Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

Report on nurses: Make the profession more visible in media

Molly Moran, MSN, RN
Policy
March 16, 2023
Share
Tweet
Share

For an impressive 21st year in a row, Americans rated nursing as the most trusted profession in the country. The 2022 Gallup poll found that 79 percent of adults said nurses have “very high” or “high” honesty and ethical standards; significantly higher than any of the other 17 professions rated.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the employment rate for nursing (including nurse anesthetists, nurse midwives, and nurse practitioners) is growing at a high rate of 40 percent between 2021 and 2031. The average salary in nursing is close to $124,000.

The pandemic tested the profession in many ways, and new research shows the level of burnout and stress many nurses suffered at COVID’s height.

As a registered nurse (RN) with decades of service to the profession, I know firsthand the tremendous work my colleagues do as clinicians, researchers, educators, and policy advocates. To be considered the most trusted profession is not a distinction myself or my colleagues take lightly.

Yes, there is an international Happy Nurses Day every year in May. Popular television shows such as “Chicago Med,” “Call The Midwife,” “Bob Hearts Abishola,” and “Grey’s Anatomy” all feature fictional nurse characters in a variety of roles.

Unless they are on strike, as the New York State Nurses Association was recently until reaching a tentative agreement, why are nurses mostly invisible as experts in media commentary and news?

In an update to a Woodhull report from 1997, researchers analyzed health news stories published in September 2017 and found quotes were attributed to nurses only 2 percent of the time.

Nurses were identified in only 4 percent of the images and mentioned in only 13 percent of the articles; they were entirely absent in numerous stories despite the relevance of a nursing perspective to the topic – especially those involving health care policy, business, and research. Male nurses were quoted approximately twice as often as female nurses despite representing only 9.4 percent of the profession.

When quoted in health news stories, a 2020 study shows nurses have been portrayed as having little leadership and influence, with the image of a nurse existing primarily to help physicians.

News media play an important role in setting the public’s and policymakers’ agendas. Whoever receives a voice in framing a news story can impact how people think or feel about the topic.

In 2019, then Washington state senator Maureen Walsh commented that nurses in rural hospitals “probably play cards for a considerable amount of the day.” In 2015 hosts of “The View” commented that Miss Colorado was wearing scrubs as a “costume” with her “doctor’s stethoscope” around her neck.

Nursing is the largest health care profession, with over 4.2 million registered nurses (RNs) nationwide. To eliminate nurses’ clinical expertise and unique perspectives on health, illness, and health care is a disservice to the public as they are not benefiting from the wisdom and insight that nurses can provide.

In 2021 the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, formerly the Institute of Medicine (IOM), published a consensus study report, “The Future of Nursing 2020-2030: Charting a Path to Achieve Health Equity.”

ADVERTISEMENT

The report identifies how nurses play a critical role in the health system and, due to their unique combination of skills and knowledge, are well-poised to address health inequities and improve the overall health and well-being for all.

Health care is not at a hopeless point but at a critical point. Nurses must claim their expertise and authority by making every effort to engage the media. The media must respond, see what is truly there, and trust nurses for their insights and credibility because we are worthy of that trust.

Molly Moran is a nurse executive.

Prev

KevinMD on the Finance for Physicians podcast

March 15, 2023 Kevin 0
…
Next

Why our quest for self-improvement is failing: Uncovering the immunity to change in health care

March 16, 2023 Kevin 0
…

Tagged as: Nursing

Post navigation

< Previous Post
KevinMD on the Finance for Physicians podcast
Next Post >
Why our quest for self-improvement is failing: Uncovering the immunity to change in health care

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Posts

  • Why social media may be causing real emotional harm

    Edwin Leap, MD
  • Are negative news cycles and social media injurious to our health?

    Rabia Jalal, MD
  • A physician’s addiction to social media

    Amanda Xi, MD
  • How I used social media to get promoted to professor

    David R. Stukus, MD
  • How social media leads to a loss of creativity

    Edwin Leap, MD
  • Sharing mental health issues on social media

    Tarena Lofton

More in Policy

  • Why health care leaders fail at execution—and how to fix it

    Dave Cummings, RN
  • Healing the doctor-patient relationship by attacking administrative inefficiencies

    Allen Fredrickson
  • The hidden health risks in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act

    Trevor Lyford, MPH
  • The CDC’s restructuring: Where is the voice of health care in the room?

