Nurses Encouraged to Contact TV Show "ER" with Opinions
10/20/03
The October 9, 2003, episode of NBC/Warner Brothers' "ER," which focused on nurses, has elicited a broad range of responses from nurses -- both positive and negative. Specifically, the show featured "a bad day for nurse Abby Lockhart." In addition, a nurse walkout was depicted, in which six nurses were summarily fired and a number of other nurses were given 90-day suspensions. (the "replacement nurses" are depicted as Asians, not doing much work as they stand around whispering in little groups together, and many comments by the other characters refer to the fact that "they don't speak English".)
Given the range of reactions to the episodes, ANA encourages you to share your feedback with AOL Time Warner, Warner Brothers, NBC and the producers of the show (e-mail addresses below). In addition, please blind copy [email protected] when you send your comments. We will be posting a sampling of comments on NursingWorld. Thank you.
Richard Parsons, Chairman and CEO, AOL Time Warner
Just once, I'd like to see ER depict a nurse crying after being verbally abused by a patient or family member. This show continually depicts patients being abusive towards staff; the staff seems to just let it roll off their backs, as if they have no emotions at all.
The public must have the idea that it's just fine to act this way since no one ever objects or even gets their feelings hurt!
The image of nursing. Interesting topic. The first nurses were slaves or prostitutes. Midwives were nurses who were also sometimes considered witches. Do a quick Google under "images" and many of the pics will be mildly Mediaographic. I can't blame TV execs for making nurses the center of a controversial story line. We have been making tongues wag and libidos rise for centuries! Nothing new under the sun as far as I can see!!
Gee, that must make it OK, then. Guess we should also go back to thinking the earth is flat...there's another falsehood that was considered true for centuries.
Gee, that must make it OK, then. Guess we should also go back to thinking the earth is flat...there's another falsehood that was considered true for centuries.
I'm kidding, fab. Better to laugh at it than get worked up over the ignorance of it all.
I don't so much object to the image of nurses on ER so much as the LACK of one- we're pretty much invisible, except as an afterthought. The show should more accurately be called ER Doctors. Think about the percentage of time a patient on any given hospital unit spends with an MD. Compare this to the percentage of their day spent with a nurse. If this were to be portrayed accurately on TV we would be seeing about 5-6 nurses for each doctor and the viewer might begin to get a feel for the sheer volume of direct hands-on care-time every nurses provide!
Just a thought...
BTW- anybody seen the show Strong Medicine? Another show where nurses seem to be MIA, except for one or two who are portrayed almost comically and as unable to handle their own problems. If I am not mistaken, Whoopie Goldberg has a hand in producing it which leaves me deeply disappointed in her.
BTW- anybody seen the show Strong Medicine? Another show where nurses seem to be MIA, except for one or two who are portrayed almost comically and as unable to handle their own problems. If I am not mistaken, Whoopie Goldberg has a hand in producing it which leaves me deeply disappointed in her.
I haven't seen it, but am not suprised that it doesn't accurately portray nurses. Whoopie Goldburg doesn't know what we do any more than most people. The average person is clueless as to the scope of what nurses really do. It would seriously blow them away if they did!
I can't blame TV execs for making nurses the center of a controversial story line. We have been making tongues wag and libidos rise for centuries! 
Nothing new under the sun as far as I can see!! 
NancyRN
222 Posts
Just once, I'd like to see ER depict a nurse crying after being verbally abused by a patient or family member. This show continually depicts patients being abusive towards staff; the staff seems to just let it roll off their backs, as if they have no emotions at all.
The public must have the idea that it's just fine to act this way since no one ever objects or even gets their feelings hurt!