...Public Image of Nursing Historically, the public image of nursing has been controversial this was evident by nurse healers being viewed as witches in the middle ages. As Minkowski (1992) conclusion indicated the nurse healers were viewed as “creatures in the league of the devil” and currently, the media has been covering negative images of nursing. This media coverage includes images of neglect in nursing care, poor performance results and lawsuits. Ads on the local television channels by law firms reporting poor nursing care, the television show “Mash” calling a nurse “hot lips” on just about each show, and the television show “House” left the viewer to perceive nursing as almost obsolete, has negatively impacted the profession of nursing. To alleviate the negative perception and image of the nursing profession, education to the public will need to occur. Nurses have quietly accepted ignorance, regarding their profession, in the past, due to the lack of urgency in the matter. With the health care crisis, the profession of nursing has been a hot point topic. In Kazis et al.’s (2009) article that analyzed media coverage, it was suggested that the public has little understanding of what a nurse actually does. Personal collaboration with professional nursing organizations could give a nurse a voice in the regulatory process and help in the education of the general public. In conclusion, mastering public speaking on a professional nurse’s role coupled with joining...
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...Image of Nursing Chinedu Remigius Udu ITT Technical Institute Course Number (NU100) 09/21/2015 According to the authors Rezaei-Adaryani, Salsali, Mohammadi (2012) one of the many challenges contemporary nurses would have had to overcome is the concept of the image of nursing. According to the findings of the research that was conducted in the past based on the review of retrieved integrative Internet English Literature published from 1980 – 2011, it was shown that Nursing Image is a multi- dimensional, all-inclusive, paradoxical, dynamic, and complex concept. 1. Furthermore, the image of nursing as perceived from a cultural perspective can be very challenging. According to the authors Valizada, Zamanzadeh, Fooladi, Azadi, Negarandeh, Manadi (2014) the term “Nurse” in Iranian language called “Parastar” is a word that evokes the image of a duty maid, household maid or low-income laborer. Nurses are seen as someone with limited or no educational background. This negative profiling of the nursing profession in the Iranian society has made it extremely necessary for nurses to redefine themselves in areas of specialized health care with the intent of improving their social status and public image. Another negative image of nursing is the flirtatious perception the public has of female nurses. Female nurses are stereotyped as slim, attractive and full bosomed, who wear tight knee length uniforms with high heel shoes. This readily creates the impression that female nurses are...
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...Running head: THE NURSING IMAGE The Nursing Image April Warden GCU The Nursing Image A first impression is everything; it can never be repeated and is most often unforgotten. A person is perceived based on a variety of factors. One of the most important factors in perception is clothing. In nursing, wearing of scrubs is almost universal. The majority of nurses have the privilege of deciding what scrubs they will wear to work on any given day. Is any consideration given to the patient’s perception of them when the nurse chooses their attire? A study conducted by (Wocial, 2010) at two Midwestern health care centers addressed this thought by researching the question: Does a nurse’s uniform impact the patient’s perception of nurse professionalism? Families want nurses to be easily identifiable and for the uniform to promote a relaxed atmosphere, (Wocial, 2010). The purpose of the Uniform research study is to evaluate the public’s perception of the nursing uniform and its impact on perceived patient care. According to the authors, patient and visitor perception of satisfaction with care delivery and environment are important quality measures. According to (Wocial, 2010), previous studies on nursing uniforms failed to solely depict nurses in different scrubs but showed nurses in suggestive interactions with different accessories in various poses. (Wocial, 2010) further declared that it is not possible to determine results on the nurse’s uniform color and style due to other...
