Need a Hit Mainstream TV show about nurses!!!

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Specializes in Critical Care, Pediatrics, Geriatrics.

So there's Grey's Anatomy, House, and ER on mainstream tv...then you got stuff on cable like Strong Medicine, Life in the ER, etc. Most of these shows revolve around Physicians or are nothing better than a soap opera, and on another thread there is a letter-writing campaign beginning for the advocacy of better PR on tv for nurses on these shows.

WHY is there not a show that is about NURSES??? At least on the main networks, FOX, ABC, CBS, and NBC? It would be a great way to promote the profession and educate the public on what we do! It could certainly become just as much of a hit and have some drama. It could even explain the various roles of CNAs, LPNs, RNs, Nurse Managers, CRNAs, etc. Anybody have any thoughts on this?

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Well, The Center for Nursing Advocacy is supposedly working on this. It may be on their site. Anyway, they said they had gathered some nurses to come up with ideas and produce a show which they would try to sell to someone, network or cable. Discovery had a reality mini-series they did on nurses which was pretty good. However, I don't see any real nurses show happening outside of the Discovery channels, real nursing is just not salacious enough.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Pediatrics, Geriatrics.
However, I don't see any real nurses show happening outside of the Discovery channels, real nursing is just not salacious enough.

It's sad when Paris Hilton types can capture an audience but a show about nurses can't:confused:

If it is well written, there is the potential to produce a very good, marketable show about nursing. Hope it gets done, and hope to see it on the main networks and not cable...lot of elderly/poor population where I live that don't have cable that could benefit the most.

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.

Here's the reality in America. Nurses are highly trusted; however, doctors are the ones with the affluence and prestige. Money speaks volumes; therefore, the doctors seem to attract all of the media attention.

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Specializes in Multiple.

Here in the UK we have just had a series of TV shows showing student nurses of today going back to 1950's training - that was really good - made me realise just how much our nurse training has changed - and it was ALL for the better. (They also did one for medical students but to be honest the nursing one was much better.) It showed the old 'matron' and senior sister roles and how task orientated we were - really good show

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Specializes in Critical Care, Pediatrics, Geriatrics.

well, I think its a great idea and its sad to see that not too many posters have chimed in to agree. Do they not care or do that feel like others, that our profession isn't as marketable as the others?

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Can anyone say "All Saints"?

Aussie tv show about nurses.. used to be set on Ward 17, which catered for everything from pregnancy to gunshot wounds and had a fairly alarming number of codes. is now set in emergency because someone in management closed ward 17 (budget cuts, of course) while Terri (the cnm) was off sick having open heart surgery (as you do).

It's becoming less about the nurses and more about the whole team now (for example, terri (nurse) went out with jack (fresh faced doctor), which upset nelson (nurse, at the time besotted with terri), they broke up and jack had a one-night-stand with charlotte (doctor, lesbian), and everyone found out when charlotte (doctor, lesbian) announced to frank (director of emergency, grumpy yet soft-hearted dad-type) that she was pregnant, which upset vincent (doctor, chrlotte's ex-husband) and terri (nurse)...

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Specializes in Critical Care, Pediatrics, Geriatrics.
Can anyone say "All Saints"?

never heard of it. that's part of the problem. It also sounds a bit soap- opera-ish

I'm talking a real drama about life as a nurse. Dealing with rude docs, non-compliant patients, lazy co-workers, management hounding you every time you turn around, jobs being cut, alarms going off, patients crashing...then helping someone "die with dignity", discussing ethical issues like advanced directives/right to die/euthanasia, seeing miraculous recoveries, compassion, touching a patient/family member, saving a life, etc....everything that we deal with on a daily basis!

This to me is not boring and deserves WAY more attention than bashing some other show for how they portray nurses! Fight fire with fire, I say!:angryfire

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Unfortunately, shows starring nurses tend to degenerate into soap operas or sit coms portraying nurses as bimbos or sleaze bags or some combination.

As was pointed out, nursing doesn't make the bucks and isn't glamorous, and not at all what the public wants. Networks are going to give the public what it wants, reality or not.

I think if there was a show that was realistic, nobody would watch it. The day-to-day life in a hospital is just not always dramatic enough. Hence all the soap operas that come out of these shows.

It fries my hide when I see these medical shows having doctors doing what nurses normally do. When it happens to be on tv and I'm in the room, my family has to turn the channel or kick me out.

~Kat

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Specializes in PeriOp, ICU, PICU, NICU.
Unfortunately, shows starring nurses tend to degenerate into soap operas or sit coms portraying nurses as bimbos or sleaze bags or some combination.

As was pointed out, nursing doesn't make the bucks and isn't glamorous, and not at all what the public wants. Networks are going to give the public what it wants, reality or not.

I think if there was a show that was realistic, nobody would watch it. The day-to-day life in a hospital is just not always dramatic enough. Hence all the soap operas that come out of these shows.

It fries my hide when I see these medical shows having doctors doing what nurses normally do. When it happens to be on tv and I'm in the room, my family has to turn the channel or kick me out.

~Kat

I agree very much with your post too.

To the OP its a good idea, just need to brainstorm and organize a plan and attempt it :)

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I think someone here last year actually wrote and submitted a proposal for a series. I don't think it got to far.

It was a good idea she had, but the networks just weren't interested.

~Kat

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Specializes in NICU.
I'm talking a real drama about life as a nurse. Dealing with rude docs, non-compliant patients, lazy co-workers, management hounding you every time you turn around, jobs being cut, alarms going off, patients crashing...then helping someone "die with dignity", discussing ethical issues like advanced directives/right to die/euthanasia, seeing miraculous recoveries, compassion, touching a patient/family member, saving a life, etc....everything that we deal with on a daily basis!

When I was watching Grey's Anatomy not too long ago I was thinking how great it'd be if they did a show like that, but focused on the nurses instead of the doctors.

I like Grey's Anatomy .... I like the medical part of it, but I like the soap opera part of it too. I don't think I'd like watching a show about all the stuff you mentioned above because that's stuff that I have to deal with at work 36 hours a week. I'd rather watch a show like that more for entertainment.

I do like watching some of the real-life medical dramas on DHC sometimes. But I just can't see a show like that being aired on the local networks.

But I would definitely love a Grey's Anatomy/ER type show for nurses .... soap opera stuff included.

And they can still portray nurses in a good light ..... being accurate and informing the public about what nurses really do/don't do.

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