Why I am not Surprised by Joy Behar's Ignorant Comments
Joy Behar of The View may have well-informed opinions on many topics, but her views on nursing are downright ignorant. It isn’t surprising that she doesn’t know what she’s talking about where nurses are concerned because most of the public doesn’t know, either.
In case you missed it, a "comedian" on the talk television show The View has some very misguided notions about what it takes to be a nurse. Joy Behar, long-time member of the all women panel on the social commentary show, made her ignorance about nurses very clear with some of the comments she made regarding the profession.
It all started with the very brave actions of Miss Colorado in the Miss America Pageant. The contestant appeared on the show during the talent section dressed in work scrubs with a stethoscope around her neck. She explained how her talent was for nursing, helping people, and caring for others when they are at their worst.
Being fashionably feminist, Behar and the other women on the panel are against pageants, but that is an opinion for another site. She began mocking Miss Colorado saying that she was wearing a "doctor's stethoscope" and was dressed in a "nurse's costume." Her comments showed no respect for the profession and what we do on a day to day basis. The next day, after much public backlash, Behar "apologized" by saying that she was only making fun of the pageant and the comments against nurses were only jokes.
Nurses have been outraged all across the internet, and rightly so. In fact, a Facebook group called "Show Me Your Stethoscope" has over 600,000 members and hundreds of stethoscope selfies in just the few days since the comments.
Although Behar's comments are surprising, what is not is her ignorance. As a nurse, I am not surprised that someone in the spotlight knows very little of what nurses actually do. In fact, I was not aware of it until I put on those scrubs and slung a stethoscope around my neck. No one knows what it is like to be in those shoes, enduring the soaring rush of saving a life and the devastating blow of losing a patient.
Traditionally, nurses are seen as doctor's secretaries, and this fueled Behar's comments. Of course a nurse wouldn't need a stethoscope: she -- always a she -- would only need a clipboard to take notes for the doctor. It doesn't occur to the media or the public that nurses are just as involved in hard core medicine as doctors are. As I've always said, give me a nurse with 20 years experience over an intern any day.
I believe that this ignorance arises from how nurses are portrayed in the media. When the public thinks of nurses, they think of Florence Nightingale. Nursing has changed considerably since then! What other nurses can stand up as role models, though, that could inform the public of the very serious work done by nurses?
Take entertainment. Nurse Jackie, though well known among nurses, has a cult following. She isn't exactly a role model, either. Another nurse show that aired on TNT didn't earn enough ratings, even though it still didn't show nurses in their true light. Grey's Anatomy and House focused so much on the lives of the doctors that they never showed what nurses do.
And that's the problem. No one knows what nurses do because no one has shown them. What Behar said was deplorable, ignorant, misinformed, and uneducated, but not surprising. A media talking head would have no idea what goes on in the trenches of a nursing shift. How could they? No one has told them and no one has shown them.
More education is needed for the general public about what nurses do. We don't just pass pills. We don't just take orders from the doctor. We don't just wipe behinds. We listen to lung sounds. We assess if someone is dying. We make the call whether to call the doctor or not. We are at the bedside for eight to 12 hours, and we see more of the patient than the doctor ever will. We are the thin white line that exists to protect and serve the patients who need us.
Nursing skills matter.
Fire away at Behar and get the media's attention. Eradicate this ignorance, but don't be surprised. Don't think they should know better. Nurses are misrepresented in nearly every sphere. It just took one supposedly funny person's ignorant comments to cast light on that fact.
At least for a couple weeks nurses will be on the same side with a common goal of bashing the view. Next month they will all be back to stabbing each other in the back and cattiness. Meow
I, personally, have never heard any of them publicly say "I'm sorry" to nurses. They've skirted around it and said we have "misunderstood"; No we heard you loud and clear, now hear us load and clear. There are more of us, although not as visible as "The View", but we have a very load, visible presence and they're more of us!! No sympathy for the view...take them off the air.
I, personally, have never heard any of them publicly say "I'm sorry" to nurses. They've skirted around it and said we have "misunderstood"; No we heard you loud and clear, now hear us load and clear. There are more of us, although not as visible as "The View", but we have a very load, visible presence and they're more of us!! No sympathy for the view...take them off the air.
