How would YOU like to see a nurse portrayed in the media?

[purple_nomad]

Nursing in the media means a lot to me.

I think one of the main reasons I almost chose NOT to be a nurse when I was in high school was because I kept seeing these medical shows where the doctors did nearly everything.

Shows like "Nurse Jackie" and "Mercy" and "HawthoRNe" have been somewhat helpful (in my opinion) at getting nursing into the mainstream of media, but there are still some annoying stereotypes that they play off of. Nurse Jackie snorts drugs. "HawthoRNe" has the male nurse who COULD have been a doctor, but he "choked" on his MCATs and is "stuck" being a nurse, and there is also Candy, the typical Barbie nurse.

Okay, so I know that part of a show is all about the story-telling, and story-telling can only happen when there are flaws in the characters. But do you think that some of these portrayals help or hinder? Are they realistic or playing off of established cultural ideas?

What do YOU want to see in the media about nurses that isn't there yet? What do you LIKE about these dramas? What do you NOT like? What do you think the impact is on society's concept of nursing?

[bewitched]

Realistically, like normal human beings.

[ktliz]

Great topic!! The main problem I have is that nurses are highly stereotyped in the media. I agree that flaws are essential for storytelling; nurses are real people after all, and real people have flaws. I just wish that TV writers could come up with some more creative characters than the druggie or the pre-med dropout!!

Gotta admit though, I do love me some Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice, and Off the Map. Although now that I think about it, many of those characters are stereotyped as well. I guess it doesn't bother me because I don't want to be a doctor. :)

[LegzRN]

Carla Espinonsa!

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

most medical dramas focus on doctors -- but what do they show the doctors doing? nursing! holding the hand of and comforting the dying patient, drawing blood, initiating cpr, tracking down long lost next of kin, pushing iv meds, hanging blood, ambulating patients -- all things that you rarely find a doctor doing (unless they're the next of kin) but tasks that fill up a nurse's day. i'd like to see nurses portrayed doing actual nursing -- and doctors portrayed as doing the tasks they actually do.

in that case, medical dramas would revolve around nurses. without nurses, there would be no need for a hospital!

[anzean_rn]

I thought Boston Med on ABC did a pretty good job portraying nurses, although it was all real life footage (or at least that's what they say) so I suppose it makes sense.

[showbizrn]

hard-working

"safe and prudent"

up-beat

compassionate

[steelydanfan]

OK, I WROTE this paper in nursing school, is the OP looking for input for the same?

A little sceptical, maybe, forgive me if your thoughts are benevolent; but there are a lot of lazy nursing students on this site. Private email me if you want my input, I have a few insights.

[middleager]

I would like to see series that has focus on the nurses as they are in real life, on a dead run, stressed from the work load and making decisions in the treatment of the patients because the Dr.'s fly through in the morning and evening and everything between is done by the nurses, including making a lot of decisions not just carring them out. I have spent more time in hospitals than I would have liked, the one thing I always noticed is nurses either by them selves or in consultation with other nurses assessing patients status and care. Sure the Dr. comes in and contributes a lot of knowledge and direction, but I don't see TV getting the distribution right, nurses seem to make more decisions than you see on TV. I would also like to see a series with out the obviously gay male nurse. I know numerous male nurses, none of them gay. Have no problem with gay nurses but come on that stereotype is so worn. Quick question, to you nurses whom have worked the ER, does the DHC show Truama Life in the ER really capture the true experience? I find the others where they act it out cheezy, but does that one that is suppose to be documentary style capture it. I would like to see them follow a couple nurses around in the ER vs focusing on the DR all the time.

[LuxCalidaNP]

Diligent, compassionate, experts in their PROFESSION, life-saving, critical-thinking, humble individuals.

NOT

the flight attendant to the ER rollercoaster

the angel of mercy dabbing foreheads and wiping poo

not the fat jaded negligent nurse who would rather facebook than round on their patients

and most definitely, certainly, and unflinchingly...

NOT "The doctors helpers."

[NPinWCH]

I had high hopes for HawthoRNe, but then realized they turned the DON into some super nurse who is almost an expert in EVERY area of the hospital. ER; check, med-surg; check, OB, ICU, oncology, NICU...check, check, check and check! She had some seriously mad skills in every department AND she was a DON. Now, I've worked with some great DONs, but most of them are a bit rusty on their skills and I've yet to meet any RN who can waltz into every nursing unit and be an expert.

I think the most realistic view of actual nursing were on a few episodes of Nurse Jackie. The normal things she dealt with as the nurse were pretty spot on. They showed nurses doing nursing care, but of course then they sensationalize everything else and give her a drug habit.

I think the problem is that when we want to be entertained, we want to be entertained. We want super heroes and we want perfection...we don't want to see reality, we want escapism. And just like sex and marriage and teenage rebellion is skewed in the media, so is the perception of nurses, and doctors for that matter, but we're talking about nurses here.

[Horseshoe, BSN, RN]

For ONCE, I'd like to see a nurse, after a code where they've saved the patient's life, say to everyone as they leave to go have a cup of coffee in the cafeteria, "Are you freaking kidding me? It's going to take me an hour to document all this! Give me those EKG strips! Nurse recorder, I need your notes to chart the drugs given! You! Pharmacist! Don't think you're going off to decompress without restocking my crash cart! Ummmm, unit secretary? Ya think you might see if we can get an ICU bed before you run off to have your cup of joe with the new intern?"

You get the drift.