J&J co nursing promo- WTF???

Stargazer · Jan 22, 2003

Yeah, do you have a cite for that info?

I could wax rhapsodic over my job for an extra $1500 too...

Home Health Columnist / Guide · Jan 22, 2003

When you click on the nurses statements at the website, it opens a text box that list employment location....happy job hunting.!

Few of the RN's featured:

Ann K. :RN Pulmonary/Critical Care and Research, Bethesda, MD

Bonnie B.: OB/GYN unit at Forbes Regional Hospital in Monroeville, Pennsylvania

Connie S : Alle-Kiski Medical Center, Post Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU)

Natrona Heights, PA

Jill Y. RN, MSN; Occupational Health, Landisville, PA

Kathy F. RN Endoscopy Unit , Somers Point, NJ

LeAnn T. Co-author, Chicken Soup for the Nurses Soul, Fort Collins, CO

Even Dear Donna from Nursing Spectrum is featured!

GO PA RN'S!!!

majrn · Jan 22, 2003

Originally posted by l.rae
my bigest complaint is that "YET AGAIN" we are looking at recruitment instead of retention........why put more water into the tank BEFORE plugging the hole?...grrrrr!...nursing will NEVER be "fixed" until retention issues are addressed.......LR

Amen Sissta!

Hellllllo Nurse, BSN, RN · Jan 22, 2003

ORIGINALLY quoted by DEB-

"I don't believe it was to portray nurses in a positive light really but to make the job look just so wonderful, so altruistic, they would feel "called" to it. But if you need such syrup to feel called to such a difficult profession, you probably do not belong there at all. "

Totally agree w/ Deb.

ChristenLPN, LPN · Jan 22, 2003

It is easy for me to understand why these ads hit so close to home with us. Those who deal with both the ups and downs of any profession would certainly be annoyed to see ads portraying smiling Pollyanna dolls while remembering all the holes that did not get plugged prior to refilling the tank. (Fantastic anaolgy, BTW!) I know that my mother, a high school teacher who has seen unspeakable things throughout her 30-year career, would gag at a similar commercial seeking to inspire future teachers.

But honestly, if you remove the close to home factor, can you imagine any profession putting out realistic recruiting ads? How would anyone protray accounting in a way that would actually make someone think, "Yeah, I'll check this out"? Or, ha ha, advertising? Or general contractors? Or data processing? Or, God forbid, pharmacists? Can you imagine the realities of what they deal with- drug seekers, illegible handwriting, ignorant MDs, etc? I can't think of one thing the pharmacy industry could advertise that would make me want to join them.

(I also hate those Clorox ads about the ever-cheerful "Momma's who keep it clean with Clorox bleach" despite disobedient children and totally inconsiderate husbands, but that is another issue entirely.)

OK, if the aim of J&J was to say, "Look, here's what nursing is really about, and if you're brave or masochistic enough, call this toll-free number..." then, yes, they missed that by a country mile. But if all they were trying to do is say, "Hey, there are both awesome responsibilities and deep satisfaction in this profession" then I don't think they did too bad. And if they, too, have read that the "nursing shortage" is estimated to reach 52% within 25 years, and their commercials failed to address the harsh political reality of this situation with bluntly honest phraseology, then I can't see what makes this ad any different than thousands of others.

I agree completely that retention should take priority over recruiting. But if it was your job to design an ad to recruit, and that is all you were being paid to do, what would you say? And if you couldn't really work for free and your employer liked your work and was ready to hand you a check, would you risk losing it by saying, "Well, let's reconsider what those already in the the field might think of this..."

Most of us probably wouldn't.

(Caught me in a charitable mood, I guess... :rolleyes: )

SmilingBluEyes · Jan 22, 2003

Originally posted by EmeraldNYL
SmilingBlueEyes, I disagree with you, I thought the ad was a step in the right direction, even though it wasn't perfect. There are people in my family who are nurses so I know first hand the problems that nursing faces. I also worked as a nursing assistant for three years to make sure that this was what I wanted to do. The J&J ad wasn't meant to be social commentary into the world of nursing- it was simply a commercial, an advertisement. When you see commercials for say, McDonalds', does that commercial say that their food will cause obesity and heart disease?? No, it shows smiling happy people chowing down and socializing. I think you need to take the J&J ad with a grain of salt because it is only an advertisement after all. The purpose of the ad was to generate interest in the nursing profession, so maybe people will see the ad and think, "Hmm, nursing, let me check into that some more." I highly doubt someone will see the commercial and say "Wow, nursing is the best profession in the whole wide world, I have to become a nurse now!" Just out of curiousity, if you had to design an ad for nursing, what would it say? Would it talk people out of even researching the nursing profession more and deciding on their own if it's for them, or would it portray nurses who are happy with their chosen career?

Well, gee, that's easy to answer. I would NOT DESIGN AN AD to attract people to nursing if it were what it SHOULD BE, to BEGIN WITH! People should not need TV to draw them into a career or to rally dedication to it. How many ads do you see for CPA's, CEO's (name the company), Internet Ad Execs, Janitors, Garbage collectors, Fishermen, Waitresses, other service-oriented professions? (you name it)? WHY DO WE NEED TV to DRAW people to nursing? Nursing does NOT equate to dinner at McDonalds, you know. And... Like many much smarter people before me have said---- you need to understand something:

***THERE IS NO SHORTAGE OF NURSES; JUST A SHORTAGE OF PEOPLE WILLING TO PUT UP WITH DOWNRIGHT DANGEROUS WORKING CONDITIONS FOR RELATIVELY STAGNANT PAY AND PUT UP WITH THE ABUSE HEAPED ON THEM BY DOCTORS, PATIENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES. REPEAT, NO SHORTAGE OF BODIES, JUST PEOPLE WHO ARE WILLING TO PUT UP WITH IT.***

Do you really believe some silly ad campaign will solve this problem? Cause, if you do, you are incredibly short-sighted, period!

