If you enjoy House, ER, Scrubs, Grey's Anatomy...

then what you want to be is a NURSE, not a physician. Nearly everything interns/residents/physicians, whatever...do in those shows is Nursing. If the shows were just about physician work, they'd be pretty dry.

I'm reading Saving Lives: Why the Media's Portrayal of Nursing Puts Us All at Risk. It's been named one of American Journal of Nursing's Books of Year (2009).

Reading it makes my blood pressure rise, thinking of how TV, film, written print all don't give enough credit to nurses. "If it's important work, credit anyone but a nurse".

Monitoring patients and complex technology...nurses work

controlling patient's pain...nurses work

psychosocial care...nurses work

calling codes and defibrillating patients...nurses work

anticipating problems...nurses work

patient education...nurses work

Physicians aren't at the bedside. They have way too many patients to give care the way nurses do.

So we need each other, the nurses need physicians to order the tests, diagnose the problem, prescribe treatment, and the physicians need nurses to monitor response to treatment, administer/withhold medications, anticipate problems, be present with the patient.

WHY is this important?

Because the media consistently does not show real nursing, and belittles it to unskilled clean up work. Research already shows that the effects of media change how people think, and if everyone thinks nursing isn't worth it, we'll continue to have poor working conditions for nurses, not enough respect, and poorer patient outcomes. People with power won't give more funds and resources to nurses, children won't want to be nurses...and then we'll all be in deep trouble.

The shows don't even talk about physical therapists, respiratory therapists, speech therapists, pharmacists, anyone, but these doctors.

I haven't finished the book but the ending will probably be something along the lines of media changing how it portrays nurses and people (nurses and others) stepping up to show what real nursing work is.

Maybe once those sitcom directors visit a hospital unit, as a patient or visitor, then they'll see how the balance really should be and change their shows appropriately.

They'll still make money on their shows, and then nursing work will be credited to nurses, and physician's work to physicians.

edit 2-25-10: I've read the first three chapters. I should have stopped at the second, then jump to 10 (the solutions chapter). It gets a little whiny...