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Interviews and Perspectives

Nurses in the Media:

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Table of Contents
Week 1 - Table of Contents
Week 1 - Purpose of Project Week 2 - Historical Perspective (1) Week 2 - Historical Perspective (2) Week 2 - Current Images of Nursing - Electronic Media (1) Week 3 - Current Images of Nursing - Electronic Media (2) Week 3 - Current Images of Nursing - Electronic Media (3) Week 4 - Current Images of Nursing - Electronic Media (4) Week 5 - Current Portrayals of Nursing in Print Media Week 6 - Portrayals of Nursing in Artistic Expression Week 9 - History of Nursing Uniforms (1) Week 9 - History of Nursing Uniforms (2) Week 9 - History of Nursing Uniforms (3) Week 10 - Putting It All Together (1) Week 10 - Putting It All Together (2) Slide 2 Slide 3 Slide 4 Slide 5 Slide 6 Slide 7 Slide 8 Slide 9 Slide 10 Slide 11 Slide 12 Slide 13 Slide 14 Slide 15 Slide 16

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Purpose of Project

The purpose of this project design is to reflect upon and demonstrate the various effects that the media, either print or electronic, has on the nursing profession. This project seeks to synthesize course materials and incorporate them in a way which augments the various interviews conducted upon healthcare workers and laymen alike. The end goal is to show a culmination of thoughts and perspectives of today's nurse, and to show how these views can either be propagated or debunked.

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Historical Perspective
Interview with [Kimberly S], female-white RN, employed as a Charge Nurse in a geriatric facility located in Nashville, Tennessee [Kimberly S] asked about her perspective of nursing history

Florence Nightingale

Mary Eliza Mahoney

When asked about her perspective regarding the history of nursing, [Kimberly S] stated that she believed many people point to Florence Nightingale as the relative beginning of the profession, however her opinion reflects a job which dates back to the beginnings of motherhood. She believes that the history of nursing actually receives has its origins for the natural care of infants and children. In this way, all mothers, since the beginning of human existence, act in the capacity of nurses. [Kimberly S] further stated that from these maternal origins a gradual evolution developed into dedicated caregivers who transformed it into an art. In fact, she firmly believes that nursing should be considered the oldest of all the arts. Of course, as humanity progressed and when it was apparent that nurturing by itself could not cure disease, it became necessary to adopt a more educated framework for the art of nursing. Hence, the art transformed into a profession. The profession then made way for pioneers like Mary Eliza Mahoney.

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Historical Perspective

The history of nursing actually receives its origins from the natural care of infants and children. All mothers act in the capacity of nurses.

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Current Images of Nursing Electronic Media

Interview with three Licensed Practical Nurses:[Jamie T], [Donya D] and [Joseph R] employed as a Medication Managers at a Nursing Home located in Nashville, Tennessee

All participants were asked about their perspectives of nurses portrayed in the Electronic Media

Naughty Nurse

When asked about their opinions of how nurses are being portrayed in the electronic media, all seem to focus on television shows and/or movie roles which either help or hurt the nursing image. All seem to agree that nurses rank first in respect and generally, in the eyes of the public, are seen as working above and sometimes beyond many other professions. However, they seemed miffed about Hollywood's depiction of nurses via various popular shows during prime time. [Donya D.] stated that most nurses try to ignore the stereotypes by letting it fly in one ear and out the other, but it becomes difficult when bombarded with depictions of the naughty nurse who oftentimes appear subservient to physicians who do nothing more than fetch things like trained pets.

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Current Images of Nursing Electronic Media

The Donya, Jamie and Joseph were all asked to list the top and bottom television shows and/or movies which portray nurses in the best and worse light. The general consensus yielded the results shown in the chart below:

Best Shows
Nurse Jackie

Worse Shows/Movies
1 Greys Anatomy 2 House 3 Private Practice 4 The One Who Flew Over the Coo Coo's Nest 5 Naughty Nurse Advertisements

1 Mercy 2 HawthoRNe 3 Theresa Brown 4 Pauline Chen

Nurse Ratched

5 Nurse Jackie

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Current Images of Nursing Electronic Media

