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The reputation of nurses: The good and the bad, but what about the truth?
the back page The Reputation of Nurses: The Good and the Bad, But What About the Truth? VALLIRE D. HOOPER,
W
HAT IS IT ABOUT the portrayal of nurses on television, and in the media in general that makes those of us in the profession groan and makes the general public drool with anticipation? I began to ponder this question in late January as I was truly bombarded with the good, the bad, and the falsehoods of nursing as portrayed by the nation’s various broadcast stations. Why is there such a wide range of portrayals? And why is it that the bad image and the outright false image always get the advertising and the headlines? For example, the good image, what nursing is really all about, was very well documented in the health series, “Nurses: Hearts of Mercy, Nerves of Steel” on the Discovery channel. I was thrilled to see this 5-part series following nurses of all walks and specialties. Nurses were actually portrayed as being not only compassionate, but educated and an integral part of the diagnosis and treatment of patients.1 The only problem is that unless you either monitor the Discovery Health Web site or were told about the special by someone, you probably didn’t see it because you didn’t hear about it.
The ideas and opinions expressed in this editorial are those solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of ASPAN, the Journal, or the publisher. Vallire D. Hooper, MSN, RN, CPAN, is a Clinical Nurse Specialist in Surgical Services at St Joseph’s Hospital, Augusta, GA, and a Clinical Assistant Professor in the School of Nursing at the Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, GA. Address correspondence to Vallire D. Hooper, MSN, RN, CPAN, 10 Park Place Circle, Augusta, GA 30909; e-mail address: [email protected]. © 2001 by American Society of PeriAnesthesia Nurses. 1089-9472/01/1602-0012$35.00/0 doi:10.1053/jpan.2001.23596 146
MSN, RN, CPAN
TV Guide and most local TV listings were too busy promoting “Survivor II,” featuring as one of the participants a “curvy 40-year-old mom and parttime nurse.”2 I was curious. I had heard that one of the participants in the second “Survivor” series was a nurse. My first thought was, why? But then again, surviving in the wilderness in front of cameras for several weeks is not my idea of fun. My next thought, however, was please do not embarrass us as nurses. Please do not be another Darva Conger and marry a millionaire! Please be intelligent, please don’t divulge any revealing secrets, and please, oh please, keep your clothes on! So I started doing some research. Guess what? Tina Wesson, mother and part-time nurse from Tennessee, is not a nurse at all. Tina Wesson is a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) who is promoting herself (or the media is promoting) as a nurse. Ms. Wesson describes herself in her biography as a “private duty CNA nurse.” In fact, Ms. Wesson has a Bachelor of Science degree in therapeutic recreation, not nursing.3 Once again, a false image in the media. Would the public’s interest be piqued if Ms. Wesson was promoted as a curvy nurses’ aide or recreational therapist? I think not; it just doesn’t seem as interesting or as juicy. Who is at fault here? Does CBS not understand the difference between a registered nurse and a nursing assistant? And do they not realize that when the public sees someone’s occupation listed as nurse that they think of a registered nurse? Did Ms. Wesson falsely promote herself as a nurse? We may never know, but there is certainly no reason why we can’t question and make our concerns known. Journal of PeriAnesthesia Nursing, Vol 16, No 2 (April), 2001: pp 145-146
THE REPUTATION OF NURSES
145
Why is it that the nursing image is so frequently associated with disrepute? Historically, the development of the nursing profession has been associated with religion, charity, and professionalism. For a brief period in nursing development, the history books do note that the provision of care to the sick in homes and hospitals fell to “uncommon women” with little or no training in nursing because the role of a “proper woman” was to maintain a “gracious and elegant home for her family.”4 Even during this period, however, the only acceptable roles in nursing were associated with religious orders. Overall, our history is one of bravery, professionalism, and compassion. Our current practice is also one of bravery, professionalism, and compassion, but we must share that with the world if we expect people to believe that, and if we expect the next generation to choose nursing as a profession and walk in our footsteps. How many times do you come home
from work complaining about a coworker, a physician, or work conditions? Compare that with how often you come home and share something positive about your day—you saved a life, comforted a child, eased someone’s pain. I’ll bet that the complaints far outweigh the compliments! When a high school or college student asks “If you had to do it over again, would you still be a nurse?” what do you answer? Be positive, be professional. Let the world know that the professional nurse of the new millennium is neither a Darva Conger nor a Tina Wesson. The professional nurse in the new millennium is a force to be recognized and respected. We are the best of Florence Nightingale, Virginia Henderson, Beverly Malone, Nancy Saufl, Susan Shelander, and every nurse with whom you work all rolled up into one! This is a hard job, but it is an honorable one and one of which we can be proud. Tell the truth—share the goodness that is nursing!
