Nurses & Hollywood: Does the Media Capture the Truth?
By Beth Boynton, RN, MS
According to authors, Sandy Summers, RN, MSN, MPH and Harry Jacobs Summers, in their book, Saving Lives: Why the Media’s Portrayal of Nurses Puts Us All at Risk, (Kaplan Publishing, 2009) “Real nursing is exciting. That’s why major hospital shows on television, like House and Grey’s Anatomy spend so much time showing work that real nurses do. Sadly, they show physician characters doing it.”
Consider these examples of dramatic nursing actions the authors, depict in their book:
•Nurses catch and halt life-threatening infections.
•Nurses coordinate the care provided by other health professionals including physicians, social workers, and physical therapists.
•Nurses try to protect patients from inferior care and some nurses risk their careers to blow the whistle on incompetence.
•Nurses found and run new health systems for underserved communities, providing care to patients confronting obesity, prenatal difficulties, violence, and substance abuse.
•ICU nurses diagnose patients’ wide-complex tachycardia, call a code and defibrillate–saving patients’ lives.
•Emergency department nurses triage patients based on their own expert evaluation of who needs care first.
•Military nurses, as commissioned officers, manage complex military care operations around the world.
•Nurses provide much, if not most, of the care given by aid groups like ‘’Drs. Without Borders”.
•Nurses manage violent, intoxicated patients alone until security gets there—
if security gets there—and so nurses are most at risk for assault in a hospital setting.
•Nurses are the caregivers most likely to be present when patients are screaming, crying, laughing or dying.
Can you relate to some of these actions? What would you add to this list? How are nurses portrayed in some of your favorite TV shows or movies?
As I think about these interventions in the light of dramatic storytelling, I remember some of the work I used to do with children in building emotional intelligence skills. One activity in particular was to have them act out a situation with a variety of feelings. Asking them to wash an imaginary dog or make a pretend sandwich in a “bored” vs. “exciting” way would lead to very different outcomes.
As you consider this impressive list of interventions, can you imagine how they might be played differently or who might be taking on these roles in the media?
For me, this raises all sorts of questions around how nurses are portrayed, what motivates us and what motivates the media. Saving Lives is an informative resource that is filled with insights and observations about this with many suggestions for bringing more truthful representation to the valuable work we do.
To learn more about Sandy Summers and her pioneering work, visit The Truth About Nursing
© Beth Boynton, RN, MS
Beth is an organizational development consultant and author of Confident Voices: The Nurses’ Guide to Improving Communication & Creating Positive Workplaces. (Special book offer: SAVE 20% NOW at Beth's EStore Use coupon code: D359FSBP)
She is an adjunct faculty member with New England College and publishes the free e-newsletter: Confident Voices for Nurses. She has published numerous articles, offers a variety of workshops, and can be reached at bbbboynton@earthlink.net or 207-752-0826. Or visit www.bethboynton.com
