Issue link: https://nnumagazine.uberflip.com/i/198051
NewsBriefs:2 7/22/09 10:25 PM Page 8 Do the new television shows Nurse Jackie and HawthoRNe reinforce, combat, or create even more nursing stereotypes? image has played a role in some of the television advertising in Johnson & Johnson's Campaign for Nursing's Future. And though the naughty nurse rarely appears in television dramas today, she remains a staple of global advertising and, of course, pornography. These stereotypes matter because they drive the undervaluation of nursing that underlies the current nursing crisis, including more immediate factors like shortstaffing. If decision-makers and the public valued nursing as a modern science and profession whose practitioners save lives and improve patient outcomes, then they would be far more likely to allocate the clinical, educational, and research resources nurses need to save lives. Nurse Jackie is a compelling show that combats some of the most powerful stereotypes: the unskilled worker, the handmaiden, and the angel. Jackie displays clinical expertise, fights to protect her patients, provides skilled psychosocial care to patients and families, and teaches more junior nurses and physicians. She is tough, smart, and witty. Jackie has flaws, but none of them reflect nursing stereotypes, which are widespread social views that take years to develop. It is unlikely that many viewers will link her flaws with nursing. Jackie is addicted to painkillers she takes to relieve pain from a bad back, and in the pilot she does several things that are unethical or even illegal. Some nurses worry that these elements threaten the public's view of them as ethical and trustworthy. But that image is unlikely to suffer because of one TV show, especially since many viewers are likely to agree with Jackie's rule-breaking because she (like Geriatric Care RNs in Pennsylvania Unionize PENNSYLVANIA O n June 3, registered nurses and other healthcare professionals at Fair Acres Geriatric Center in Lima, Penn. voted 125 to 70 in favor of joining the Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals (PASNAP/NNOC), an affiliate of CNA/NNOC. There will be 230 employees covered by the newly formed union. "This is a great victory for nurses and the residents of Fair Acres," said Carol Dougherty, RN. "We care deeply about our residents. We know what our patients need and it is our responsibility to advocate for them. By having a union, we can address patient care concerns like staffing. And, we can work on issues of respect so that nurses can deliver the best possible care." Many nurses have worked for decades at the facility and report worsening patient care conditions at the facility. From poor staffing levels to deskilling of nurses' work, 8 REGISTERED NURSE the nurses hope to create working conditions that will give them ample time to care for their residents properly. "At a time when the nursing shortage is getting worse because of worsening working conditions, more and more nurses are organizing themselves to win a voice on the job. This organizing victory by the dedicated nursing staff at Fair Acres represents a trend that is only going to grow stronger over the next couple years. Nurses are being required to work harder – physically, intellectually and emotionally – at a time when many nurses are leaving the profession while the aging population places more demands on the system. Forming a union is a natural response to this 'perfect storm,'" said Bill Cruice, executive director of PASNAP. Next steps for the newly formed union at Fair Acres will be an election of a broad-based negotiating committee and the beginning of contract negotiations. —kathleen casey W W W. C A L N U R S E S . O R G other TV mavericks) is actually trying to create some good in deeply flawed systems. HawthoRNe combats stereotypes by focusing on a strong, expert chief nursing officer and some of the nurses on her staff. It has the potential to show the public that nurses are autonomous professionals, rather than low-skilled helpers who report to physicians. The pilot highlights the abuse nurses sometimes face from physicians, and Christina Hawthorne is a black woman, which promotes much-needed diversity in the profession. Unfortunately, direct-care nurses were mostly presented as weak and frivolous and the pilot included two powerful negative stereotypes. The first is the physician wannabe, in this case a bitter, insecure male nurse who cannot get into medical school. The second is the naughty nurse; here an attractive nurse named Candy who thinks it's her job to provide sexual favors to wounded veterans in her care. What should nurses watch for or pay attention to when they view these shows? Nurses should consider whether the nurse characters are skilled, autonomous professionals who save lives and work at the center of patient care. Conversely, the shows should avoid reinforcing damaging misconceptions. It would also be valuable for the public to see the problems nurses face, such as shortstaffing and working mandatory overtime, as well as the effects of nursing errors. Anything that shows how important and complex nursing is also shows the public why nurses need far more clinical and educational resources. We don't need nurse characters to be perfect, which would not be realistic or compelling. In the final analysis, do you believe these shows are a step forward or backward for nursing? We are excited about the debuts of Nurse Jackie and Hawthorne, and another nursefocused show called Mercy is slated to appear in early 2010. It's too soon to say whether the shows will be a step forward, especially since summer shows do not attract as many viewers as long-running regular season hits like House and Grey's Anatomy. But Nurse Jackie really could help change how society thinks about nursing because of the expertise, toughness, and autonomy Jackie and her colleagues display. HawthoRNe has potential, especially because of its strong central character. We hope the show sheds the damaging stereotypes and conveys that direct-care nurses are strong, competent professionals. JUNE 2009