been done way too much. Let it die.
To produce an episode of cops the film crew must ride for months. I can't imagine how long a crew would have to shadow nurses to produce an episode interesting enough to sell commercials and thus survive. That's the caveat here. The show will have to be appealing enough to a targeted audience to be watched and buy things featured on the commercials. That's how it works.
Great post, finally I get some insight on COPS from a real life cop...thanks :)
shhhh
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ACTUALLY, I think I read somewhere that one of those "Real Housewives" of wherever was a nurse before she became married a rich guy and got a spot on show. Not really the type of person I appreciate bragging that they were a nurse at one point in their lives (because I think she was an LPN for only a year or so before she married rich and gave up working), but it goes to show you, if you're a rich snob of a nurse who's had tons of plastic surgery, you CAN have your own reality show!