    Tarek Khrisat, MD
  • Choosing between care and country: a dual citizen’s Independence Day reflection

    Kathleen Muldoon, PhD
  • How fragmented records and poor tracking degrade patient outcomes

    Michael R. McGuire
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Why are medical students turning away from primary care? [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Why “do no harm” might be harming modern medicine

      Sabooh S. Mubbashar, MD | Physician
    • How New Mexico became a malpractice lawsuit hotspot

      Patrick Hudson, MD | Physician
    • Why doctors are reclaiming control from burnout culture

      Maureen Gibbons, MD | Physician
    • Why health care leaders fail at execution—and how to fix it

      Dave Cummings, RN | Policy
    • 5 blind spots that stall physician wealth

      Johnny Medina, MSc | Finance
  • Past 6 Months

    • Why tracking cognitive load could save doctors and patients

      Hiba Fatima Hamid | Education
    • Why are medical students turning away from primary care? [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • What the world must learn from the life and death of Hind Rajab

      Saba Qaiser, RN | Conditions
    • Why “do no harm” might be harming modern medicine

      Sabooh S. Mubbashar, MD | Physician
    • Here’s what providers really need in a modern EHR

      Laura Kohlhagen, MD, MBA | Tech
    • Why flashy AI tools won’t fix health care without real infrastructure

      David Carmouche, MD | Tech
  • Recent Posts

    • Why judgment is hurting doctors—and how mindfulness can heal

      Jessie Mahoney, MD | Physician
    • Why medical schools must ditch lectures and embrace active learning

      Arlen Meyers, MD, MBA | Education
    • Why helping people means more than getting an MD

      Vaishali Jha | Education
    • How digital tools are reshaping the doctor-patient relationship

      Vineet Vishwanath | Tech
    • Why evidence-based management may be an effective strategy for stronger health care leadership and equity

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Physician
    • Why health care leaders fail at execution—and how to fix it

      Dave Cummings, RN | Policy

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

Leave a Comment

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

ADVERTISEMENT

  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Why are medical students turning away from primary care? [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Why “do no harm” might be harming modern medicine

      Sabooh S. Mubbashar, MD | Physician
    • How New Mexico became a malpractice lawsuit hotspot

      Patrick Hudson, MD | Physician
    • Why doctors are reclaiming control from burnout culture

      Maureen Gibbons, MD | Physician
    • Why health care leaders fail at execution—and how to fix it

      Dave Cummings, RN | Policy
    • 5 blind spots that stall physician wealth

      Johnny Medina, MSc | Finance
  • Past 6 Months

    • Why tracking cognitive load could save doctors and patients

      Hiba Fatima Hamid | Education
    • Why are medical students turning away from primary care? [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • What the world must learn from the life and death of Hind Rajab

      Saba Qaiser, RN | Conditions
    • Why “do no harm” might be harming modern medicine

      Sabooh S. Mubbashar, MD | Physician
    • Here’s what providers really need in a modern EHR

      Laura Kohlhagen, MD, MBA | Tech
    • Why flashy AI tools won’t fix health care without real infrastructure

      David Carmouche, MD | Tech
  • Recent Posts

    • Why judgment is hurting doctors—and how mindfulness can heal

      Jessie Mahoney, MD | Physician
    • Why medical schools must ditch lectures and embrace active learning

      Arlen Meyers, MD, MBA | Education
    • Why helping people means more than getting an MD

      Vaishali Jha | Education
    • How digital tools are reshaping the doctor-patient relationship

      Vineet Vishwanath | Tech
    • Why evidence-based management may be an effective strategy for stronger health care leadership and equity

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Physician
    • Why health care leaders fail at execution—and how to fix it

      Dave Cummings, RN | Policy

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Leave a Comment

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...