Prompt 1: Nursing Stereotypes

Nurses are Doctors Assistants: Let me start out with the most outrageous stereotype in my opinion, it says that nurses are just doctors assistants. Throughout my research in this field, this has been mentioned in quiet a few places. In a previous post, Nurses Vs. The View, we talk about when Miss Colorado came out in scrubs with a stethoscope around her neck during the Miss America talent competition, and the host of the view said, "Why does she have a doctors stethoscope?" This created a lot of outrage because nurses are far more than just doctors assistants, the are the eyes and ears that collaborate with doctors. They are there when we enter the world, exit the world, and almost every medical visit in-between. They spend more time than the physician does with the patient. Without nurses, the physicians work load would be unmanageable, and patients wouldn't be taken care of as well. They are the connection between the physician and the patient, they collaborate with the physician to asses, diagnose, and treat patients. A common misconception is that the doctors are in charge of the nurse, but in fact, "hospital nurses are hired and fired by other nurses, answer to a unit manager who is a nurse, and follow the protocols set by more senior nursing officers" (Brown).



Nursing is a Female Profession: When you walk into a class full of nursing students, the male to female ratio is apparently less, but this doesn't make it a profession only for women. The fact that there are more female nurses than male nurses doesn't make the occupation more feminine. In fact, the number of male nurses is increasing. According to a government census, "There were 3.5 million employed nurses in 2011, about 3.2 million of whom were female and 330,000 male" (British Medical Journal). Female nurses outnumber male nurses 10 to 1, but this doesn't mean that nursing is strictly for a woman. Just because there are more females than males does not mean that they are any less capable of providing exceptional care. The media calls male nurses feminine, and they are just failed physicians, and this can discourage men from pursing this career. A perfect example of this stereotype is in the popular movie Meet the Fockers.




The Naughty Nurse: For decades the media has been sexualizing the nursing profession. Nursing is a challenging and respectable profession. One of the most common stereotypes is the "Naughty Nurse", it is a popular halloween costume as well.  "In 2005, University of Missouri Communications professor Debbie Dougherty found that more than 70 percent of the nurses she surveyed in 4 U.S. states have been sexually harassed by patients" (Summers).  This stereotype discourages potential nurses, encourages disrespect, and in some cases even sexual harassment. The way that nurses are portrayed in the media influences the way nurses are viewed in the real world.



One last stereotype I must mention is the misconception that RN's are just failed MD's, in other words, med school was too hard so they dropped down and chose to become a nurse. I am not a failed MD, I began my schooling as a nursing student. Yes, med school is longer than nursing school, but nursing is a fulfilling and rewarding career in itself, and I personally chose it because they are in high demand, and unappreciated for what they do.

I felt like it was important to touch on these stereotypes, because nursing is a serious role in the health care system. Nurses are far more than these stereotypes, they are patient advocates, and go through difficult schooling to acquire their degrees and provide the right care for their patients.

-Casey W

Brown, Theresa. "Why Nurse Stereotypes Are Bad for Health." Well Why Nurse Stereotypes Are Bad for Health Comments. New York Times, 01 July 2009. Web. 16 Nov. 2015.

"Nursing As An Occupation." The British Medical Journal 2.2228 (1903): 622-23. Census.gov. Web. 16 Oct. 2015.
Summers, Sandy. "The Image of Nursing: The Naughty Nurse." Nursing Times. N.p., 20 Oct. 2010. Web. 16 Nov. 2015.