Nurse understaffing remains widespread in U.S. hospitals, The Guardian reports A good February 2019 article paints a distressing picture of the state of U.S. nurse staffing, emphasizing the dangerous effects on patients…
Author: Sandy Summers and Harry Jacobs Summers
Sandy and Harry Summers are the leaders of The Truth About Nursing and co-authors of Saving Lives: Why the Media's Portrayal of Nursing Puts Us All at Risk
We are the gap
Lifetime docudrama Life Flight is a mixed message for nursing The March 2015 docudrama Life Flight: Trauma Center Houston has helpful information about what nurses do for patients, although it spends a…
You’re going to see a difference
Reuters on study linking better nursing with better patient outcomes A 2016 Reuters item highlighted key findings of a new study showing that a better nursing environment means better patient outcomes. Ironically,…
How many angels can detect subtle signs of respiratory distress?
Chicago Tribune item highlights nurse’s great save but reinforces angel stereotype A piece about a Chicago nurse’s astute and quick action to address a baby’s respiratory distress highlights a key nursing role….
“Dedicated, educated and planning to leave”
Nurse explains reasons for strike in powerful Irish Times op-ed Senior nurse Ann Noonan tells why she and other members of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organization have decided to strike: The…
Until a nurse
J&J could have done more to convey nursing expertise. Still, these are arguably the best mass-market ads in the history of J&J’s campaign. We thank those responsible.
Alexandra Robbins examines the state of U.S. nursing
“That’s why her hair is so big. It’s full of secrets.” – Mean Girls (2004) The journalist promoted her 2015 book with stories in major publications, from Politico to Slate to Marie…
Geriatric care
Baltimore Sun reports that retiree became a hospice nurse in his 60s A January 2016 piece by health reporter Meredith Cohn explains that the man became a nurse after his wife died….
Thanksgiving op-ed in The Hill highlights nursing’s ongoing image problems
Nurse educators cite Truth leaders’ book Saving Lives November 22, 2018 – Today The Hill ran the strong op-ed “Let’s give thanks to nurses” by Rush University nursing educators Mallory Bejster and…
#NursesToo
Popular TV game show Family Feud repeatedly sexualizes nursing In survey questions, the highly-rated syndicated show Family Feud has urged the public to think of nurses as females who are mainly focused…
Music critic Josiah Hughes interviews Truth leaders on the nursing image in pop music
August 28, 2018 – Today the Blink-155 podcast, which focuses on the pop-punk band blink-182, posted a long interview with Truth About Nursing leaders Sandy and Harry Summers. Hosted by Calgary (Alberta, Canada) music…
Tearing up the bureaucracy
“Call the Midwife” can be expected to offer a consistently good portrayal of nursing. “Chicago Med” and “The Resident” will show viewers some nursing skill, advocacy, and autonomy. But the physician-focused vision of top shows like “Grey’s Anatomy” and “The Good Doctor,” on which nurses are still handmaidens, will likely dominate another Hollywood season.
Someone saved my life tonight
Some but not all reports on Las Vegas shooting show that team efforts saved lives Press items on the health care response to the October 2017 mass shooting in Las Vegas ranged…
Indeterminacy and the nursing advocate
New Yorker cartoon challenges bias against female physicians—and nurses? Paul Noth draws a female in scrubs, standing beside a female in a white coat, telling a grumpy patient’s family: “We’re doing everything we…
Call of Duty
Press highlights ethical concerns of Navy nurse who refused to force-feed A late 2014 Miami Herald piece described advocacy, including by the American Nurses Association, for a Navy nurse at Guantánamo who…
Heimlich heroes
WTOC on student who saved choking classmate after training by school nurse The Savannah (GA) CBS TV affiliate reported that a local fourth grader had saved a classmate using the Heimlich maneuver…
Poverty, etc.
On The Mindy Project, nurses are comic relief for the comic relief The sitcom’s third season does offer a few fleeting images of its nurses as actual health professionals. But mostly, they…
Chickens without heads
Press items highlight nurse staffing crisis in Quebec The Montreal Gazette says understaffing is so bad that some nurses have reported themselves for unsafe care. A Public Radio International piece reports that 700 physicians…
Something to tell you
Florida ED nurse has a simple request: “Wash your stinking hands”! The Washington Post reports that nurse Katherine Lockler posted an amusing video to Facebook explaining key ways people can avoid the…
The tragic hero
Nurse Jackie says goodbye The Showtime comedy’s final seasons had flaws, occasionally suggesting that nurses report to physicians. But there was still a lot of expert care and creative advocacy from the…