Introduction Do you remember the survey you did 6 weeks ago? You asked folks what their image of a professional was? Well, where do you think they got that image? It most likely was from the media. . . movies, newscasts, TV shows, books and magazines. We’ve looked at the role of the media in helping to set the health policy agenda, and we’ve looked at what makes “news”, so this week let’s bring it home and look at how nurses are depicted in the media. Not too long ago organized nursing was celebrating the emergence of strong role models on weekly TV. Dana Delaney’s character on China Beach was a much-celebrated emergence of “a real nurse” and received numerous awards from nursing groups. Carol Hathaway’s character on the TV show “ER” was also happily pointed to as a good example of what nurses know and do. Though neither of these characters was a perfect representation, they were well regarded, especially considering the TV alternatives such as the short-lived “Nightingales”. However, a year or so ago in AJN there was an editorial about Abby's character in ER. Are you a fan of that show? I am not much of a TV watcher but I've taken a look at that show now and then after hearing rumors (and some rave reviews) from former undergraduate nursing students. Anyway, evidently being a nurse wasn't enough of a challenge for Abby so she reapplied, got accepted, and finished (?) medical school. Good for Abby! But of course that story line feeds right into what many of you already know, and have experienced yourselves. Haven’t you been asked, “You’re so smart; why aren’t you going to medical school?” I know I have been asked that, especially when I made the decision to pursue a master’s degree in nursing. (And believe me, nobody has a clue what it means to be a nurse with a doctorate! It dumbfounds them!) While we should all pursue our heart’s desires when it comes to our work, continuing to put nursing second to any other career makes it difficult for others to see the merits in the profession. If you are considered “the best and the brightest” in your high school class, why would you choose to do something that’s not considered worthy of your talents? You see the implications here as far as recruitment into the profession are concerned. But what about those of us already in the profession? What have you experienced in terms of questions, misconceptions, funny situations? And when you remember those, where did those images that were so funny (or infuriating) to you originate? Chances are we can trace most of the misconceptions about our profession to our image in the media. Your reading this week is interesting (Warner, Black & Parent) and takes us on a journey through the ages and helps explain much of what we experience as nurses. I have to say the chapter is not particularly well-written (which makes me crazy) but it does cover some very interesting content that I think you’ll enjoy and may resonate with your own experiences. As you read this chapter think about the evolution of nursing’s image and where you think we are now in 2005. How are we looking out there in the public eye? I’d like to give you a little glimpse of nursing’s image in the 21st century. Over time I’ve accumulated some clippings of nursing from various media. Most of what I’ve collected can’t be scanned and shown to you via the Internet, but Kevin has taken some of them and has added them here for you to review. Click here to see a few “images” from my collection and think about the message that the public, reviewing these images in their Sunday papers, Newsweek, etc., gets when they see them. Images Image 1 | Image 2 | Image 3 | Image
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