When questioned, the [Jamie T] believed that skilled nurses on Showtime's Nurse Jackie, TNT's HawthoRNe, and NBC's Mercy, attempt to elevate the publics perception of nurses, rather than retreating them into the background of work performed by doctors. For instance, [Joseph R] sees New York emergency room nurse Jackie Peyton as appearing tough but very talented, and she actively finds creative ways to help her patients lead better lives. Likewise, [Donya D] sees chief nurse Christina Hawthorne is a strong and skilled expert nurse in Richmond, Virginia who appears on the program as a vital component to hospitals operations. This is in comparison to shows like Greys Anatomy for which nurses appear insignificant, as physicians perform real-life nursing

Hawthorne

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1975 movie [One Current Images of Nursing Who Flew Media the Electronic Over Cuckoo's Nest]. They describe her as a cruel, sadistic, passive aggressive tyrant who plans and manipulates everything that

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Current Portrayals of Regarding the nurses inPrint Media Nursing in the print media, there

are many nursing journals today that offer a variety of information and education for the public at large as well as nurses themselves. Of course among them are general information magazines and ones geared towards nursing specialties. Jamie Ts sister, Christie T., when interviewed stated that these articles and magazines appear to be written with registered nurses in mind, and doesnt seem to incorporate topics which concern Licensed Practical Nurses. For instance, American Nurse Today is a nursing journal which is published monthly, six times online and six times in traditional print copy and rarely addresses LPNs. Likewise, the American Journal of Nursing has been in existence since 1900 and is considered by many in the field as one of the foremost authorities in nursing, however LPNs seem to only receive cameo

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Current Portrayals of Nursing of Artistic Mark S, who is a veteran inthe Vietnam war, gave his thoughts about the nurses Vietnam memorial statue. Expression see memorial day Mark commented that most people

Nurses Vietnam Memorial statue

as nothing more than the first long weekend of summer, but of course he sees Memorial Day as something far more than just that. Its a time for remembering the brave Americans who served and lost their lives protecting our nation, especially the nurses. He added that what many people have a tendency to forget is that they served in the middle of the conflict as well. His feelings of the memorial statue are powerful, particularly because he was wounded in battle and was cared for by a skilled nurse. He admits never having an opportunity to see the statue in person but hope to do so one day in the near future. The statue itself is, indeed, an embodiment of pure artistic expression which has the power to move people, not

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History of Nursing: Uniforms(1)

In the beginning of the 20 Century, the nursing uniform was a stiff, white, floor-length dress with a frilly looking cap. Little effort was put into addressing style or comfort for the wearer. Hence, there was not much about this uniform that conformed to functional or constructive purpose. However, at the time they appeared to many as looking very professional,

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History of Nursing: Uniforms(2)

In World War I, it became necessary to produce uniforms which were easy to wash and mass produce. These uniforms took on a bleak grey appearance with cotton crepe. Of course, the American Red Cross symbol were strictly worn by Red Cross nurses during this period. The easy production and exchange of these kinds of garments made tending to multiple patients easier and much more sanitary than in the

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History of Nursing Uniforms(3)

As the years passed, the nursing uniform became much more practical, more emphasis was placed on both style and comfort with an array of colors the wearer could choose.

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There exist a chasm perceives nurses to be in comparison to what they really are in the healthcare profession. A great deal of these misconceptions are fueled by the media. Emphasis should be placed on educating the media about what nurses really do, and additionally empowering them to speak about their work and responsibilities.

Putting It All Together(1) between what the general public

As a whole, television has generally been horrible for nurses, with of course the exception of a few documentaries and news segments which, sad to say, receives very little viewer ratings. Specifically, entertainment television, which is incredibly influential, has been a disaster for nursing for over the past decade. Most of the time television depicts physician characters doing most of the important patient care generally performed by nurses.

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Putting It All Together (2)

On the other hand, the print media, including daily newspapers and books, have offered some excellent, accurate portrayals of nursing. Of course, a great deal of the print media remains enthralled to a physician related topics which oftentimes marginalize the nursing role. The military is perhaps the most influential in getting the general public to recognize nurse by way of artistic expression through statues and monuments. Overall, nurses themselves must be the ultimate educators to the public. Social media outlets provide mechanisms for education, this being the case nurses can highlight their own areas of expertise and provide information on important health issues to a broader audience. When a high level of public trust is established, nurses can build upon that to reverse the misconceptions left by decades of misinformation and

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Thank you for your Participation

James E. Scales

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The End