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...I believe the media can both positively and negatively influence the public’s image of nursing. Showtime airs a program called Nurse Jackie in which she is portrayed in a dual light both as an advocate for her patients care despite being harsh, brash and ruffling feathers along the way. She is involved an extra marital affair and she is dealing with a problem with personal drug addiction and consequently steals medications from the pyxis to get her fix. I appreciate the program for its humorous side as it provides some real examples of day to day struggles in nursing care. The program does not portray nurses as being perfect but as humans that deal with some of the same daily struggles the public may be dealing with also. It is representative of how we dedicate our lives to caring for others but sometimes forget to put ourselves on our own list of priorities. Nurses are caregivers at home and work hence we may lose ourselves somewhere along the way. Having worked in nursing for a very long time I have practiced with many nurses who have fallen into drug addiction as portrayed in Nurse Jackie. It is perhaps a negative view portrayed for nursing, but it is also a portrayal of real life that we must be willing to accept as well. I have worked with other nurses who were appalled by the program about Jackie. Negative or positive it is a realistic example of what some nurses go through in their lives. Another program that is now cancelled portrayed the CNO at a hospital...
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...influences to the profession of nursing. In my response, I’ve chosen to comment on how it can be a positive effect. Even though the portrayals of nurses on television shows at times are very unrealistic, I think medical-drama television shows such as “SCRUBS” and “ER” can actually promote nursing in some ways. Episodes about doctors and nurses’ heroic efforts to save or help out victims in natural disasters (hurricanes, earthquakes, etc.) and accidents (car, fire, etc.) can promote a positive image for the profession. When I was a young kid, I was inspired to become like one of those television nurses and doctors so I can help people! Watching TV was probably one of my first exposures to the profession. The doctors and nurses were Super Heroes to me. With our current 24/7 news outlets, the media can provide a “channel” to health professionals (such as first responders, nurses, etc.) who help at “news worthy” natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina. When the viewer sees the health professionals’ compassion, competency and commitment to the public, this strikes a positive connection with the public. Another good example is the recent case of the Texas Nurse, Nina Pham, who was exposed to the Ebola virus via treatment of one of her patients. The media coverage “positively depicted” her as a caring and compassion nurse who served bravely during the United States’ first Ebola outbreak. This displayed a strong culture of caring for the nursing community. In my personal...
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...Nursing Role in Helping Burn Patient’s Coping Abilities with Body image and Self-esteem Abida Sultana NU201: Family Focused Nursing November 16, 2012 Part I: Clinical Narrative and Clinical Question: It was my 2nd pediatric clinical weekend; I was still trying to cope with my first clinical experiences at Shriners. I couldn’t sleep the night before, checked on my daughter several times (more than usual) to make sure she was safe. It was an overcast, dark, very quiet Saturday morning as I made my way into Shriner’s Hospital. All the way to the hospital from my home, the only thing on my mind was “who is waiting for me today”? Is the patient going to be a toddler, infant, or adolescent? Can he or she speak English? If not how am I going to communicate with him or her? My heart started beating even faster, while I was waiting for my instructor to come and take us to the patient floor. At 6:30, we went up to the 3rd floor and our instructor assigned each of us a patient. My patient Flora, is a thirteen year old adolescent female from Guatemala. She has sustained 70% body surface area flame burn including face, chest, and back, upper and lower extremities in November of 2001. It was a total mystery what had happened, how she was burned. The person who saved her stated that the patient’s legs were tied together by her sister. Some others stated that she was burned from the flames of the fire crackers. After going to the 7th floor...
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...portrayed the medical field. The killer running around the hospital in surgical attire and no one stopping to question him. No one wore a mask except in the OR. There was also the super nurse, she worked on all the floors and knew everything about every patient that came into the hospital and was able to tell her husband the policeman about the situation. Yes, there was talk about the staff using the resident's room for other activities other than sleeping. Some of what is seen on television does happen. There are far too many negative aspects of what really goes on in the nursing field. I think it is getting a little better but not by much. The shows that portray the staff in their actual roles are the reality shows. No drama, no love triangles and no killers running around loose, just individuals doing their jobs. The general public is very misinformed about the scope of nursing, it is not until they are hospitalized that they realize the responsibilities of the nurse. If the public is to be educated in the role of the nurse, the televisions that are set up in doctor's waiting rooms, in hospitals, in out patient clinics and other...
