Media and Public Image of Nursing Essay
In the United States and across the globe, the media presents an avenue through which people’s lifestyles are influenced starting with trends and fashion to politics and lifestyle habits. The image of nurses is no longer an exception to these influences. Stream media and digital media have collectively played a role in representing nurses in public domains to varying degrees. For instance, in Hollywood, nurses have progressively been portrayed as individuals who are competent, dedicated and handmaidens to individuals who are incompetent, uncaring and naughty as they fail to efficiently perform their roles and responsibilities as expected (Hoeve, Jansen & Roodbol, 2013). Media and Public Image of Nursing Essay
Perfect examples are the television show of nurse Jackie, House, Gray’s Anatomy, Scrubs and Hawthorne. The aforementioned shows progressively draw on the nursing stereotypes that possess the potential to damage the image of nursing professionals. From a negative perspective, these shows portray nurses as individuals with high temperament and a bad attitude. However, there are those instances where nurses are depicted to be caring, loving, concerned and dedicated. They not only care for close friends and family but also strangers. Hoeve, Jansen & Roodbol, (2013) note that, through these shows, nurses are seen to provide education, advice, nursing care, physical and emotional support to people facing different challenges in life starting with chronic illnesses and psychological torture to physical abuse. Media and Public Image of Nursing Essay
Similar to how the public is greatly influenced by corporate, political or commercial ads, these shows will influence the public’s understanding on nursing and the roles of nurses. For instance, the nursing images on medical shows are likely to affect retention and recruitment processes in the nursing profession (Hoeve, Jansen & Roodbol, 2013). The circumstances under which nurses respond arrogantly to client’s in TV shows may influence the public’s attitude towards nurses through a false perception on the nursing profession where the public may strongly believe that nurses generally talk rudely to clients.
The general public may be educated better on the scope and role of nursing and changing healthcare system through: planned public campaigns, community outreach services specially organized by nurse practitioners and talk shows that feature nurses. An additional avenue is the May nursing week where local TV stations air the event and showcase the work done by nurses (Hoeve, Jansen & Roodbol, 2013). Besides, the use of billboards that have nurses’ images to advertise how they provide care to the less fortunate and the general population is a potential avenue.
Reference
Hoeve Y., Jansen G., Roodbol, P., (2013). The Nursing Profession: Public Image, Self-Concept
and Professional Identity: A Discussion Paper. Available at http://www.researchgate.net/publication/236947698_The_nursing_profession_Public_image_self-concept_and_professional_identity._A_discussion_paper.Accessed on 30/7/2018
Introduction
In this paper, the misguided image created by media tells the public: nurses follow doctors orders and are incapable of making their own judgments will be explored. The impact of this image on the nurse as an individual and on the nursing profession will be shown and ways to improve the image of nursing will be discussed.
Evidence
Present media, portrays the nursing field as an aid to physicians in the hospitals giving little credit to what nurses do in their profession. The media has pushed aside nurses and have made a high image for doctors and physicians. Television shows generally depict doctors as the key clinicians, putting nurses in the background doing the unimportant tasks (Mee, 2010). Therefore nurses are seen having a minimal role in the health care system.Media and Public Image of Nursing Essay
The idea that nurses simply follow doctors orders is a strong stereotypical theme that has many people deceived. Nurses are not thought to be independent, making critical decisions for the patient. Instead, nurses are thought to only care for the patient while the doctor is gone. According to the American society of registered nurses, The public perceive a nurse as just someone who assists the doctor during and after treatment of the illness assisting the patient in keeping up is personal hygiene, giving the medications as prescribed by the doctor, dressing the wounds when there is a need ensuring welfare of the patient (American Society of Registered Nurses, 2007. para 1).
This is a harmful image that creates a low expectation of what nurses are capable of. Therefore, nurses are endanger of not being taken seriously by patient families when their advise is given for a patient. People may want to speak to the doctor about patients health instead, even though the nurse is the one who sees the patient daily for long periods of time.
The idea that a nurses role is easy, and simplistic is also shown in media as the nurses job is not well represented. According to the Ontario Nurses Association, Physicians are shown spending half their time conduction key care tasks that nurses actually perform while nurses, as their peripheral subordinates, stare at them with adoration and admiration (Ontario Nurses Association, 2008. p.1). The general public is not well educated on the nurses role and do not realize the work nor effort nurses put into their career through education and dedicated work.
