Normally I blog mainly about knitting and neutral events in my life. Knitting is a wonderful way to cope with the daily stressors of our private and professional lives, don't you think? As an RN it sure has given me a means to relax!
Well, now I'm irritated. Enough to blog about it.
I'm not happy with how nursing is depicted in Nurse Jackie and HawthoRNe.
You can read commentary about this by going to this link:
Nurse Jackie/ HawthoRNe
As a nurse, I had been looking forward to the premiers of these two new nurse centered dramas with the hope that the lead characters would admirably represent the nursing profession. Something that has been sadly lacking in the portrayal of nurses by the media. Lots of inaccurate stereotypes. No real examples of the intelligent work that nurse DO in collaboration with physicians and all the other disciplines ( pharmacists, dietitians etc.) that make up a health care team.
What I got instead is that nurses have now graduated from being depicted by the media as wallpaper/handmaidens (ER, Grey's Anatomy) to stoner/wimps (Nurse Jackie, HawthoRNe)
Is this the new normal for nurses?
Is this how I want the public to view the nursing profession?
Professionally, shouldn't we insist that we be represented in the ideal or does that not make for good t.v. drama? What's with this trend toward making healthcare workers deeply flawed, bizarre or morally corrupt?
Sure, who wouldn't want to be a nurse after watching these shows?
Too meek to address your professional conflicts? HawthoRNe to the rescue, flying in on her white lab coat.
Nursing shortage problem solved.
Believe me, my job is hard enough without Mrs. Smith in room 317 thinking I'm snorting her Percocet in the nurses lounge!
The various responses by nurses were mostly unfavorable.
Here is mine:
I'd rather be yelled at by 100 physicians than have one dead patient due to a preventable medical error! That portrayal was a major insult to my profession.
Maybe we DO need one or two shows that present nursing professionals as perfect beings, because that representation on t.v. is long overdue. I'd prefer it to the current farce.
The public needs to see nursing at it's best. Medicine had Marcus Welby MD. It's time for Marcia Welby RN!
You can find me perched on my pedestal. Part of my customer service responsibilities. And my Nightingale Pledge.
Perhaps you've seen the programs and have an opinion. Nurse or health care consumer, go to the link and leave a comment No matter what your opinion, it's important that you be heard.
Now, I have an urge to knit this
Happy knitting!
3 comments:
My mother and her mother were nurses. I'm shocked that ANYONE thought this would be a good platform for a TV show. I guess they wanted to hop on House's coat tails and produce similar "Nurse with an attitude" shows??
love the blanket!
can't comment on the Nurse thing cuz tv and i aren't good friends.
haven't been to the edge yet. It's on my list of things to do this summer without kids :-)
thanks for the well wishes home.. the flights went without any hitches and I'm really glad to be back in the valley.
Your blanket is awesome!! Love everything about it :) (you know me and stripes ;)
Sorry...have not see those two shows, so can't comment. Typically any medical shows I've seen never live up to my expectations (I worked in a hospital as a medical technologist -microbiology for 20 years!)
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