Why do nurses seem to have a bad reputation?

Published

I don't know if it's just me, but it seems like nurses get a bad wrap sometimes. For example, on Grey's Anatomy the nurses are looked down on completely, and one of the nurses even gave syphilis to a doctor. Also, the nurses on the show are generally grumpy and in one episode they go on strike and refuse to work.

I also feel like nurses have a reputation for sleeping around. My dad who is 85 and is a retired general surgeon says that back when he practiced, nurses were known to sleep around a lot. He said it's because nurses are around life and death so much that they get careless in the sexual promiscuity sense. I just think that all of these stereotypes portrayed through TV are really rude and not realistic.

I just started nursing school a little over a month ago and this has been bothering me. Does this bother anybody else? I just was curious to see different opinions on the subject.

Well I mean, Grey's Anatomy also shows a surgeon trying to nearly kill a patient so he could jump to the top of the transplant list. I don't think anyone actually formulates opinions on healthcare workers based on shows like that.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

We actually had a lecture in my ADN program about this in our nursing perspectives class (a class that talked about ethics, resumes, career building, stereotypes in nursing, etc). The teacher that taught this class was very passionate about dispelling inaccurate depictions of nurses in the media. She talked about the "naughty nurse" stereotype depicted in the media through inaccurate TV shows and sexy halloween costumes. Out of the 2 medical shows I watch/watched, (Grey's Anatomy and Scrubs) I have to say scrubs is more accurate. Far from the truth, but a hell of a lot closer than Grey's.

I understand how it can be annoying, but it doesn't bother me too much. When I was in my ADN program, I would joke that I was going to be a nurse for halloween, but "a real nurse, not a ::4 letter word that starts with an "s" used to describe a loose woman:: nurse". I just wanted an excuse to buy scrubs that WEREN'T my ugly clinical ones :whistling:. I can see how sexualizing nursing can undermine the profession, but only if people are dense enough to believe it. I have friends joke about me being a nurse, but they're kidding. They know it's nothing like it's portrayed.

There's this girl I know that is some sort of unit secretary (she might have a MA degree, I don't know for sure though) at a hospital and she wants to go to nursing school. Last year for Halloween she went as a sexy nurse and that really bothered me. Probably only because I don't really like her to begin with, haha.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Pedi.
I don't know if it's just me, but it seems like nurses get a bad wrap sometimes. For example, on Grey's Anatomy the nurses are looked down on completely, and one of the nurses even gave syphilis to a doctor. Also, the nurses on the show are generally grumpy and in one episode they go on strike and refuse to work.

I also feel like nurses have a reputation for sleeping around. My dad who is 85 and is a retired general surgeon says that back when he practiced, nurses were known to sleep around a lot. He said it's because nurses are around life and death so much that they get careless in the sexual promiscuity sense. I just think that all of these stereotypes portrayed through TV are really rude and not realistic.

I just started nursing school a little over a month ago and this has been bothering me. Does this bother anybody else? I just was curious to see different opinions on the subject.

You started nursing school a month ago and already feel like nurses have "a reputation for sleeping around." In your first month of nursing school you probably haven't even set foot in any kind of healthcare facility yet so where do you get this "feeling" from?

Your impressions are inaccurate. Nurses don't have a bad reputation. Nurses consistently rank as one of the most trusted professions- actually until 9/11, nurses were #1 for many years.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Hospice.

Stereotypes exist, you can always tell the guys who watch too much "Naughty Nurse" Media because they have the nerve to insinuate how satisfied you will be. AFTER you have cathed them and have already seen what they have to offer lol.

Personally, I stopped watching General Hospital after they introduced a plot device that had a nurse going from floor to floor passing meds, and then taking the Narc keys home "for safekeeping"! Of course, her dastardly SO swiped them, somehow managed to get a copy made and roamed the hospital at will, swiping Opiates and God knows what else. I don't know how (or if) he got caught, because if I had continued to follow that crap, I would have thrown my MedSurg textbook through the TV screen.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Telemetry; CTSICU; ER.

