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Books:1 copy 9/2/09 3:35 PM Page 16 Summer On Duty: Power, Politics, and the History of Nursing in New Jersey By Frances Ward; Rutgers University Press n her monograph, On Duty: Power, Politics and the History of Nursing in New Jersey, Frances Ward examines the progression and professionalization of nursing from the rise of hospitalists, or physicians and nurses who first cared for the sick in hospitals in the 1880s, through the present day. Ward finds, ultimately, that "the history of nursing in New Jersey is a women's story—a story framed by culture, context, and courage." Ward argues that a wellorganized, politically savvy class of nurses was forged through legislative efforts against the antagonizing forces of nursing's own monastic roots as well as American culture's perception of women's gender roles, each perpetuating the chaste, impoverished, subservient nurse. This study, as Ward points out in the introduction, is not teleological. In fact, modern nursing is the product of various cultural events and shifts since its inception. Ward traces the influences of urbanization and industrialization, the Progressive Movement, World Wars I and II, the Cold War, the civil rights movement, the women's movement, as well as the impact of the ever-shifting economy on the place of nurses in the medical profession as well as the popular imagination. Ward structures the rise of organized nursing around the stories of its female pioneers. An early leader was Irene Fallon who, Ward argues, cultivated a political environment among fellow nurses, ensuring the passage of the New Jersey Nursing Practice Act of 1903. This was the first law to license graduate nurses in New Jersey. The subsequent amending and application of the New Jersey Practice Act was significant because it solidified legislation as the primary means for nurses' advancement in New Jersey. Next Ward focuses on Arabella Creech, a significant Depression-era figure, who aided nurses in gaining negotiation skills by organizing private duty nurses and highlighting the marketability of their expertise. Wilhelmine Twidale further realized the value of negotiation and compromise during the nursing shortage of World War II, successfully pressuring legislators into amending the Nursing Practice Act to differentiate between practical and professional registered nurses (amended again in 1991 to include nurse practitioners). In the post-WWII period Ward considers Hildegard Peplau's battle to propel nursing into higher education. Peplau often worked against other nurses who supported hospital-based education. In the latter half of the twentieth century, Ward chronicles the eventual melding of nursing and higher education as well as the move of nurses into primary care due to escalating health care costs. Despite the significant gains made in nursing, including the development of mas- I 16 REGISTERED NURSE Book Review ter's and doctoral programs, Ward finds that the "deep wedge" driven between nurses and higher education has not fully dissolved. Ward observes that nursing still fails to signify "the intellectual rigor, science, and humanistic underpinnings of the profession." Modern-day adversaries now include external shareholders, concerned with the financial viability of their institutions. Ward believes the common perception that "a nurse is a nurse is a nurse" can be mitigated by a clear delineation of position descriptions. Ward concludes with an optimistic example of how New Jersey nurses, again through legislation, have garnered such clarification on the role of the advanced practice nurse. In her book, Ward highlights organized nurses' role in aligning their political forces with other national and local women's movements in their struggle for equality. Her account of the legislative battles and their successes, as well as the individual risks taken, provides today's nurse activists insight and hope for the future of healthcare. I found the book energizing as it suggests that nurses have the political power to make a difference. The public believes in nursing as it places us number one on the list of most trusted professions in America. With the public trust and our professional power, I believe nursing can and will continue to make great improvements in healthcare and its delivery. I would recommend Wards' work to any nurse who is on the "front lines" and believes in the power of nursing. —maureen may, rn Saving Lives: Why The Media's Portrayal of Nurses Puts Us All At Risk By Sandy Summers, RN, and Harry Jacobs Summers; Kaplan Publishing he medical world makes for good TV. The success of the long-running series ER spawned a whole host of other medical dramas. Some of the current ones include Grey's Anatomy, House, Private Practice, and Mental, not counting new shows such as Nurse Jackie, HawthoRNe, and Mercy. Off screen, the American healthcare crisis makes good material for news stories. The pervasive problem in all these forms of media, however, is that they almost never accurately portray the important, science-based work that registered nurses do and instead reinforce damaging stereotypes of RNs, argue Sandy and Harry Summers in their persuasive book, Saving Lives. As an RN, you may not be interested in these shows when you can see the real thing at work. Or you may watch them with suspended disbelief just to enjoy following the romantic plot lines. But millions of Americans form popular perceptions of nurses, doctors, hospitals, and medical care through these shows—and through news and advertising. The authors contend that media depictions of nursing matter because they heavily influence how seriously the public takes nursing. How seriously the wider public takes nursing in turn determines what kind of attention and resources get devoted to promoting and improving nursing and nursing education. When television programs never show registered nurses providing any critical medical care, the public does not understand, for example, that RN staffing levels often determine whether patients live or die. T W W W. C A L N U R S E S . O R G J U LY | A U G U S T 2 0 0 9