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...situations in her life. To Jada Pinkett Smith in the television series ‘Hawthorn’ where she took on the role of Chief Nursing Officer and showed her passion for her job although being faced with challenges in her personal life . All these characters are fictitious and none of them accurately portrayed the true challenges that nurses face every day in their daily roles. It is important that with Healthcare becoming more and more complex and health insurance mandating care educating the public is crucial. Implementing new and creative ways to educate the public is also important. As a Case manager my colleagues and I realized the importance of education of the public and we used Case Management week (from October 11-17 2015) to increase the publics knowledge in the role of case manager. We found effective ways and tools to stimulate and educate the public we used the hospital’s intranet, had fairs with the use of poster boards with bold direct literature about the topic in hand, and found ways to keep it exciting and engaging for the public. Now in the in the day and age of the “super highway’ we are fortunate to have this great easy and accessible tool and this is a great source of educating the public, with applications such as Facebook Twitter, Instagram and television are all means of promoting and educating the public and put forth the message about nursing and our ever changing roles....
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...public becomes familiar with the role of nurses. How do the media positively or negatively influence the public’s image of nursing? What other avenues may better educate the general public on the role and scope of nursing as well as the changing health care system? The media is known to have immense influences on the public perception from body images to what kind of car people should buy. And the nursing image is not immune to these influences. What Hollywood transmits to the public about nurse’s works much like an advertising industry. Television has represented nurses in varying degrees and not all of them are flattering. We have been portrayed as handmaidens, angels to naughty nurses, crusty battle-axes, incompetent nurses, or drug addicted nurses. Television shows such as House, Nurse Jackie, Hawthorne, Gray’s Anatomy, and Scrubs frequently draw on nursing stereotypes that have the potential to damage the professional nursing image. Just as people are influenced by commercial or political ads, they will be influenced by these shows as well. These images of nursing on medical shows can affect roles in recruitment and retention for the profession. In a survey of student perceptions of nursing image on television, one student noted, “the public could be influenced by nursing on television and draw attention to the consequences of negative depictions of nursing because the public can develop a false view of the profession, where people may believe nurses are simply the...
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...Image and Voice of Nursing Mary Wilcox Thomas Edison State College Leadership and Management in Nursing NUR428 Mary Wombwell November 27, 2011 Historical image of nursing Florence Nightingale is known to many as the historical image of nursing. She came to prominence for her pioneering work in nursing during the Crimean War where she tended to wounded soldiers rounding at night holding a small lamp. Nightingale was a strong-willed advocate for the field of nursing. Her advocacy was for the” improvement of care and conditions” (MacQueen, 2007, p. 31) for patients making significant achievements during her career. In the western world for centuries, nursing as an “organized institution” (Buresh & Gordon, 2006, p. 179) was provided through Christian religious institutions. In religious sects, nurses were socialized to sacrifice every shred of their identity being “obedient members of an anonymous mass” (Gordon, 2006, p. 2). Religious nurses were taught not to claim credit for their work and accomplishments. Instead, they were educated to view themselves as divine instruments who willingly assigned credit to “God, the Bishop, the Abbot, or the Mother Superior” (Gordon, 2006, p. 3) for their accomplishments. Often, nurses were not viewed by their sex, not allowed to marry, and were sheltered in or near the hospitals in dormitories. In the 19th century, religious and social reformers such as Florence Nightingale adapted the religious template to help women who needed to...
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...Nursing’s Public Image How does the public view nursing? From its earliest beginnings, the profession of nursing has revolved around human needs. One of the greatest strengths of nursing is the extensive range of opportunities and options that it has to offer. There are many different levels of practice, specialties, and there are always opportunities to advance in the nursing profession. With nurses playing a major role in designing the new healthcare system in the United States, now there is an even greater need for a positive public image of nursing. However, nursing's contributions to healthcare may be transparent or even ignored by the public and the media. The media has an immense effect on the perceptions of society. Therefore, any misrepresentation of the nursing profession by the media may negatively affect nursing's public image. As nurses, we have a responsibility to the entire nursing profession to protect our image, and take action to ensure that the public is not mislead by the media. Over time, there have been many images of nurses purported by the media. Nurses play roles in movies, television series, plays, books, and in reality they may be seen on the news or in newspapers. Some suggest that these media portrayals are solely to blame for the public's misconceptions or stereotypes regarding nursing. In actuality, the public image of nursing has evolved as the nursing profession has evolved, even before media influence was a factor. In the late 1800's through...