TV is so unrealistic. I only saw a couple shows of Grey's Anatomy and stopped watching because I couldn't stomach the complete fantasy of how they portrayed doctors. Doctors giving meds at bedside (yeah right!) or getting a bedpan for a patient (maybe for a million dollars!), or doctors transporting patients to tests or other areas (they did that in the show House too--whatever!). I have only had a doctor push an iv med once at bedside which she had to give --it was versed for a cardioversion at bedside. Nurses pretty much do ALL the "grunt" work. I've had a doctor walk down a hallway to tell me a patient in the room he was next to seeing his patient, was saying they couldn't breathe--hello he couldn't even be bothered to just go check on the other patient when he was right there and hit the call light while he would've been in there?!! Majority of doctors are only in the patients rooms for 2-3 minutes--if new admit then about 5 minutes. Residents are in the rooms longer, but they don't do anything with the patients as they portray in any of the medical shows on tv--I don't know what person with their head in the clouds consults for these shows--but I would like the job to portray it as it really is!! Their are some mean nurses as there are mean people in any profession, but there are A LOT of mean and condescending doctors to the nurses and sometimes to the patients too. The doctors seem to get away with yelling at nurses, having temper tantrums in front of patients' families, and hanging up on nurses when we call them overnight regarding patient care.

As for nurses being promiscuous in general I don't think that is true at all. There are some doctors and nurses that seem to "get around" with each other, but I don't think this is something with only this profession and you could see this in advertising, real estate, banking, government positions, and politicians. There are all types of people in every type of job and some will sleep around and some won't.

Don't let people's perception of stereotypes or you ever affect your judgement of things. You are going into a field where you will need to have a strong backbone and develop thick skin so you don't take how some patients, their families, yes even some nurses, or some doctors when they treat you badly sometimes to heart--you need to just let it roll off of you.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Medsurg, Public Hlth, School Nurse, Acute Rehab.

I'd love to live in a world where doctors did complete patient care and us nurses just walked around and 'looked' busy. ;) I love Greys Anatomy. I'm enjoying the crazy story lines, but I really wouldn't base my opinion of nursing on what you see on that show or any other show for that matter. I've been told by patients that they didn't realize just how much nurses did. I can't say all patients respect nurses. Heck, there are some nurses I don't respect either. There are also some doctors I dislike. That doesn't mean I dislike or disrespect all doctors. You're going to hear bad things about nursing and those opinions will stick out above the good. Don't take it to heart. You know what nurses are capable of. Only your opinion matters at the end of the day.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Anyone else now have Joan Jett's song "Bad Reputation" stuck in their head? No? Just me? Could be worse, at least I like that song. But I'm gonna go ahead and echo Joan's position - "I don't give a damn about my bad reputation..." OP, I think you are putting far too much thought into this particular STEREOTYPE of nursing.

Well, now thanks to LadyFree, I can only think of "Bad WRAPutation" lol...

Up Vote Up Vote ×
TV is so unrealistic......doctors transporting patients to tests or other areas (they did that in the show House too--whatever!)....

OMG, I remember watching House some years back and seeing that when the British/Australian blondie doc got mad and wanted off of House's "team", he just picked up neurosurgery instead! ROFL...yep, from diagnostician straight into brain surgery! Not even a week off....then there he was, cuttin' up brains. Yep...TOTALLY realistic :D

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Thanks for all of the comments guys! I was just wondering about opinions and experiences. LOL, and I did not mean "bad wrap". I meant "bad rep" as in bad reputation. I definitely wasn't paying too much attention when I wrote that! I've been kind of distracted with trying to memorize all of the A&P that is getting thrown at me (this week is all about the skeletal system).

I definitely don't think that nurses deserve a bad reputation, I just think that TV shows give a false impression of what nurses really do. And in regards to the sleeping around, I agree that sleeping around happens with any job, and its just something adults do (including doctors)!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Emergency, Telemetry, Transplant.
A: I've been kind of distracted with trying to memorize all of the A&P that is getting thrown at me (this week is all about the skeletal system).

B: I just think that TV shows give a false impression of what nurses really do.

(the A and B are mine)

A: I mean no disrespect with this. For now, focus on your A&P and other studies. There will be distractions, but no need to create another one by worrying about nurses' reputations and their portrayal on TV. Study hard, become a nurse, then you can fight any negative perceptions you feel are out there.

B: They do! But, remember Doug Ross on ER--talk about sleeping around. House (and the supporting cast) did not really paint docs in a very positive light either. In other words--it's fiction. The vast majority of people realize that…and those that don't…well, that's their problem.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I am not too much affected by the stereotype because I know I do not fit it and that is that. However, I think because nurses are the most trusted profession, anything they do is magnified even more. That is, the sensational parts from TV and some wayward nurses, not all of nursing life in its entirety is shown!

Thanks to all you nurses who do uphold this standard, making nursing one of the top professions! Just my two cents......I don't have any more change to give!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Im wondering about the lvn compass exam in WC? What is testing based on?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion