Why no nursing love from Grey's?

Nurses General Nursing

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So, I did a rare thing the other night: I watched Grey's Anatomy.

I generally avoid the show for two main reasons:

1. I work in the ICU, so the last thing I want to see is the ICU (or whatever make-believe "unit" it is where they practice) when I'm not there.

2. It portrays doctors as NURSES and nurses get NO credit!

Three examples: Dr. Meredith turning a patient?? Dr. in OR with concrete-block-boy pushing D50 and Insulin?? "Figuring out" to put a foley in the patient?

In my time as a nurse (albeit short -- life-longers please disagree if you have contrary experience), I have never seen a doctor do any of these things.

ONCE in a while, I'll get a rare, rare doctor (resident, mind you) to help me pull up a patient, but usually that's b/c the patient is in respiratory distress and needs a position change to breath, and I have only seen a doctor push a med ONCE, and it was again, a resident, TPA, and during a code (b/c that's hospital policy).

And the foley?? What nurse would allow a patient to even ENTER the ICU (much less bolus them with excessive fluids) without making sure they have a foley? Has anyone ever seen a physician put one in a routine patient? Ridiculous.

So, this is my question...why no love for nurses? We not only DO these things (most without being asked, mind you), we double check them before we do, know when they're needed and usually are the ones asking doctors for orders for them...so, why, when positive media-attention is needed for nurses MOST...are these super-unrealistic-suave-RESIDENTS getting the credit?

I noticed another thing while suffering through the show...when the young boy fell down and had a seizure, what did Dr. Gray immediately do?

She yelled, "NURSE!" Because, even her distorted, fictional, unrealistic character-self knew that the nurse would be the one who knew exactly what to do.

It's about time that Hollywood woke up to the fact that nurses are the award-winning, exciting, realistic, intelligent, juicy people they need to be spotlighting on prime-time TV. Then, maybe we'll start to see a break in this nursing shortage.

Any thoughts?

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Many moons ago, doctors did male caths where I trained.

I think the answer is to write to the producer and let him or her know the truths of which you speak. Be a professional spokesperson for our profession, start a petition.

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So, this is my question...why no love for nurses? We not only DO these things (most without being asked, mind you), we double check them before we do, know when they're needed and usually are the ones asking doctors for orders for them...so, why, when positive media-attention is needed for nurses MOST...are these super-unrealistic-suave-RESIDENTS getting the credit?

I noticed another thing while suffering through the show...when the young boy fell down and had a seizure, what did Dr. Gray immediately do?

She yelled, "NURSE!" Because, even her distorted, fictional, unrealistic character-self knew that the nurse would be the one who knew exactly what to do.

It's about time that Hollywood woke up to the fact that nurses are the award-winning, exciting, realistic, intelligent, juicy people they need to be spotlighting on prime-time TV. Then, maybe we'll start to see a break in this nursing shortage.

Any thoughts?

(I'm still a student, so bear with me--I don't remotely know it all--just a tiny, tiny bit from clinicals :chuckle)

I think it's the view that doctors are the be-all/end-all and nurses are their servants. Though that isn't nearly as true as it used to be, for some reason it's perpetuated by not only the media, but in many cases healthcare facilities. A lot of people have some kind of "white coat syndrome" that automatically makes them bend over to kiss doctors' rear ends when they walk in the room. Instead of acknowleding that the health care team is just that--a TEAM--nurses are many times left by the wayside. The only time nurses have shown up as key members to plots in Grey's Anatomy are when they sleep around with doctors. As if all nurses are just waiting around the corner for McDreamy, LOL (although I must say he does have great hair!). I don't know see how hard it can be to throw in a couple of nurses as main characters...give them storylines and lives just like the doctor characters...I don't think it's rocket science.

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Specializes in Critical Care.

I don't ever watch that show, but my wife watches it religiously and had it on the other night. I watched for a few minutes and was thinking much of the same things. Additionally, I didn't see any IV so I don't know where they were giving fluids. He had perfectly decent access to his IJ yet I saw nothing there.

Other stuff, too- with all that concrete hardening around you, there'd be a ton of pain and anxiety most likely leading to a weakened respiratory effort. You'd think they would have sedated and intubated him for his own safety and comfort as well as to reduce muscle fatigue.

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Specializes in CCU, OB, Home Health.

It's all in the prestige. You/I/we are all "just a nurse," just plebes, not nearly as sexy as doctors. ("sexy" in the sense of who draws attention, not necessarily sexual.)