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...The Image of the Professional Nurse Nursing is a profession that has a long, and rich history. Modern nursing began in the Crimean War with Florence Nightingale, where it evolved from a humble, over-looked, and usually religious occupation, for unmarried or matronly women. Using the CINAHL database, and the search terms stereotypes in nursing, and nursing stereotypes, to find information regarding the professional image of nursing, it is obvious that it is an image that has changed drastically since first becoming a profession. In the modern day and age, there is a demand for people to enter the professional field as nurses, and they are accepting of everyone. However, despite the wide acceptance there now is for anyone to become a nurse, there...
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...for years. Years ago the image was of a blonde, skinny female in a sexy white outfit that waits on her male. The nursing image has become a major issue in the society as people have different perception about nursing. Some believe that nurses do their duties out of kindness. This has influenced the nursing image as most people do not see nursing as a good profession. In the modern society, nurses are subordinate to doctors and are not allowed to talk in public and therefore have no voice (Graham & Claborn, 2006). Now that image has changed because of shows like Nurse Jackie. This HBO show is about a nurse who struggles to juggle her hectic life as a nurse at a New York City hospital. It’s based on her everyday tussles with physician other nurses and her drug addiction. Even though the show has questionable ethical circumstances it undoubtedly shows her compassionate caring nature. “Jackie is smart, caring, respected by her peers and a vigilant advocate for her patients” (Sorrell 2009). However, due to Nurse Jackie’s questionable ethical practices many nursing organizations feel that this portrayal hurts the image of nurses and hinders them from recruitment, retention, and allocation (Nemeth 2011). In which many organization have fought to refocus the community and general public’s attention on what good nursing incorporates. An organization of nurses, named The Truth about Nursing, has given awards to shows for best and worst portrayal of nursing in order to steer Hollywood...
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..., & Salamonson, Y. (2014). Men in nursing on television: exposing and reinforcing stereotypes. Journal Of Advanced Nursing, 70(4), 833-842 10p. doi:10.1111/jan.12244 Previous research has highlighted stereotypical images around nurses; more recent research focuses on images of male nurses. While images of men in nursing on television are fictional, such images have potentially negative implications for recruitment, practice, and the profession. In this qualitative study, five American medical television programs appearing between 2007 and 2010 were analyzed for their portrayal of men in nursing. The objectives of the study were to establish whether men in nursing on television are subject to the same stereotypes identified in previous research, to determine if the characters on television conform to conventional stereotypes of masculinity, and to explore the status and role of the men who nurse in these programs. The study results showed television male nurse characters portrayed in narrow, stereotypical ways in which their masculinity, sexuality, and career choice are questioned. Contemporary nursing practice is impacted by how male nurses are portrayed in the media, as demasculinized images of male nurses may discourage males from considering nursing as a viable profession. The student found this study to be valid and current. An analysis of the study demonstrates the need to raise awareness among nursing professionals of some of the perceptions...
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...as the ones who nourish, nurture, and tend to the care of children, aging family members, and the wounded. How nurses have depicted themselves can be expressed not only by their actions, but by the uniforms they have worn over time. The image of Florence Nightingale in her uniform, carrying her lamp and caring for the wounded is an image instilled in nurses’ minds to this day. Unfortunately, this is not the image instilled in the public today. On television nurses are portrayed as sexual beings, and we are being defined as such. Nursing should promote Ms. Nightingales teachings to the public in everyday situations. The Truth About Nursing, a non-profit organization, speaks frequently on the image of nursing and on empowering nurses to change how they are perceived (Geller & Summers, 2014, p. 26). Ms. Summers is the founder and the executive director. The image of nurses is in the hands of each individual nurse. Therefore it is essential for each nurse to take a stand and vocalize his/her role in the medical profession. It is important that nurses remember the past. However, it is even more important that the legacy we leave behind is of a profession that is strong and accurate. We can do this by responding to the negative images. Television representations of nurses have historically been less than positive. Older people still have the idea that nurses are caregivers and follow the doctor’s orders. Sadly in our society today our young people are influenced...
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