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Nursing is basically a scientific profession with
a widespread vision, where nurses care for the
physical needs of the people at the same time
satisfies their emotional, psychological, and
intellectual as well as social and spiritual demands.
These Nurses though get professional training
but apart from professional training and experiences,
a good nurse possess high humanistic quality and
has in depth understanding of not only the psychology
of her/his patients but also proves to be very
soft and patience when her/his patients behave
in some rude, unethical and humiliating manner.
On the other hand, they also devote special love
and care to the patients at the same time, ignoring
the unpleasant situations and circumstances when
the patients are in abnormal conditions. Moreover,
besides educating them the importance of a healthy
life, they also enlighten them the various health
care tips with the necessity of cleanliness of
both the environment as well as the physic. At
the same time, nurses also offer their services
in guiding for a healthy and balanced diet to
the patient to adopt as a lifetime principle.
(Giger, Davidhiza 1990)
However, the institution of nursing is also divided
into two classes of the society. There are nurses
who work in cities and big professional hospitals
as well as there are nursing homes in both the
city and in rural areas that lack basic health
care facilities for not only the patients but
also the nurses have to suffer from these basic
deficiencies. (Anderko, Robertson and Lewis, 1999).
On the other hand, we also find discrimination
in male and female nurses in the professional
nursing environment similar to that in other work
places regarding sexuality. Though, both male
and female nurses have the same potential and
ability to offer their humanistic services to
the patients and the needy but they are discriminated
in various aspects. For instance, in educational
standards, hiring them and the salary stuff etc.
(Kramer and Hafner, 1989) At the same time, we
also find differences in the projection of media.
There was a time that the profession of nursing
was considered to be best for women but now with
the passage of time and modernization, not only
men are equally participating in this filed but
also women are losing their traditional respect
as professional nurses. Nonetheless, educational
institutions also provide professional trainings.
Moreover, various courses are also included in
the professional training process of nursing.
Though, currently there are many issues regarding
the oppression of professional nursing groups
but this paper will discuss the oppression of
nursing groups with specific reference to the
role of media.
Media and Nursing Profession
Media plays a very important role in exploiting
or enhancing the image of various social, political,
national and international or personal issues.
At the same time, media also has the credit to
internationalize these issues globally, as people
belonging to any country of this globe and related
to any socio-culture and ethnic group or any profession
of this world are aware of the happenings of each
corner of the world. Therefore, media plays a
very significant role in highlighting any small
and simple issue to make efforts for finding solutions
to that very issue and to uncover the hidden truths
of any society, political group or state.
The Image Of Nursing In Media
Though electronic media is currently playing a
significant role in encouraging the prestigious
profession of nursing but print media is more
active in this regard. We find a number of articles
and research work done on various aspects of nursing.
For instance, the issues faced by both women and
men before and after entering the profession of
nursing. The different stages from education and
training to appointments, all these stages are
not simple and easy tasks. Nurses especially women
nurses have to undergo a number of challenges
to get admissions into educational institutes,
training institutes and then the appointment for
nursing is not an easy task. (Aiken, Clarke, Cheung
and Silber, September 24,2003) Therefore, the
media addresses all these issues and hurdles.
However, the role of media regarding the profession
of nursing has been in constant change prior to
both the great World Wars. Prior to the First
World War, media highlighted the profession of
nursing as the most moral and respectable one
by projecting nurses as the virginal angels of
mercy. Though, up till the end of World War II
it was projected that women are the heroines of
the society. However, the role of media in projecting
the image of women nurses from the Post-war period
has started changing in a negative manner. Initially
they were promoted with disrespect if they were
wife or a mother, and if an unmarried women opt
for this profession, she was not respected enough
to get married to with any respectable man of
the society. So the negative projection of media
resulted the prestigious profession of nursing
to be the principle steppingstone towards marriage.
At the same time it makes the women nurses feel
the most oppressed group of the American society.
Therefore, some media agencies are not playing
a very constructive or positive role towards the
profession of nursing though some good projects
are also on screen that are focusing on the various
issues related to the profession of nursing. But
some media groups are projecting stereotype images
about this profession, discriminating men from
women to be a part of this profession. For instance,
they are projecting the image to the society that
women are best suitable to the profession of nursing
as they are naturally created by God to be the
health care supervisor of their houses being housewives.
They are also adding disrespect to the profession
of nursing by promoting the idea that women nurses
have strong backs and weak minds. (Kalisch, Art.
9, 1996) Moreover, the print media is also focusing
on the profession of nurses in a negative manner
by projecting stories about nurses that is humiliating
their prestigious profession. For instance, it
is projected that usually nurses develop a flirty
relation with men doctors to seduce them and play
footsie with the intention to emotionally involve
them to finally marry with, (Fagin, Maraldo and
Mason, Nov. 18,2004) which is to some extent true
but not done by all nurses and doctors. Similarly
one cannot blame only nurses for this behavior
as seducing for sexual pleasure and men or women,
doctors or nurses can do flirting to drag emotionally
for marriage. So one cannot stigmatize only women
nurses for such behavior. But the media is projecting
this image in such a weird manner that makes it
humiliating and disrespecting, as this is the
personal behavior of an individual that varies
from person to person.
Another instance regarding the doctor and nurse
images projected by media is the dress code of
nurses, as media is promoting the image that women
dressed in nursing uniforms over all produce an
erotic picture towards not only the doctors but
also to the men nurses and patients as well. (Fagin,
Maraldo and Mason, Nov. 19,2004) However, the
stereotype mentality of some media agencies that
disrespect women nurses symbolizing their uniform
dress as naughty and erotic inviting men towards
sexuality by their seductive behavior is projected
which ridiculous.
Similarly dramas, talk shows and movies as well
as music albums are also boosting this image of
disrespect not to the profession of nursing but
specifically about the nurses, which is immoral
as well as not legal to defame individuals of
any certain group just due to their God gifted
natural sexy appearance or any working uniform.
For instance, a recently pop rock album, “blink-182,
Enema of the State” made from the same movie,
is projecting satirical and naughty images of
women nurses. (Fagin, Maraldo and Mason, October
26, 2004) If media is projecting women nurses
of being a symbol of naughty, seductive and erotic
individuals to entertain and flirt men at hospitals,
media should also highlight the role of men that
how they seduce nurses at hospitals and how they
sexually assault them side-by-side. Well this
behavior of men is not new since it is practiced
at all working places discriminating women from
men by these emotional and sensitive tools.
Moreover, media is also promoting a negative image
of some nursing homes by exaggerating the death
rates at nursing homes due to the ignorance of
health care by the nurses. At the same time another
image is projected by the media is that many health
care projects promoted by political groups do
not talk about nursing homes to provide health
care to the patients. (Billingsley and Shelton
and Wood, Nov-Dec, 1994) So in this way both the
nurses as well as the nursing homes are being
projected in a negative manner highlighting nursing
homes places for deaths of the patients. However,
the fact does not lie in the careless behavior
of the nurses but the lack of health care facilities
as well as shortage of experienced and well-educated
nurses. At the same time, the shortage of nurses
in various nursing homes is also participating
as an encouraging source to the media to project
a negative image of nursing. (Fagin, 2001)
On the other hand, we also find many print media
agencies explaining the significant role of nursing
via media. For instance, according to the prestige
survey, out of the 93 professions, nursing stands
91. (Linda, April 1996) however, the prestige
associated to the profession of nursing still
has no comparison to the tremendous contributions
that the nurses devote to the society at large.
Therefore, media is advertising various nursing
educational programs along their employment opportunities.
They are also highlighting the prestigious role
of nursing profession.
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