The View vs. Nurses

"Why does she have a doctors stethoscope?" says Joy Behar after watching a nurse talk about her profession. Instant face palm following this comment. If you haven't seen the video of Miss Colorado giving a monologue on her job as a nurse working with Alzheimer's, I'll post the link below. After watching and seeing her passion for her job, I was so inspired to continue my path towards becoming a nurse. The Views comments hit a tough spot, because I've seen how hard nurses work to supply care. With such high arrogance amongst these cohosts of this national talk tv show, I decided to look into common misconceptions the general population has with nurses.

Shows we see such as Greys Anatomy and House, nurses are put in the background when, quite frankly, this is just not the case. We see doctors, such as the ever so famous McDreamy and Meredith Grey, running the hospitals and patient care like superheroes. Don't get me wrong; doctors are wonderful people who possess a true talent. However, people gain a misconception when they see doctors performing nurses jobs such as distributing medications, drawing blood and monitoring their patients. In reality, nurses pick their career for these very reasons: comforting their patient is rewarding for them.

Another common theme for the nurses in these shows are that they are less than doctors. The word "nurse" is considered to be dirty. In a particular episode of Grey's Anatomy, the main character Meredith Grey, who is a surgeon, was insulted when she was referred to as being "clueless... like a nurse." Nurses are well educated in their field, and constantly help to make sure each patient is receiving the care patients need. "Naughty nurses" are also a stereotype that could fall under nurses being considered less. In an article I found, it stated that due to this stereotype, some nurses are sexually harassed. There seems to be a lack of respect for nurses, which should be changed.

In all, I feel as if there is a lack of respect for nurses as a whole, due to media and lack of knowledge. There is nothing easy about nursing school and being a nurse working long hours. We must stray from these misconceptions and realize that without nurses, doctors would be lost. It's a group effort to keep everyone healthy.

-Brooke B.

LINK TO VIDEO: http://www.nj.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2015/09/watch_miss_colorado_delivers_monologue_at_miss_ame.html


Sources:

Anderson, Camilla. “Three Ways Greys Anatomy Misrepresents the Nursing Profession.” 

Fortis. Fortis, 19 Feb 2014. Web. 22 Sept. 2015.

Hewitt, Alison. “Symposium to challenge nursing stereotypes on 'ER,' 'Grey's,' ‘House’”. 

UCLA Newsroom. UCLA, 5 May 2011. Web. 22 Sept. 2015.