A great deal is written about nursing, and the public can hear many mixed messages about nurses. On one hand, a Gallup poll shows that nurses are voted the most trustworthy professionals every year. On the other hand, the public watches "Nurse Jackie," potentially forming opinions that nurses are rule-breaking mavericks who pop pills and have sex in the pharmacy.
On June 12, Cosmopolitan.com published an article titled "14 Things I Wish I Knew Before I Became A Nurse" by Allyson Lenoci. For some, this article felt like nursing reality. For others, it painted a picture of nursing far beyond what some nurses want the public to internalize about the profession.
For the general public, the many takeaways from the article would include that nurses are likely to injure themselves, age more quickly than others, are ubiquitously underpaid, miss out on social and family events, have no time to eat or urinate, and develop a sick sense of humor. While some of Lenoci's points may contain a modicum of truth, her article casts a cynical light on the profession, describing nurses as martyred individuals who sacrifice much and receive little in return.
And who is featured in the image at the top of the article? None other than Nurse Jackie, a fictitious nurse from television.
In direct response to Lenoci's article, nurse Dianne Foster posted a rebuttal on FreemanWhite.com, countering each of Lenoci's arguments with salient refutations. Foster offers a thoughtful solution to each of the 14 challenges posed by Lenoci, encouraging nurse readers to take responsibility for their situation, proactively seek ways to improve working conditions, elevate standards of nurse self-care, and exercise more autonomy of thought and action.
In Lenoci’s article, there is a sense that nurses are helpless martyrs, sacrificing their health for the greater good. While this might sell magazines, it does not do justice to how nurses have taken control of the profession, with increased autonomy of practice, and a movement toward greater self-care and nurse wellness.
"There is no other profession where you will have as big an impact on someone's life as you do in nursing," Foster writes. "You get to wear scrubs with elastic waistbands and tennis shoes. You're a superhero to patients and families and physicians. No two days are alike — you are not in a boring job. You will develop a bulletproof immune system and rarely get sick — and if you do get sick, you are surrounded by people who can help you!
"Nursing is consistently the highest ranked profession on the Gallup survey for public trust — that is instant honor and credibility! It's a serious job, yes, and often a hard job — but, the rewards are many and attitude is everything."
The public may enjoy "Nurse Jackie" and its characters, but with a consistent need for more Americans to enter the profession, it is the responsibility of nurse writers to educate the public accurately about our profession, especially when the mainstream media does its best to undermine nurses' credibility.
Nurse writers can offer an alternative: honest, straightforward information, highlighting the accomplishments, skills and expertise of nurses, while also addressing the inherent challenges of the profession. The Cosmopolitan article chose to focus on the struggles of hospital nurses and the many deprivations they suffer. Meanwhile, the FreemanWhite.com article refuted those assertions with soundly reasoned responses.
The public needs to know the truth about nurses and nursing. We don't have to sugarcoat it, but we certainly need to exercise caution when decrying our collective and individual suffering.
This conversation is far from over. There will always be articles focusing on the negative or sensational, but there will also be intelligent nurse thinkers who counter those assertions with the balanced, nonsensational truth.