They actually did say "We apologize" and "I'm sorry about that" on yesterday's show. But at this point, they could say sorry a million times, and everyone will say that it's insincere. I think it's time to move on to bigger issues.
She has no idea what a nurse's responsibility is. Of course each job is different with a different scope of practice. But one thing is for sure a nurse will know their patients far better than the doctor does and most doctors respect that and do listen to what the nurse is telling them when they make that call. For we are the ones who know what's the norm for that patient and we know when something has changed, and a good nurse, a seasoned nurse knows what is, and what is not an important change. I hope the next time Joy is in the hospital she finally gets it. I am a nurse case manager an i advocate for my clients i am the eyes and ears for them when they visit the doctors office or if they get sick at home im the one who goes in and assesses their condition. I love my job and I love my Patients. I wouldn't want to be anything else.
Nurses and techs are with the patient almost 24/7! The doctor sees the patient for maybe 3-6 minutes per day. Even as a tech, I....I....I AM THE ONE that saw something odd and thought that a visitor snuck you some heroin while you are hooked up to a morphine PCA pump, and quickly checked vitals to show SBP at 79 and alerted the nurse who rushed to bolus fluids so you wouldn't die!! and WE are the ones that see your mucusy loose stools and alert the Dr. that C-diff is suspect and a sample has been collected and orders are needed for a test. WE (nurses, techs, family) WE are your advocates, your voice! The doctor would have no idea that you needed anything if we didn't tell them!
Good point however not everyone is turning a deaf ear. Johnson&Johnson pulled their ads from the show so did Mckormick along with others. Ellen gave Miss Colorado $10k. Nurses can make a difference and Joy's ignorance has given us the opportunity. I was offended when she was giving her apology and Raven Simone took it to a whole different level telling us we need to pay attention. Who the heck is she? And Whoopi don't even get me started.
Please tell me what you are refering to here, and how I can see it? I am not twitter savvy. I just found out about this contoversy and am saddened by the vitriol being thrown at Joy Behar , who is a good person, for the crime of not understanding what RN's do. Yea, maybe she should know more about what Nurses do ( I guess we mean Registered nurses?) but its hard to say. Most people have no idea that there are several different levels of nurses, and several levels of non-nurses that are referred to as "nurses"- even in the medical field! So why should Joy Behar know that?
Maybe it might be easier to understand the outrage if every clinic and hospital didnt insist on everyone in the building dressing alike, wearing scrubs, including the janitors and receptionists, and always referring to Medical Assistants and CNA's as "nurses". I have seen this
time and again.
This has lead to a world where no one knows what anyone does in a medical setting, certainly not exactly what duties are done by which kind of "nurse", or who is really a nurse. Doctors (providers/prescribers) wear white coats, and that is all everyone knows for sure.
I am an NP and once had a job where the clinic owners wanted everyone to wear matching scrubs, and I was able to convince them to at least allow me as the provider, to wear my dress clothes with my white coat, as it was important to illustrate and delianate between roles in the clinic. They agreed that it looked much more professional, and conveyed much more authority and confidence to the patients. Many referred to me as their "Doctor", even when they were fully aware that I was an NP.
I dont knoow what the answer is, but RN's as a group need to insist on being treated with respect and not allow receptionists, MA's, CNA's, janitors, secretary's, admin people, etc, to wear the same clothes and to be called Nurses. Obviously, the RN's are not the ones makinghtese bad choices, but maybe we should all fight against this perception of what a nurse does, and ask for things that will better convey the reality of what real RN's do, then using up sp much indignation hating on a nice person who made a mistake that I think would be quite common.
Knowing what nurses do is hard to articulate because we do so much that is underappreciated, undesirable or not quantifiable but non less valuable. Just ask anyone on the thread to say what it means to take care of someone it is different for everyone.
Beyond that the most intolerant people ironically are those who claim to some thing like a feminist. If you are truly pro wmen,you also embrace and empower any woman who chooses to do things because its what they want to do even if it is typically considered female. A true feminist will fight for the worth of these female roles and seek to improve and quantify that worth to the public. I don't care if it is a pageant contestant, nurse, housewife, or teacher
Jensmom7, BSN, RN
1,907 Posts
Next month?? Read some of the comments.