Professionalism and the image of nursing

Nurses General Nursing

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I'm working on my RN right now, and have a presentation coming up in about 6 weeks about professionalism and the image of nursing. Even though it's still a while off, I was wondering:

-What are some of the issues you would like to see addressed in a presentation like this?

-What are some issues/concerns you have about the current image of nursing, particularly in the media?

I am particularly interested in the image of doctors vs. nurses in society. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!

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Specializes in Med/surg/tele/OR.

There are many issues with the image of nursing in the media. You could probably google that topic and find a wealth of info on the topic. The ANA website would be a good place to start. There was a show on 20/20 about the "Heart attack Grill" where the waitstaff dress like nurses in a white short nursing dress. The food is greasy hamburgers and stuff, and the patrons can be wheeled out to their cars in a wheelchair. Disgusting!:angryfire Also shows such as House (where I've never even seen a nurse) depict the doctors as doing everything for the patients. Grey's anatomy is the same way the nurses there only sleep with doctors and give them syphillis. Other shows such as Scrubs (the olighter more unrealistic side of healthcare at times) depict nurses in a good light. The nurse Carla is a latina nurse which shows a minority in the field. She is bright, smart, and always helping the new interns, often times she is shown as having more insight into the patients conditions as some of the new interns. (sound familiar). At last but not least ER, (my favorite show! for years now) depicts nursing how it is. The nurses on that show behave and perform much of the same functions as real nurses, they are treated with the respect that they deserve. Also the docs on that show perform doctors duties while the nurses function as a real nurse would. Just a few examples for you. good luck with your paper.

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The Center for Nursing Advocacy would also be a good place to look for examples. There are so many issues that go into this that it will be difficult for you to choose.

I would like to see the dress/uniform of nurses being addressed. All of the cartoon prints that many nurses wear are unprofessional, in my opinion. I don't think that we should go back to the starched whites and nursing cap days, but looking like a professional is important. I would also be interested in a discussion of the education of nurses and how that relates to professionalism or perceived professionalism.

As far as the media depiction of nurses, I disagree with the above poster. I don't believe that any of the TV shows really depict nurses in a realistic or respectful manner. In both Scrubs and ER, the nurses that are main characters are always there for the purpose of having a relationship with a doctor. In ER, when the one nurse (Ally?) decided she wanted to advance her education, she went to medical school.

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I'd like to see the idea of nurses in the media being portrayed more realistically. I rarely watch ER anymore, but I see the drs. doing various tasks and say the nurse would do that, and that, and that NOT the dr. I'd love to see Discovery Health do a series on nurses.

The whole lateral violence issue hurts our profession. I don't think it is only true in nursing though. The issue of physicians being disrespectful also needs to change. It's getting better, but there is still a lot of work to be done.

Salaries are much better than when I got out of school 20 years ago, but they need to be better. The opportunities at the bedside need to expand. Advancement and recognition for the people who do the the things patients come to the hospital to recieve need reward and recognition. A partner in a law firm doesn't make a few dollars an hour more than the gal who just passed the bar 6 months ago. That experienced attorney is well-rewarded. Nurses who are real aces who stay at the bedside and are a resource for others should be making the BIG bucks. Better pay for faculty too. We need to attract the best to teach the next generation, but we need to reward that expertise.

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Specializes in ICU, med/surg.

Just a note to an above poster...

There's a great show on Discovery Health called "Nursing Diaries." It's great! It's basically like any real life doctor show, but follows nurses with different specialties.

Give it a google and see if it's on sometime soon for you. I happen to be watching it as I type :)

Sean

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Specializes in Med-Surg, ED.

I would like to see a boycott of cartoonish nurses as portrayed in media, cartoons, etc. The Betty Boop nurse image makes us appear unprofessional.

I think there should be an established uniform for nurses. We all know that if you see a white coat, the average Joe is going to think Doctor. If Joe sees white pants, he is going to think Nurse. But in reality, you have housekeepers wearing scrubs now and hardly anyone in white scrub pants. The RN patch that I saw around (AJN I think) was a good idea, but I have yet to see any used in real life.

As for the image of doctors vs nurses...I don't know...I don't see that alot in practice but if you want to go with that you might want to look into stressing the importance of collaborative care between the nurses and doctors, and possibly from there it would lead to more empowerment and autonomy within nursing, which would also be good.

Good luck! :)

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