IRL, plenty of non-medical people gives lots of credit to the doctor, because the doctor is perceived as the one with the power, and everyone else is "just following orders." On TV, the people writing the show want the credit to go to the doctor as it does in real life, but watching doctors do what they are really good at - thinking and looking stuff up and talking with other doctors to figure stuff out - doesn't always translate to good TV. The fun stuff to watch is the stuff we're doing - the needles, the catheters of various sorts, even taking the blood pressure. It's all more concrete than what your average doctor does.

And, since IRL we do the concrete stuff, and doctors are thinking/researching/consulting, sometimes it gets overlooked that we're doing plenty of critical thinking, nursing-level interventions ourselves. How do we get more credit? I don't know yet!

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Maggie - I agree, nurses get the boot on TV.

I disagree with your idea, though about RN sub-plots: What makes doctors so exciting?! I'd never want to be a doctor -- you think RNs have a lot of paperwork?? That's all dr.s do!

Nurse's have far too long waited for their "chance to shine" with little subplots (most of which, I agree with you, are about sleeping with Dr's).

It's time for us to have our own show - showcasing the quirky, fun, exciting and INTELLIGENT profession of nursing. Now is the time to be excited about being a nurse! What other job allows you to: travel around the country, set your own schedule, reap tons of benefits, and have 4 days off a week?!

Many, many academic studies on the nursing shortage site the media's poor/inadequate representation of nursing as a CRITICAL part of the overall problem.

And, while Hollywood makes its living on making things that are not exciting, exciting (cough, surgery, and residents...in the case of Grey's)...and nurse's portrayal, just like dr's may not be completely accurate...nurses need a show of their own!!!

#1 way to fix the nursing shortage (in my opinion): make the country realize how COOL it is to be a nurse.

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Specializes in Community Health, Med-Surg, Home Health.

The closet image I have seen in the image of nursing is ER, but they do not emphasize on their role; most of them have minor roles with the exception of Nurse Hathaway, Abby (but, then, she became a physician) and then, Sam. Otherwise, they are side servants. But, I saw a bit more that related to everyday life than I did with other shows. I remember Marcus Welby and his office nurse Consuelo...but in reality, she was probably a Medical Assistant.

We need a nursing reality show to display the real deal about the roles of nurses. I only hope that they also show a few LPNs as well.

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Of course House MD leaves nursing duties to cleaning up after code browns.....

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Specializes in Adult Stem Cell/Oncology.

I just started volunteering at two different hospitals, one is a children's hospital and at the other hospital I volunteer on the oncology floor. At both hospitals, it definitely looks like the nurses run the show! They admit the patients, give IV medications and oral medications, give chemo, comfort the families, etc... It seems to me like you guys do all the hard work, so I just wanted to say that I admire you all greatly for what you do! Nurses are amazing people! :yeah: I'm not going to lie, I love Grey's Anatomy, but it's definitely not an accurate portrayal of nursing!

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Specializes in ICU/ER.

Not only do I love Greys--I LOVE LOVE LOVE house and I even watch ER.

They are fictional shows--no they may not portray real nurses, but I see enough of that every day...I stil love them.

I also watch Desperate Housewives and have never lived in a nieghborhood like Wisteria Lane!!

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I don't ever watch that show, but my wife watches it religiously and had it on the other night. I watched for a few minutes and was thinking much of the same things. Additionally, I didn't see any IV so I don't know where they were giving fluids. He had perfectly decent access to his IJ yet I saw nothing there.

Other stuff, too- with all that concrete hardening around you, there'd be a ton of pain and anxiety most likely leading to a weakened respiratory effort. You'd think they would have sedated and intubated him for his own safety and comfort as well as to reduce muscle fatigue.

I thought the very same thing. I do watch the show and also yell at the TV when it is so obvious. I HATE it when they mispronounce something. Sometimes it is so simple! I know what is real so I try to nevermind it. Just like movies, no one can jump from buildings with out some really wrong with them afterwards. :)

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Maggie - I agree, nurses get the boot on TV.

I disagree with your idea, though about RN sub-plots: What makes doctors so exciting?! I'd never want to be a doctor -- you think RNs have a lot of paperwork?? That's all dr.s do!

I didn't mean that nurses should have sub-plots--what I meant to say was that in shows like Grey's or House there should be main "RN" or "LPN" characters given the same screen-time, storylines, etc. etc. as the "MD" characters. No one said the MD's job was more exciting--like someone else said above, nurses get to do all of the "cool" stuff! :) I agree with you-give nurses their own show!

All of that said, I really do enjoy sitting down to watch ER and House, regardless of how unrealistic the shows are. Heck, it's television--basically the majority of TV is unrealistic. :nurse:

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