Despite the negative image of the nursing profession by the media the one positive that has come out of it is that the people who venture into this profession are usually compassionate, caring and they the lives of other first
The media is one of the most valuable tools of this age that is used to pass information from one are to another. The media has become so powerful than before because of the time it takes to share a particular information around the globe, and thus most people have made use of it to create connections and thus make communication easy. The media and particularly Hollywood has played a vital role when it comes to various professions such as the nursing profession. The Hollywood has seen the release of numerous television shows that negatively or positively portray the nursing profession. The media and Hollywood have played a role in the nursing profession both positively and negatively (Nemeth, 2010).
The negative portrayal of the nursing profession has been seen in cases where the shows have been released where the nurses were dressed in miniskirts, and they were ready to take care of their patients no matter what the patient is suffering from. This has thus brought out the image of the nurses being sexually objective both to the patients and to the physicians. This, therefore, has created a bad picture for the people in the nursing profession as the society will view them as being sexually immoral and thus drives away any individual that wants to venture into the nursing profession. The negative portrayal of the nursing profession by Hollywood has been seen where this business has been portrayed as being suitable for a particular gender.Therefore the gender discrimination of the nurses using the Hollywood movies and various television channels has drawn away from all the males that are interested in pursuing the nursing profession to back off from this dream. This portrayal brings out the fact that men cannot fit into such a profession as they are way above it and this in turns makes the females look weak.
Hollywood movies like Grey’s anatomy and a house which are movies related to the nursing profession are supposed to bring out the real picture of the nursing profession, but this is not the case (Bishop, 2009). The nurses have always been viewed as the ears and hands of the physicians who are a good thing, but the movies do not bring out the full capability and roles of a nurse. The Hollywood productions have instead set off the image that the nursing profession is not for intelligent individuals like the physicians, and that is why they are always below the doctors, and they submit to them. Despite the negative image of the nursing profession by the media the one positive that has come out of it is that the people who venture into this profession are usually compassionate, caring and they the lives of other first. Individuals with a big heart are the ones who fit to be in the nursing profession and not just anyone.
There are several other avenues that can be used other than the Hollywood production to let the public be informed of the roles of a nurse. The school can be a perfect place to let the students know of the profession and what it entails to be a nurse as this will help in erasing the image that has been created in the minds of the young people concerning the profession. The use of the books and magazines and other means of communication can be of great help in letting the public know of the greatness of being associated with the nurses, and this will in turn help change the health care system and make it better. Those in the healthcare organization can make use of pamphlets and brochures to inform the public of the scope of the nursing profession, and this will, in turn, make the public appreciate those individuals in the nursing field.