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10 Nurse Depictions We Wish Would Go Away

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Scrubs Magazine

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What would a Halloween party be without a naughty nurse? What porn movie isn’t complete without the rather large-chested and always available nurse? And then, of course, there are the soap operas (and seemingly legit evening medical dramas) with the pouty-lipped nurses who are out to nab Dr. Right. Is it any wonder why nurses are fed up with how we’re portrayed in the media?

It’s not as if nurses don’t have a sense of humor. Heck, you have to be able to laugh to do what we do, right? But there’s a line—and it’s not that fine a line—between laughing with nurses and laughing at them. And when people are laughing at them, you can bet there’s less respect for the profession. Nursing isn’t the only profession that has stereotypes – librarians and policewomen are just two examples.

We nurses have to do our part to educate people about what the profession is really about. We certainly have our work cut out for us! Take a look at this list, then roll up your sleeves!

Here are 10 nurse depictions (with some horrifying examples!) we wish would go away:

1. Naughty Halloween Nurse

Let’s forget the super-short dresses and the low-cut tops these naughty nurses wear—how on earth would a nurse be able to run in those shoes? It used to be that Halloween was for children, but now it’s also the time of year when adults routinely sexualize nurses. Children see these costumes in the stores and it’s not doing nurses any favors.

2. Addicted Nurse

Whether you love her or hate her, Nurse Jackie has brought another unfavorable nurse persona into the national consciousness – that of the addicted nurse. Nurse Jackie, played by Edie Falco, is an uber-competent nurse whom many nurses identify as a ‘real’ nurse. That is, the kind that regards patient care as her highest priority. However, a weakness for narcotics has become one of the ‘humanizing’ factors for this Hollywood character. Most nurses would not agree that the profession is so overwhelming that nurses need a crutch like drug abuse in order to face the daily hardships.

3. Sex Object Nurse

If nurses already have a difficult time taking care of patients who are demanding things left, right and center, they definitely don’t have time for men who think that nurses are sex objects. A quick search on YouTube shows that there are more videos on this topic than one cares to think about. When was the last time you met a real nurse who behaved this way?

4. Celebrities as Naughty Nurses

Are you a Mariah Carey fan? She lost some fans who were nurses with her song and video “Up Out My Face.” She and a costar in the video wear the typical naughty-nurse outfit, with lots of cleavage allowing viewers ample boob shots. Of course, you can’t have a sexy nurse without her preening and rubbing herself; that’s a given, right? Mariah isn’t the only one to do this type of thing, but it’s getting old, don’t you think?