REFERENCES 1. Discoveryhealth.com: Nurses: Hearts of mercy, nerves of steel. Available at http://health.discovery.com/stories/nurses/ nurses.html. Accessed January 2001 2. Weeks J: Ah, Wilderness. TV Guide 18-27, January 20-26, 2001 3. CBS. Com: Survivor: The Australian Outback. Available at
http://survivor.cbs.com/primetime/survivor2/survivors/tina_b.html. Accessed January 2001 4. Kozier B, Erb G, Blais K, et al: Introduction to nursing, in Kozier B, Erb G, Blais K, et al (eds): Fundamentals of Nursing: Concepts, Process, and Practice (ed 5). Redwood City, CA, Addison-Wesley Nursing, 1995, p 2
W
HAT IS IT ABOUT the portrayal of nurses on television, and in the media in general that makes those of us in the profession groan and makes the general public drool with anticipation? I began to ponder this question in late January as I was truly bombarded with the good, the bad, and the falsehoods of nursing as portrayed by the nation’s various broadcast stations. Why is there such a wide range of portrayals? And why is it that the bad image and the outright false image always get the advertising and the headlines? For example, the good image, what nursing is really all about, was very well documented in the health series, “Nurses: Hearts of Mercy, Nerves of Steel” on the Discovery channel. I was thrilled to see this 5-part series following nurses of all walks and specialties. Nurses were actually portrayed as being not only compassionate, but educated and an integral part of the diagnosis and treatment of patients.1 The only problem is that unless you either monitor the Discovery Health Web site or were told about the special by someone, you probably didn’t see it because you didn’t hear about it.
The ideas and opinions expressed in this editorial are those solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of ASPAN, the Journal, or the publisher. Vallire D. Hooper, MSN, RN, CPAN, is a Clinical Nurse Specialist in Surgical Services at St Joseph’s Hospital, Augusta, GA, and a Clinical Assistant Professor in the School of Nursing at the Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, GA. Address correspondence to Vallire D. Hooper, MSN, RN, CPAN, 10 Park Place Circle, Augusta, GA 30909; e-mail address: [email protected]. © 2001 by American Society of PeriAnesthesia Nurses. 1089-9472/01/1602-0012$35.00/0 doi:10.1053/jpan.2001.23596 146
MSN, RN, CPAN
TV Guide and most local TV listings were too busy promoting “Survivor II,” featuring as one of the participants a “curvy 40-year-old mom and parttime nurse.”2 I was curious. I had heard that one of the participants in the second “Survivor” series was a nurse. My first thought was, why? But then again, surviving in the wilderness in front of cameras for several weeks is not my idea of fun. My next thought, however, was please do not embarrass us as nurses. Please do not be another Darva Conger and marry a millionaire! Please be intelligent, please don’t divulge any revealing secrets, and please, oh please, keep your clothes on! So I started doing some research. Guess what? Tina Wesson, mother and part-time nurse from Tennessee, is not a nurse at all. Tina Wesson is a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) who is promoting herself (or the media is promoting) as a nurse. Ms. Wesson describes herself in her biography as a “private duty CNA nurse.” In fact, Ms. Wesson has a Bachelor of Science degree in therapeutic recreation, not nursing.3 Once again, a false image in the media. Would the public’s interest be piqued if Ms. Wesson was promoted as a curvy nurses’ aide or recreational therapist? I think not; it just doesn’t seem as interesting or as juicy. Who is at fault here? Does CBS not understand the difference between a registered nurse and a nursing assistant? And do they not realize that when the public sees someone’s occupation listed as nurse that they think of a registered nurse? Did Ms. Wesson falsely promote herself as a nurse? We may never know, but there is certainly no reason why we can’t question and make our concerns known. Journal of PeriAnesthesia Nursing, Vol 16, No 2 (April), 2001: pp 145-146
THE REPUTATION OF NURSES
145
Why is it that the nursing image is so frequently associated with disrepute? Historically, the development of the nursing profession has been associated with religion, charity, and professionalism. For a brief period in nursing development, the history books do note that the provision of care to the sick in homes and hospitals fell to “uncommon women” with little or no training in nursing because the role of a “proper woman” was to maintain a “gracious and elegant home for her family.”4 Even during this period, however, the only acceptable roles in nursing were associated with religious orders. Overall, our history is one of bravery, professionalism, and compassion. Our current practice is also one of bravery, professionalism, and compassion, but we must share that with the world if we expect people to believe that, and if we expect the next generation to choose nursing as a profession and walk in our footsteps. How many times do you come home
from work complaining about a coworker, a physician, or work conditions? Compare that with how often you come home and share something positive about your day—you saved a life, comforted a child, eased someone’s pain. I’ll bet that the complaints far outweigh the compliments! When a high school or college student asks “If you had to do it over again, would you still be a nurse?” what do you answer? Be positive, be professional. Let the world know that the professional nurse of the new millennium is neither a Darva Conger nor a Tina Wesson. The professional nurse in the new millennium is a force to be recognized and respected. We are the best of Florence Nightingale, Virginia Henderson, Beverly Malone, Nancy Saufl, Susan Shelander, and every nurse with whom you work all rolled up into one! This is a hard job, but it is an honorable one and one of which we can be proud. Tell the truth—share the goodness that is nursing!
REFERENCES 1. Discoveryhealth.com: Nurses: Hearts of mercy, nerves of steel. Available at http://health.discovery.com/stories/nurses/ nurses.html. Accessed January 2001 2. Weeks J: Ah, Wilderness. TV Guide 18-27, January 20-26, 2001 3. CBS. Com: Survivor: The Australian Outback. Available at
http://survivor.cbs.com/primetime/survivor2/survivors/tina_b.html. Accessed January 2001 4. Kozier B, Erb G, Blais K, et al: Introduction to nursing, in Kozier B, Erb G, Blais K, et al (eds): Fundamentals of Nursing: Concepts, Process, and Practice (ed 5). Redwood City, CA, Addison-Wesley Nursing, 1995, p 2