Nurses Voices are Heard: MTV is “Scrubbing Out”
Do you ever think “you can’t fight city hall” or that change is not possible? Hospitals will always be the way they are. If I say something, they won’t listen. You may want to rethink your thinking. Change can happen and begins with one person.
You may have read my recent article about lessons learned from MTV’s “Scrubbing In” program. This reality television series followed nine travel nurses who moved to California for a temporary assignment. Unfortunately, the show negatively portrayed the nurses partying, drinking and arguing when they were not on the job. The show drew criticism from organizations including The American Nurses Association which stated that the “negative images reinforce sexist and inaccurate nurse stereotypes.” In addition, a petition to cancel the series, presented on Change.org, garnered over 30,000 signatures.
The MTV VP of Communications and Public Affairs met with the non-profit organization, TruthAboutNursing.org, which has a mission to increase public understanding of the role nurses play in modern healthcare. “Our focus is to promote more accurate, balanced and frequent media portrayals of nurses and increase the media’s use of nurses as expert sources.”
The MTV executives did not know about the nursing stereotypes and how their show undermined the image of nurses and the profession. It is unusual for Hollywood producers and executives to meet with the public and consequently make changes to their show. However, kudos to MTV for having agreed to move the show from 10:00 P.M. to midnight where viewership will be decreased as well as agreeing to edit the remaining episodes to show more clinical scenes of the nurses at work and to convey accurate information about nursing in general. MTV was open to hearing the concerns about the links between the stereotypes, undervaluation of nursing and the underfunding of nursing practice and education. On the MTV website, they have agreed to do a blog post about nursing as well as “a day in the life of a nurse” as a feature.
Congratulations! The voice of nurses was heard!
It took one nurse to stand up and say this is unacceptable and created a movement for change to occur. If nurses can convince a multimillion dollar company like MTV to change how they air a program, nurses certainly can make changes to their environment in the hospital where they work. Change is possible. To learn more about how to make changes to thrive in your nursing practice, click here.
