The media portray many images of nursing, some favorable and some unfavorable.
* Does media portrayal of nursing affect how patients perceive nurses as authority figures? Why or why not? Think about nursing stereotypes and discuss the ways you can influence the public image of nursing.
* Discuss the various roles nurses can play that support the real image of nursing. Think about community health care and preventive services for all, but especially the underserved.
ABOVE IS ORIGINAL TOPIC TO GIVE YOU A GENERAL IDEA OF WHAT is being talked about !! DO NOT RESPOND TO ORIGINAL TOPIC. ONLY RESPOND TO 2 PEERS LISTED BELOW WITH THEIR OWN IN TEXT CITATIONS AND REFERENCES. PLEASE USE FOLLOW UP QUESTIONS for each student IN APA FORMAT
Peer 1: Gaby
Media significantly impacts public opinion, particularly how patients regard nurses as authority figures. The portrayal of nursing in the media can influence these perceptions positively and negatively. Brown (2017) evaluated the definition of nursing in film and television. Positive depictions of nurses as competent and caring professionals can strengthen their image, but negative stereotypes can promote misconceptions and undercut their authority. For example, when the media spreads preconceptions, such as nurses being subservient or only concerned with menial jobs, it can lead to underestimating their expertise and talents. Conversely, portraying nurses as skilled, sensitive, and essential to patient care in the media might boost their influence in hospital settings.
To favorably affect the public perception of nursing, it is critical to question and oppose stereotypes in media representation. According to Adams and Hunt (2016), nursing stereotypes can significantly impact the profession’s public image. Healthcare organizations, nursing associations, and individual nurses can all actively participate in media campaigns, storytelling, and educational programs to highlight nurses’ different roles and abilities. Furthermore, appropriate portrayals of nurses in popular media can assist the public in comprehending their numerous responsibilities, which range from direct patient care to fighting for patients’ rights and serving as team leaders in healthcare. By stressing their value to the healthcare system, we may develop a more realistic and respectful picture of nurses as authority figures.
Nurses can play a variety of tasks that contribute to the actual image of nursing, especially in community healthcare and preventive programs for marginalized communities. They can act as educators, providing essential health promotion, disease prevention, and self-care knowledge to enable individuals and communities to make health-related decisions. Nurses can also be champions for healthcare equity, addressing inequities in access to treatment and ensuring that underserved people receive the required resources. Nurses can actively contribute to improving the health and well-being of vulnerable communities through community outreach initiatives, free clinics, and partnerships with local organizations, increasing their image as compassionate and dedicated healthcare professionals.
References
Brown, C. (2017). Nurses in the media: An evaluation of the portrayal of nursing on film and television. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 73(7), 1602-1603.
Adams, J. M., & Hunt, R. G. (2016). Nursing stereotypes: What are nursing’s public images? ABNF Journal, 27(1), 14-18.
Peer 2: Cami G \ • I believe that the media affects the way nurses are seen by patients as authority figures because of the many shows that are broadcasted around the world that portray nurses differently than what they really are such as the role that they have in the healthcare system. For example, TV shows or movies usually follow around the doctors as they are the main focus and will make it seem as doctors being the ones to do everything for the patient such as administering medications or ambulating the patient themselves while the nurse is not shown at all so this would lead patients to believe that nurses have no role or say in their care of plan when caring for them. However, nurses are the ones who spend the most time caring for patients as they get to know them and advocate for them for any needs and wants they might have. Another nursing stereotype that is common is that the nursing profession is made up by mainly women and that there are no male nurses as they should work for a role “more advanced” such as doctors, adding more negativity to the gender roles (Teresa-Morales et al., 2022). Ways to influence the public image of nursing is to educate society and the media of the reality and positivity of nursing so it is not misrepresented in shows.
* There are many roles that nurses can play that will support the real image of nursing. For example, nurses are ones who educate the community about how to prevent diseases and promote health to live a better and healthier lifestyle. They will also advocate for the vulnerable population, like those are homeless or in poverty, by ensuring that they still get the medical care and preventative services that they need. Those in vulnerable population will often time seek care from nurses rather than doctors. Nurses can as well work along side others in the healthcare team to show patients and the family that they play a vital role in the patient’s care to break those sterotypes.
 
References:
Teresa-Morales, C., Rodríguez-Pérez, M., Araujo-Hernández, M., & Feria-Ramírez, C. (2022). Current stereotypes associated with nursing and nursing professionals: An integrative review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(13), 7640. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19137640