Nurses on TV

What do nurses on TV do? For the life of me, I can't figure it out.

Since I have been spending a lot of time nursing my new baby, I have spent a lot of time watching TV. There are a lot of shows about doctors and hospitals on TV, but maybe I'm watching the wrong ones because on the shows I'm watching, the nurses don't do anything but hang out at the nurse's station, spread gossip, and sleep with the doctors. Strangely, my life would be a whole lot different if this were actually the case (and if the doctors were actually attractive enough to sleep with).

On the show House, the only purpose for nurses is to hand charts to people and to get yelled at by House. On Scrubs, they hang out at the desk. On Trauma, they are non-existent.

We think we have a health care problem? Imagine how much people on TV must pay for their medical care when every IV or catheter is started by a doctor rather than a nurse.

There was an episode of Scrubs where the Chief of Medicine started an IV on himself. I would not go to that hospital. The Chief of Medicine is an idiot. I don't know a single doctor that would start an IV, much less on themselves.

As a nurse, I feel like I should be offended and I do worry about the perception people are getting of nurses. People watch too much TV anyway and it clouds how they see the world. When I have patients come into the ER and demand that the doctor start their IV, I worry about how they will see their treatment. Do they also believe that some master doctor with all the knowledge of every specialty will come in and give them THE ANSWER? Do they expect the level of drama from TV? If so, they will be incredibly disappointed by their care. They may even feel that there is an answer and if they go see more doctors and spend more money, they will get it. Hence, more health care costs.

I would like to see a realistic medical show, but it would be so boring, people probably wouldn't watch it. Conversely, people probably would watch a funny show like Scrubs that was about the nurses and the fairly realistic experiences of nurses. Someone should make that.

After all, who wouldn't laugh at some of the things nurses come in contact with? After all, we actually deal with the patients. Maybe that is why the TV shows aren't very realistic. The doctors don't ususally work much with the patients. They work with the diseases. Nurses deal with the patients, their demands, their whims, and their families.

Its a gold mine, TV people. Get on it!