Image of Nurse in the Media - Essay Example

IMAGE OF NURSE IN THE MEDIA Institute Image of Nurse In the Media The profession of nursing is a career of respect and dignity. It is a path where people work hard to maintain a healthy life for others and are engaged in assisting the ill patients. It was a profession created by Florence Nightingale who chose this career despite of the hurdles that came her way in the profession. She pursued the career and set an example for the world that saving the lives of people and serving humanity is the goal of nurses.

She initiated this profession for the benefit of the health of all individuals in this world. But this profession has faced many problems. In the olden times the lack of resources and support for this career was a major hurdle for nurses. Nowadays stereotyping of the nurses in the media has become an obstacle that hinders the performance and efficiency of the nurses. Nurses have become an integral part of the healthcare system. They take care of the health of the patients and advise them with the best possible options available for their health.

Despite of these essential functions of the nurses, their portrayal has been distorted by the media and the society. It has been seen that nurses are highlighted as women with glamour and beauty but they are considered not to possess any further qualities. It is seen that they are stereotyped as being unintelligent and as not being capable of taking care of patients on the same level as the physicians. It is true that the education opportunities of nurses have expanded. But owing to such labels stamped for the nurses in the media and the society, many people refrain from opting for this profession.

A study conducted in 2008 indicated the fact that the media portrays the nurses as objects of attraction with no competence and potential. Furthermore, famous television serials which include Grey’s Anatomy and House suppress the role of the nurses and promote the role of the physicians. It is seen that the physicians in these serials tend to look down upon the role of nurses and ridicule them as well (Summers et al 2010). This stereotyping of the nurses as ineffective members of the healthcare team provides for an unhealthy image and greatly affects the profession.

It has been seen that the number of nurses has been greatly reducing and many people do not like to opt for this career owing to these labels. This is considered to lead to a problem for the healthcare system as shortages of nurses would affect the functioning and efficacy of the health providing services. Furthermore, it will also affect the working of the nurses in the hospital. This is because the reduction in the staff would place more burden on the nurses and they would have greater amount of work.

This would alter their capacity and efficiency of taking decisions and hence the health of the patients would be compromised (Summers et al 2010). Nurses have an important role to play in the hospitals and other health providing centers. Nurses tend to put in much hard work and are qualified to make essential decisions with regard to patients. Their stereotyping greatly alters their capacity. This matter should be addressed to maintain the integrity of the healthcare system. References Summers, S.

& Summers, H.J. (2010, June 9). “ Is the media image of nursing damaging the profession?” Retrieved from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8708041.stm