It's not the military, after all, or at least should not be. I could see such recruitment techniques for armed force service. But, you may be drawing all the wrong sorts to nursing by TV ad draws. Yes, in a perfect world, (we dont' live there I know) I would not need to design an ad to draw anyone to nursing. ESPECIALLY NOT NURSING. These ads do turn my stomach. They are insulting to those us actively practicing nursing in today's climate. When you join us, you may see it my way. Maybe not.... But then most TV does turns my stomach, anyhow. :rolleyes:

Hellllllo Nurse, BSN, RN · Jan 22, 2003

Originally quoted by SmilingBlueEyes:

"***THERE IS NO SHORTAGE OF NURSES; JUST A SHORTAGE OF PEOPLE WILLING TO PUT UP WITH DOWNRIGHT DANGEROUS WORKING CONDITIONS FOR RELATIVELY STAGNANT PAY AND PUT UP WITH THE ABUSE HEAPED ON THEM BY DOCTORS, PATIENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES. REPEAT, NO SHORTAGE OF BODIES, JUST PEOPLE WHO ARE WILLING TO PUT UP WITH IT.*** "

EXACTLY!!!!!!!!

Q. · Jan 22, 2003

Originally posted by SmilingBluEyes
People should not need TV to draw them into a career or to rally dedication to it. How many ads do you see for CPA's, CEO's (name the company), Internet Ad Execs, Janitors, Garbage collectors, Fishermen, Waitresses, other service-oriented professions? (you name it)? WHY DO WE NEED TV to DRAW people to nursing?

If there was a nationwide shortage of the above mentioned career paths, perhaps we might very well see commercials for such things. Besides, I see commercials all the time for ITT Techical College for the "exciting" careers of computers and robotics. I think each career is "advertised" so to speak by one governing body of sorts: for waitresses it's the particular restaurant chain promoting a career there; same with Kohl's Departments Stores, Technical Colleges for technology careers or Milwaukee Public Schools advertising for teachers. I think J&J took it upon themselves (because no one else did) to represent nursing.

J&J is a household name, therefore I was happy when they decided to launch this ad campaign. I also think they portray nursing's positive aspects, and I think EmeraldNYL hit the nail on the head when she reminded us all that it's a commercial. It's not meant to describe nursing and all it's dirty laundry; it's meant to turn people on to considering it as a career, to encourage them to explore it when otherwise they may not have.

Millions of people in the US watch at least 6 hours of the boob tube a day. To NOT utilize this mode of delivery would be stupid.

EmeraldNYL, BSN, RN · Jan 23, 2003

Exactly, SusyK. A commercial is not going to fix all of the problems that nursing has (and I agree with all of you that there are many problems, especially retention). Personally I don't understand what is so wrong with promoting a profession. Like SmilingBlueEyes said, there are advertisements for the military. Do those ads ever say that you might get shot and killed if you are in the military? No, instead those commercials focus on the REWARDS. There are no quick fixes to the problems that nursing is facing, and a simple commercial is not going to do anything about retention and working conditions. Yes, there are lots of nurses not currently working at the bedside, but simply getting these nurses to go back to the bedside is not enough. Those nurses will reach retirement age and then we will need young nurses to replace them. I realize that my opinion may be an unpopular one, but perhaps some of us are so jaded that we are not willing to consider all facets of the situation. SmilingBlueEyes, I'm certainly not interested in starting a flame fest here. Instead I would like to have a thoughtful conversation about the J&J ad for what it is-- not a cure all to the problems that nursing faces, but rather just a simple commercial meant to portray the positive aspects of nursing.

Stargazer · Jan 23, 2003

Nikki, speaking for myself, I don't mind that nursing is being advertised by J & J or that recruiting is being done in the form of TV commercials. That's been going on for decades. I am not seethingly angry about the J & J spots or violently opposed to them. I DO believe there have been better nursing ad campaigns, and I have an uncomfortable feeling that these particular ads--showing shiny-faced, benevolent, angelic nurses beaming, "I can't have a bad day," as the soundtrack warbles, "They dare to care...they dare to care..." in the background--are going to attract people who are, not to put too fine a point on it, more altruistic than smart.

And in a time when we are being systematically abused, and our concerns dismissed, by everyone from patients and families to physicians to hospital administration, I don't believe that further reinforcing our Sweet 'n' Passive image--or specifially recruiting sweet and passive people--is going to help us as a profession in the long run. Or even in the short run.

Susy will remember an ad campaign from, I think, the mid-'80s or early '90s: nurses running down the hall with a gurney in slow-motion and gradually going out of focus as a female voiceover said, "I studied anatomy and physiology, chemistry, microbiology and pharmacology." Another voice said, "If caring was all it took, anybody could be a nurse." Cut to a text screeen showing an 800 number to call for more info, as The Voiceover Guy said, "Do YOU have what it takes?" I still remember being blown away by that ad the first time I saw it, and loving the way it specifically seemed to target smart, driven people. I can't help but think an ad like that does a better job of appealing to men, as well.

EmeraldNYL, BSN, RN · Jan 23, 2003

Stargazer, I have never seen that ad but it really does sound like a good one-- thanks for telling us young 'uns about it! Maybe we could all petition J&J to put out a new ad like the one you described? I agree that if people are only attracted to nursing because they are caring, then they won't make good advocates for themselves and their patients. :)

Stargazer · Jan 23, 2003

Oh, lordy I feel so old.