News on Nursing in the Media
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Nurse 0D: Nurse 3D finally released
January 27, 2014 -- On February 7, Lionsgate will finally release Nurse 3D, an erotic thriller about a vengeful nurse who uses her sexuality to target "dishonest" men for "severe" punishment. We expressed concern about the film when production began in 2011 and were hoping it would never see wide release, but now the film's site states that it will be in AMC theaters in some major U.S. markets and on demand just in time for Valentine's Day 2014. Despite suggestions by Lionsgate executives that the film's theme is novel and original, it is really just a variation on the classic naughty nurse stereotype that has become well-established in other horror films and ads, such as the posters used to promote the 2006 release of Lionsgate's own Saw III--posters on which Nurse 3D seems to be based. Such imagery, which we call the "naughty-axe," unites the profession's naughty and battle-axe images in one unsavory package of sex and violence. So it suggests that nursing is all about mindless feminine extremes, rather than life-saving work for skilled professionals of both genders. We always hesitate to criticize media when we have only seen the trailer, but these two and a half minutes make it pretty clear that the main character is a sadistic, sexually aggressive killer with severe psychological issues (new tag line: "your pain is her pleasure"). It's hard to see how a film with that basic outline could avoid reinforcing these enduring nursing stereotypes.Please join us in urging those involved in the release of Nurse 3D, including the prominent theater chain AMC, to pull the film from theatrical and on demand release and to make amends for the damage the film will likely cause.Click here to go straight to our letter-writing campaign! (Put your comments to the filmmakers in the "Why is this important to you" box.) Thank you!
Canadian Nurse cover story and editorial highlight Truth's work
January 2014 - This month's issue of the Canadian Nurses Association (CNA) magazine Canadian Nurse included "Changing how the world thinks about nursing," a cover feature that was mainly Leah Geller's interview with Truth director Sandy Summers. In the long discussion, Summers explained the roots of the Truth's work, why it's important to improve the nursing image, and what nurses can do to join that effort. The piece including special sidebars on our campaigns about MTV's 2013 show Scrubbing In and the 2010 Dr. Oz Show segment in which the host danced with some sexy "nurses." And the issue also included a powerful editorial by CNA president Barb Mildon that, in part, highlighted the collective efforts by CNA, the Truth, and other nursing groups on the successful Scrubbing In campaign. We thank Barb Mildon, Leah Geller, and everyone at Canadian Nurse. see the interview...
Nominate media about nursing for best and worst media awards of 2013!
Have you seen an especially good or bad depiction of nursing in 2013? Nominate it as one of the ten best or ten worst media depictions for our 2013 Truth About Nursing Awards. If we have written about it in 2013, don't worry, it's on our radar (you can check our news page to see if we covered it if you'd like). But if you have seen something we have missed, please let us know about it so we don't overlook it. No complicated forms to fill out, just send us the name of what you saw, and most helpfully an Internet link to where we can find out more, at info@truthaboutnursing.org. Nominations due January 31, 2014. Thank you!
Planning speakers? Support the Truth by inviting Sandy Summers to empower your nurses!
Media images of health care--like the ones on ABC's popular Grey's Anatomy-- have an important effect on the nursing profession. Many nurses and nursing students feel frustrated when influential media products undervalue nurses. But how can we change what the media tells the public about nursing? Sandy Summers has led high-profile efforts to promote more accurate and robust depictions of nursing since 2001. She has shared her insights in dynamic presentations to groups internationally. She empowers nurses and teaches them how to shape their image into one that reflects the profession's true value. When nurses get the respect they deserve, they will attract more resources for nursing practice, education, and research, so we can resolve the nursing shortage. Sign Sandy up for your next conference, nurses' week celebration, or gala event! All honoraria go directly to support the Truth's operations. When you invite Sandy to speak, you make the Truth's work possible since honoraria are our biggest source of funding. Thank you! Click here for more details.
Get a copy of Saving Lives with every $30 donation
If you donate at least $30 now, we will send you a copy of our leaders' book Saving Lives: Why the Media's Portrayal of Nurses Puts Us All at Risk. Saving Lives continues to influence nurses, the media, and members of the public around the world. You can also get the paperback from Amazon. Saving Lives is also available in digital form through Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and iTunes. Saving Lives has won an American Journal of Nursing Book of the Year Award and an award from the international nursing honor society, Sigma Theta Tau. Many nursing professors use the book as a text to discuss nursing in society. You can get a free copy--paperback or digital--with every $30 donation to the Truth About Nursing!
Place Truth About Nursing posters at your school or workplace
Tell colleagues and patients the truth! Our "I Am Your Registered Nurse" poster presents nurses as autonomous professionals on whom patients can rely. The poster explains that nurses are modern science professionals who protect and advocate for patients and empowers nurses to meet those challenges. Designed for the bedside, the poster comforts patients by educating them about the care environment and assuring them that nurses are there to fend for them.
Or consider the Truth's "Can Short Dresses Cause Short Staffing?" poster. This one takes humorous aim at the naughty nurse image that continues to haunt advertisements and other media, especially those aimed at males. The poster connects the naughty nurse image with the broader undervaluation that leads to gross underfunding of nursing education, research, and practice, ultimately threatening patients.
For every dollar that you donate, we'll send you up to 4 posters to hang at your school or workplace. Just email us at info@truthaboutnursing.org to tell us how many you'd like and where to send them. Thank you!
Get involved in helping us change how the world thinks about nursing. Check out our action page or start a chapter of the Truth in your home town. Or join us on Facebook!
Please support The Truth About Nursing
We need your help so we can pursue this mission together. We would be very grateful if you could make a donation--even if it is $5, $10 or $25. Any amount would be so helpful. Please click here to donate. Thank you!
The Truth About Nursing is an international non-profit organization based in Baltimore that seeks to help the public understand the central role nurses play in health care. The Truth promotes more accurate media portrayals of nurses and greater use of nurses as expert sources. The group is led by Sandy Summers, co-author of Saving Lives: Why the Media's Portrayal of Nurses Puts Us All At Risk.
Thank you for supporting the Truth About Nursing's work!
Sandy Summers, RN, MSN, MPH
Founder and Executive Director
The Truth About Nursing
203 Churchwardens Rd.
Baltimore, Maryland, USA 21212-2937
office 1-410-323-1100
fax 1-410-510-1790
ssummers@truthaboutnursing.org
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Educate the world that nurses save lives!
