In July 2020 the National Institutes of Health announced that Shannon Zenk, RN, PhD, would assume the role of director of the National Institute of Nursing Research in fall 2020. Since August 2019, NINR has been without a nurse director, with that role being filled on an interim basis by a dentist and then a biologist. Last year the Truth, joined by many nurses, urged NIH to appoint a nurse as interim director. In any case, we congratulate Dr. Zenk on her appointment.
An engaging Vox video argues that men should overcome regressive gender notions and enter nursing, which it calls the “robot-proof” “job of the future.” But the video itself reinforces the gendered angel stereotype that nursing is all about “caring and empathy,” ignoring the advanced scientific skills and critical judgments that modern nursing requires.
Jason Silverstein posted a strong report showing that the widespread understaffing of U.S. nurses costs lives and burns out nurses. Commendably, the piece relied solely on nursing scholars and nursing research to make its points. It might have also explained how nurses save lives and addressed potential solutions to the problem.
Creator Ryan Murphy describes the new show, about the iconic battle-axe nurse from One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, as “an imagining of how this monster was created.” We have long feared the series will reinforce the harmful stereotyping of the original, which linked female nursing authority with malevolence. Will Ratched give viewers a sense that nurses are anything more than disturbed clinical abusers?
After a June 2020 piece in the Baltimore Sun marvels at medical students providing holistic care to Covid patients, a local nurse explains that this extraordinary care innovation has actually been at the core…
NY Post: Covid nurse suspended for wearing little beneath clear gown Post pieces reported that a Russian nurse had been suspended for wearing only her underwear, or maybe it was a swimsuit, under her…
U.K. street artist’s Covid-19 tribute presents nurse as superhero A new Banksy work hangs in a hospital in southern England. It pays tribute to NHS staff by showing a boy playing with…
Press items report deadly nursing shortage on both sides of the Atlantic A study of European hospitals shows that missed care due to nurse understaffing has increased death rates, according to an…
The Resident features a skilled nurse advocate The Fox hospital drama’s first season highlighted some real problems in the U.S. health care system, including corruption and harmful errors. But the show also…
Washington Post report on nursing in Covid era offers unusually deep look at profession A long April 2020 piece in the Post had information from a diverse group of nurses. Of course,…
New York City settles benefits case about whether nursing is “physically taxing” The New York Daily News reported that the City had agreed to pay almost $21 million to settle claims that…
More strong nursing in season 6 of the BBC’s Call the Midwife The sixth season of the BBC’s Call the Midwife, from 2017, featured more portrayals of expert nurse midwives saving lives and improving…
April 2020 pieces highlight U.S. nurses advocating for safer practices despite efforts to silence them. Buzzfeed reported that a California hospital had suspended 10 nurses for refusing to care for Covid-19 patients without the N95 masks the physicians got. The nurses later got the masks. And the New York Times ran an op-ed by Theresa Brown about how she was forced to quit a clinical job because of her advocacy for safer practices, a dynamic that is now widespread in the Covid context.
The Code of Ethics calls nurses to action The Truth About Nursing denounces the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and the many other persons of color who have died as a…
A May 2017 report addressed how “napping pods” can ease the effects of sleep deprivation on high school students. And an August 2017 piece described research finding that many postpartum nurses are ill-prepared to educate new mothers about risks to their health. Both reports show how nursing research can improve health.
An April 2020 CBS News piece reported that National Nurses United had held a protest in front of the White House about the lack of personal protective equipment (PPE). The union argues that the CDC has weakened its standards for PPE, that OSHA has likewise failed to act, and that Congress and the White House have not mandated the production of enough PPE or testing supplies.
In April 2020, U.S. nurses appeared in the media to tell the public why Covid-19 must be taken seriously and managed with social distancing measures. An anonymous California nurse did that forcefully in an installment of the Guardian’s “ER Diaries” series, explaining that Covid patients were pushing his hospital to the brink. And on PBS’s NewsHour a Miami nurse manager likewise pleaded for distancing, describing how challenging it is stay safe while providing critical care.
Nurses show skill and some authority in early seasons of Chicago Med The first two seasons of the NBC hospital drama (2015-2017) focus on physician characters who generally direct clinical care. But…
One Times opinion piece ably explains the need for more sexual assault forensic nurses. Another looks at barriers to men entering nursing. But both items have clickbait headlines that reinforce stereotypes and call into question why anyone would become a nurse.
ICU nurse tells New York Times readers what it’s like to care for Covid-19 patients In a strong opinion piece, Simone Hannah-Clark took readers inside the day of a New York City ICU nurse….