The negative notions about nursing through television and other types of media need to be seriously exposed as they harm and form lies about nurses. Currently, these images reinforce the farce that nurses are not critical thinkers and are dependent on physicians for every direction; that nursing is not a profession unto itself but that nurses are medical aids (Ontario Nurses Association, 2008, p.1).
Discussion
The idea that nurses are not critical thinkers nor independent is damaging to the face of the nursing career. This train of thought causes people to underestimate the capabilities of nurses across Canada. The idea that we only follow doctors orders causes people to overlook what we do, labeling our work as unimportant. This attitude causes less funding into the nursing profession which leads to nursing shortages, creating over worked nurses and clinical error.As well as creating more part time jobs instead of full time, leaving many nurses no choice but to work more then one job.
When a negative image is very dominant in Canadian culture, nurses in the working profession start to believe the lies about themselves, making nurses quiet and not speaking out against the image. The lack of credit nurses get for what they do can lead to them thinking their job is insignificant. Also, media is a main way that the younger Canadian generations are being educated. By them learning wrong messages about nursing can create them to not wanting to pursue nursing as a career. This leads to less passionate nurses coming into the field who are unprepared for what they are signed up for.Media and Public Image of Nursing Essay
As a future nurse, the public’s view of me is important. I want them to see me as a professional leader in the health care system. The idea that nurses are not critical thinkers and are depending on doctors for advise and orders counter acts the real job description is of me as a nurse. The negative assumptions about nursing can effect the way patients perceive me before having our first encounter. A patients doubts of my abilities a a nurse can make our interactions difficult at first if they look down on me.
A patient support group is key to the patients recovery. Having family members doubting the capabilities of nurses can stop the patient and family from asking me questions regarding the overall health of the patient. When people expect me to just listen to the physician, not realizing that I make critical choices everyday, makes the patients take me for granted thinking that I am only a nurse. These thoughts will make my job more difficult as I will have to break through the wall of negative assumptions to allow patients , family and physicians see how independent, capable and professional I am as a nurse.
To break down these negative images of nursing as a profession, nurses across Canada can use the media to their advantage by educating and showing people the full spectrum of nursing, allowing the public to understand that nurses make up a large portion of the health care system and are vital to each patients health and wellness. By educating the younger generations of Canada, nurses will be able to inspire and help people get passionate about nursing. This passion will bring more people into the workforce who are ready, excited and prepared for a rewarding career and will be able to shift the negative attitude towards the profession (Ontario Nurses Association, 2008).
Each nurse in Canada should work hard and act professional to do their part in promoting a positive image that will reflect all canadian nurses as a whole. Having proactive nursing conferences across Canada would help raise awareness of negative nursing images so that all nurses can be united and working towards the common goal of creating a more professional image of nursing in the eyes of the public. Currently, many nurses are being proactive by being integrated into the policy development on the healthcare and government level ( Ontario Nurses Association, 2008). The image of nursing must be changed, but all nurses need to come together as a team doing their part and taking pride in their identity as nurses.Media and Public Image of Nursing Essay
As a nurse, I will rise higher then the image of not being a critical thinker and only following doctors orders by always seeking more education so that I can be prepared for situations that I come across. I will stay current with health issues and events that occur around me both on a local and global level. I will always strive to be a leader in the health care system by taking pride when fulfilling my role as professional nurse. When patients or people in the community ask me about my career, I will make sure that I am always prepared by knowing in my heart the reason for my career choice, the importance of my profession and the impact it makes in the health care system, allowing the public to get the right perspective of me as a nurse.
Also I will always think critically of any situation I am faced with, allowing the patient to receive the best and most professional care. Currently, I am going to do my part as a nursing student to strive for excellence while I have the opportunity of learning so much about my future career choice which will allow me to be confident in the skills I will acquire and have the joy in knowing that what I do will have an impact on many peoples lives.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the negative image of nurses being dependent on doctors and not thinking for themselves hurts nurses across Canada. To stop this negative image from taking over the nursing profession, nurses must unite together and strive to be positive leaders, creating a strong and professional image for nursing.Media and Public Image of Nursing Essay
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