Saving Lives: Why the Media's Portrayal of Nurses Puts Us All at Risk

by Sandy Summers

Popular TV shows like Grey's Anatomy, ER, and House lead people to think that nurses simply push gurneys, drive romantic plots, and provide an attractive backdrop for the real action. However, 12 million nurses worldwide know the reality is far more fascinating, demanding, and important.

Written by the leaders of The Truth About Nursing, the organization at the forefront of challenging and changing representations of nurses, Saving Lives is destined to change the way people look at the essential role nurses play within the U.S. healthcare system. It explores the public's perception of nurses and spells out the greatest myths about nursing, drawing on examples from television shows, ads, news, and other media.

Saving Lives exposes the media's role in the nursing shortage and the often dismissive public perception of nursing. But it is also a call to action. Saving Lives offers concrete steps to help nurses, and those who support them, educate the public about nursing.

For millions of people worldwide, nurses are the difference between life and death, self-sufficiency and dependency, and hope and despair. Nonetheless a lack of appreciation for nursing has contributed to a global shortage that is one of our most urgent public health crises. There are not enough nurses available to monitor patients, provide hi-tech treatments, advocate for patients, and teach patients to live with their conditions. Poor understanding of what nurses do undermines claims for adequate staffing, and leads to a lack of resources for nursing practice, education, and research. All of that means worse patient outcomes, including death. Saving Lives is destined to change public perceptions, thereby empowering nurses and attracting new nurses to the healthcare field.

Genres: Nursing, Nonfiction, Medicine, Medical, Health Care, Sociology

352 pages, Hardcover

First published January 6, 2009

Reviews

[Alice Catches · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book took me a couple of years to read all the way through, mainly because of her repetitive Grey's Anatomy and ER examples. However, she successfully invoked in me some irritation and anger about the "nurse as handmaiden" and "nurse as doctor's helper" portrayals. My rating of three stars is largely due to the excessive amount of evidence she uses to prove her point (which normally would be a selling point), without providing much insight about what nurses actually do. I would recommend this to non-nurses if she wasn't so preachy and repetitive. The book actually gets better when she suggests things people can do to improve the public's respect for the nursing profession.

[Inga · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative book, however, I found it repetitive.

[Allie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although I’m in full support of portraying nurses for the intelligent, caring professionals they are, the author comes out hot on the world’s view and portrayal of them.

[Esther Berkompas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite books of all time. It inspired me and encouraged me in my chosen career path. There are some dry moments where scenes of TV shows are explained in great detail. However, the boring parts serve to prove a point, and they do so very well. Please read this book, even and perhaps most especially if you have nothing to do with the profession of nursing.

[Allie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very interesting and informative read. However, after a few chapters it really seemed quite repetitive.

[Libby Dunn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly researched with many (almost too many) examples, this book shows the media’s portrayal of nursing and how it is harmful to the nursing profession. It shows how popular TV shows degrade nurses, and how that can subconsciously contribute to decreased trust in nurses’ knowledge and excellence and the nursing shortage itself. Although it can be very redundant, it discussed many different stereotypes - angel, sexy nurse, battle axe - and how those harm the image of nursing. It does offer a multitude of ways that both nurses and civilians can help change the mindset and transform the way we think of nursing as a profession.

[Alison Shely · Rating 3 out of 5]

The last chapter of this book was very inspirational for me especially as I’m getting my doctorate, but the rest of it was a little whiny. Every profession has its stereotypes and some of the tv shows it references are more than 10 years old! I think Nursing has come a long way since then

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a prospective nursing student, I found this book enlightening and empowering. As a reader, it was a bit dull. I did enjoy the humor throughout, and there was certainly a wealth of evidence for Summer's thesis, but I would have liked a little more of the former and a little less of the latter. It didn't help that the introduction was a little too comprehensive, so many of the later chapters felt very familiar by the time I reached them. That, and the endless examples given tended to get repetitive. That said, I would reccommend this to anyone working in healthcare, not because it is an enjoyable book per se, but a valuable one.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Way too repetitive and hung up on Grey's Anatomy, but it makes some good points about how nobody knows what nurses really do.

[Jeanette Vaughan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent look at why nurse's are continually portrayed poorly in the media. A segue from the original works by Kalische and Kalische.

[Beth A · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick read....very familiar with the content. I appreciate the angle they present that the continued erroneous portrayal of nurses in the media effects public health.

[Deb · Rating 2 out of 5]

Made some valid points; overall, outdated and repetitive

[Pam Reeder · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book every nurse should read.

[Gillian Graham · Rating 2 out of 5]

Important stuff, but the writing isn't that great.