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.
I wish the medical dramas including more story lines involving nurses. As it is, the few story lines that do include nurses are sexual/romantic in nature and seem to imply that the doctors are slumming when they lower themselves to get involved with nurses.
Specializes in Trauma Surgery, Nursing Management.
I think there was a reality show called "Nurses" a few years back. If I can reach waaaayyy back into the memory bank (hang on, the synapses are trying desperately to fire), I believe the show was filmed at Johns Hopkins. I think there were only 4-5 episodes. I guess nobody really wanted to watch what we do!
What about that show "One born every minute" -- I haven't seen it but I work in L&D now and a ton of patients talk about this program which features nurses in L&D (or so I'm told).
You might be interested in http://www.truthaboutnursing.org/. It is a site that evaluates media representations of nursing, and it's pretty interesting. They absolutely blast Gray's Anatomy for being one of the worst portrayals of nurses on tv.
I think there was a reality show called "Nurses" a few years back. If I can reach waaaayyy back into the memory bank (hang on, the synapses are trying desperately to fire), I believe the show was filmed at Johns Hopkins. I think there were only 4-5 episodes. I guess nobody really wanted to watch what we do!
Same with the reality show on lawyers, it lasted like 3 episodes.
I'd like them to do a reality show on my floor, where I spend 30 minutes at 11pm looking for the vital signs machine, chase down old guys who pee in the hallway, etc. lol
do you really think that a nursing reality show would be realistic? Shows about physicians all end up like Gray's Anatomy and House, which make MDs look like retarded sexaholics or drug addicts with massive personality problems who are only in medicine for all the wrong reasons. When they do try to do documentary type shows like Boston Med, the residents and physicians are shown as ignorant, uncaring, masogenistic, and whiny, whereas the nurses are goddesses in scrubs who can do no wrong. If they turned nurses into a reality show the central characters would be turned into "TV gold" like Nurse Jackie..the scrubs would be tighter, the hookups would be more frequent..and the doctors would become the good guys once they were in the background. Good people just doing their job dont sell..
The value of COPS is, at least, that it focuses on police work. Rarely is there ever even a mention of any personal detail about an officer. I can't think of another show in any genre that has ever had that singular focus. And I do think it's a shame that that can't be replicated somehow to feature nurses' work.
Surely there is some way to address the privacy issues -- again, to use COPS as an example -- I'm sure there are considerable legal details behind the scenes to film arrests and show them on television, and yet the show has been successful in managing those issues.
The value of COPS is, at least, that it focuses on police work. Rarely is there ever even a mention of any personal detail about an officer. I can't think of another show in any genre that has ever had that singular focus. And I do think it's a shame that that can't be replicated somehow to feature nurses' work.
Surely there is some way to address the privacy issues -- again, to use COPS as an example -- I'm sure there are considerable legal details behind the scenes to film arrests and show them on television, and yet the show has been successful in managing those issues.
The producers of COPS don't work out any legal details. The law enforcement agencies & their legal department involved TELL the show which cops they are going to film, what night & time and what area. The cops chosen are handpicked by the brass. I worked for an agency that is heavily filmed by that show have met some of the camera guys. The brass of the office (agency) tells the show's producers what footage they can have out of the very limited amount of cops they are allowed access to be with.
What really happens to the cops I know on the nights someone in their zone is being filmed on that show *need backup etc etc" response: *cricket cricket cricket* because the brass has already told dispatch to send 20 units to every single call the cop being filmed is going on.
As far as the people whose houses they go to, most of them are frequent callers/flyers for the cops in those areas and don't mind being on camera to begin with, a lot of those callers thrive on drama. The more cops & cameras surrounding them the more they love it. Very few episodes of that show capture what cops actually do. IMTHATGUY summed it up the best as far as what goes on with show.
What the show doesn't show is the ridiculous amount of time cops have to spend on inane calls, the "did you roll your eyes at me? I"ll have your badge for that" and last but not least "I pay YOUR salary you can't give me a ticket." Cops have to write/chart all freakin day only its called report writing. A real show about real cops would show them holding their bladders for 10 hours & being anonymously called on to Internal Affairs for being lazy for taking 2 mins to shove some food down their throats. In between that they are spit on, kicked at, cursed out and then they get to get their every action armchair quarter backed by some admin who hasn't been on the road in 30 years. Sounds a lot like nursing doesn't it??
The producers of COPS don't work out any legal details. The law enforcement agencies & their legal department involved TELL the show which cops they are going to film, what night & time and what area. The cops chosen are handpicked by the brass. I worked for an agency that is heavily filmed by that show have met some of the camera guys. The brass of the office (agency) tells the show's producers what footage they can have out of the very limited amount of cops they are allowed access to be with.
What really happens to the cops I know on the nights someone in their zone is being filmed on that show *need backup etc etc" response: *cricket cricket cricket* because the brass has already told dispatch to send 20 units to every single call the cop being filmed is going on.
As far as the people whose houses they go to, most of them are frequent callers/flyers for the cops in those areas and don't mind being on camera to begin with, a lot of those callers thrive on drama. The more cops & cameras surrounding them the more they love it. Very few episodes of that show capture what cops actually do. IMTHATGUY summed it up the best as far as what goes on with show.
What the show doesn't show is the ridiculous amount of time cops have to spend on inane calls, the "did you roll your eyes at me? I"ll have your badge for that" and last but not least "I pay YOUR salary you can't give me a ticket." Cops have to write/chart all freakin day only its called report writing. A real show about real cops would show them holding their bladders for 10 hours & being anonymously called on to Internal Affairs for being lazy for taking 2 mins to shove some food down their throats. In between that they are spit on, kicked at, cursed out and then they get to get their every action armchair quarter backed by some admin who hasn't been on the road in 30 years. Sounds a lot like nursing doesn't it??
Mouse- I still think it would be a good idea. I think that if the public saw what really went on in nursing they would be apalled. Only then will things change. Heck make it a contest type show where real people have to do the nitty gritty stuff. Have them live together. Of course HIPAA would have to be worked out. But what better war to educate the mass population who seem to thrive on this type if stuff?
The producers would have to get premission from the various facilities they would be filming. I could see my company now! The film crew will be in next month to film, MAJOR hiring spree happens, More Nurses & CNA's (can't let then see "real" staffing issues), Clerk on each unit to answer phones, write T.O.s, answer questions (can't let them see how many "real interuptions they really have), professional chefs (have to make sure the food looks good & tastes good too), increased housekeeping staff on 3 shifts (no way do we want them to see dirty floors). maintiance (have to fix those broken items extra fast), noisey/high risk patients shipped out (we only want happy patients seen). As soon as filming is done, massive layoff!! Believe me, companies will "find" the $$$ when it comes to TV coverage.
does sound a lot like nursing.......
Motivated grandma
45 Posts
I wish the medical dramas including more story lines involving nurses. As it is, the few story lines that do include nurses are sexual/romantic in nature and seem to imply that the doctors are slumming when they lower themselves to get involved with nurses.