Who's the Best TV Nurse? - allnurses in the news

[tnbutterfly - Mary]

allnurses in the news

Parade.com published an article today in honor of National Nurses Week. To celebrate the occasion, they posted a poll to find out who America thinks is the best fictional nurse on television.

allnurses was also featured in the article as a place where "real nurses" network.

And if you'd like to pay tribute to some real-life nurses this week, head over to allnurses.com, a networking site for RNs and nursing students. There, you can write a thank you message and the site will share it with its users.

The last portion refers to our new ThankANurse site, which was launched on Nurses Day 2014.

To read the entire article and participate in the poll, go to It's National Nurses Week! Poll: Who's the Best TV Nurse?

[kbrn2002, ADN, RN]

I second Hot Lips. Her character was tough with a soft side as needed. She busted her behind working and still managed to have fun, even during war. For a TV show that was set in the early 1950's and aired through most of the '70's and into the '80's a lot of the content is still relevant today.

[KelRN215, BSN, RN]

Carol Hathaway is pretty much the reason I became a nurse. I wanted to be her when I was 14.

[BrandonLPN, LPN]

And if you’d like to pay tribute to some real-life nurses this week, head over to

[COLOR=#003366]allnurses.com

, a networking site for RNs and nursing students. There, you can

[COLOR=#003366]write a thank you message

and the site will share it with its users.

Of course, its also a site for LPNs, seeing as we're nurses and the site is called Allnurses....

My favorite TV nurse? Ann Perkins from Parks and Rec!

Favorite Ann Perkins quote:

Patient: I want a new nurse.

Ann: Well, there aren't any.

Patient: Then I want a janitor. They can do what you do, right?

Ann: Yep. Nurses and janitors are totally interchangeable.

Runner up favorite TV nurse: Belize from Angels in America.

Favorite Belize quote:

Patient: I'm gonna report you.

Belize: There's a nursing shortage. I'm in a union. I'm real scared.

My nursing heroes. They taught me the correct response to patient stupidity is always sarcasm.

(And note that in 1985, when Angels in America is set, there really was a nursing shortage)

[Nurse_Mom7]

Nurse HawthoRNe ☺️

[thenightnurse456]

Carol Hathaway:. definitely a reason why I became a nurse.

[NutmeggeRN, BSN]

All of the above! But I am partial to Dixie McCall!!!!

[Cuddleswithpuddles]

I would like to a nurse in House. The doctors draw labs, talk to the patients for hours at a time, gather their own information for H&Ps, run the codes entirely, are ridiculously good-looking AND every patient room and OR has a romantic mood lighting scheme flattering for all skin tones. All I would need to do is scoff at Gregory House once in a while, maybe catch a little flak and then clock out.

[flyersfan88]

I would like to a nurse in House. The doctors draw labs, talk to the patients for hours at a time, gather their own information for H&Ps, run the codes entirely, are ridiculously good-looking AND every patient room and OR has a romantic mood lighting scheme flattering for all skin tones. All I would need to do is scoff at Gregory House once in a while, maybe catch a little flak and then clock out.

LOL....I think the only time I ever even heard them mention the word "nurse" on that show was when someone asked "Where's the nurse?" and one of the docs replied "She went to get a pillow."

[LadyFree28, BSN, LPN, RN]

Added my 2 cents to poll

Loved Julia as realistic RN but others have had farther better portrayal of nursing and character development.

How could they miss China Beach nursing staff ... plus cool collected, Dixie McCall from Emergency??

Here's my top lineup: Character/ Show/ Actress

First Lieutenant (later Captain) Colleen McMurphy portrayed by Dana Delany gets my #1 vote.

#2: Carol Hathaway - ER/ Julianna Margulies

#3: Major Margaret Houlihan-MASH /Loretta Swit

#4: Nurse Helen Rosenthal - St. Elsewhere/ Christina Pickles

#5: Dixie McCall-Emergency/ Julie London

#6: Nurse Jackie / Edie Falco

#7:Julia/ Diahann Carroll,

#8: Samantha Taggart-ER/Linda Cardellini

#9: Consuelo Lopez-Marcus WelbyMD/Elena Verdugo

#10: Nurse Bobbie Spencer- General Hospital/ Jacklyn Zeman

Check out Wiki's List of Fictional Nurses

China Beach :

This pretty much sums up my list.

I will say, Nurse Bobbie and Nurse Julia did it for me, besides watching a ER nurse in action when I was 5...plus watching General Hospital with my Godmother while rolling up her hair before she cooked dinner was the best!

I remember Trapper John, MD and Saint Elsewhere as well as Emergency; to me those are the far better shoes that realistically depict nurses; ER, to me was...OK; especially after I started working in an actual ER...

I would LOVE to see St. Elsewhere and Trapper John, MD back on a TV network, until then, I have Emergency! And M.A.S.H. On MeTV to help...

[ChristineN, BSN, RN]

I am surprised that no one has yet mentioned Hawthorne, from the show HawthoRNe. She was chief nursing officer that every hospital needs, standing up for her nurses, while still getting her hands dirty in the trenches doing pt care. Love her

[Lunah, MSN, RN]

I am surprised that no one has yet mentioned Hawthorne, from the show HawthoRNe. She was chief nursing officer that every hospital needs, standing up for her nurses, while still getting her hands dirty in the trenches doing pt care. Love her

She was mentioned a couple of posts back ...

Nurse HawthoRNe ☺️

And what I remember most about Nurse Hathaway on ER was that she wanted to go to medical school! lol

Loved China Beach.

[OCNRN63, RN]

I really admired the McMurphy character in "China Beach." That show came out shortly after I graduated from nursing school; I wanted to be just like Colleen McMurphy.

And Dixie McCall, for that time, was good at being assertive and a patient advocate.