Media Representation of Nursing: A Critical Analysis (NUR 308)

This report provides a critical analysis of how the nursing profession is portrayed in various media outlets, focusing on the accuracy of these depictions and what aspects of the profession are highlighted or omitted. The study examines the media's representation of the nursing shortage in the United States, discussing the factors contributing to the shortage, such as an aging workforce and increasing demand. The analysis reviews several news articles from the Portland Press Herald and the Forecaster, assessing how nursing is portrayed in different contexts, including discussions of nursing program enrollment, recruitment strategies, and public health issues. The report also explores the opportunities within the nursing profession beyond bedside care, such as research, technological advancements, and policy advocacy. The author, a nursing student, shares insights gained from the media's portrayal of nursing, emphasizing the need for a more comprehensive and accurate representation of the profession's multifaceted roles and contributions to healthcare.

Running head: NURSING IN THE MEDIA 1
Nursing in the Media
Name
Institution

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Nursing in the Media
Introduction
The shortage of nurses in the United States is portrayed in different ways by the media.
While some of the media outlets depict the profession in a negative way, some concentrate on
the benefits put forth by caregivers in their lines of duty. The current study seeks to presents a
critical analysis and summary of the presence of nursing as a profession in different press media,
its portrayal, accuracy of these depictions, what needed to have been exposed and how it needed
to have been revealed. Further, I present what I learned from the experiences put forth by the
media in my position as a nurse under training.
Shortage of nurses is an issue portrayed by the media from a uniform perspective.
According to Eichacker (2018), the increasing shortage of caregivers in the United States is
attributed to the growing population of people aged above 65 years old, the overwhelming
number of practicing nurses at the verge of retiring and lack of effective institutional bandwidths
aimed at training new nurses. For instance, the Editorial Board (2018), the state is experiencing
an exponential increase in the number of citizens aged above 65 years despite the fact that about
50% of the current staff is older than 55 years. Consequently, Eichacker (2018) projects that
Maine will have about 3000 vacancies for nurses by 2025 as a result of the aging workforce and
an increase in the population of retirees. Healthcare organizations have come up with multiple
ways of tackling this issue. For instance, Press Herald (2018a) reveals that healthcare institutions
such as the St. Mary’s Health System made the decision of tackling nursing shortages by
sourcing professionals from overseas economies such as the Philippines. According to Ferrer et
al. (2014), over 125,000 positions for nurses remain unfilled across the United States. On the
other hand, Eichacker (2018) reports that the university system in Maine is planning to tackle the

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problem by increasing its enrollment opportunities in nursing programs to ensure that it attains a
total of 3800 graduates by 2025. Factors contributing to this decline include: the exponential
growth of the population; increasing need for inclusion of better healthcare services; a decrease
in the number of students enrolling for nursing in tertiary institutions; an aging workforce (Gray,
Wilde and Shutes, 2018). According to McKechnie (2016), graduate registered nurses enter the
profession at an average age of 31. Therefore, they enter into practice at an older age. Such a
state reduces the number of years they will spend offering the healthcare system the desired
services. The media does not reveal the increasing opportunities offered by the nursing
profession. The roles of the current nurse go beyond the bedside. Caring for patients has become
complicated with the revolutionary transformations occurring in the healthcare system. There is
need for the media to address the transformative roles taken by nurses as evident in their
involvements in TED talks, publishing scientific materials, advancing medical technological
applications and activism in healthcare policies (Robinson, 2015). For instance, multiple
opportunities exist for PhD and DNP nurses both in the lines of research and offering scholarly
guidance. While the media concentrates on addressing the roles of nurses in disease prevention
and offering bedside support, there is need for these sources of information to look into the
essential functions of these practitioners in fostering institutional collaborations with other
specialists such as oncologists, social workers, public health officers and institutional
administrators. Similarly the media needs to address the effective roles played by nurses in
confronting the increasing cost of health in different scenarios. Based on the analysis I learned
that different media avenues portray nursing in multiple ways. While some avenues look at the
profession from a positive perspective, others view it in a negative way.

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References
Eichacker, C. (2018). UMaine System launching effort to meet growing demand for nurses.
[online] Press Herald. Available at: https://www.pressherald.com/2018/09/12/umaine-
system-launching-effort-to-meet-growing-demand-for-nurses/ [Accessed 29 Oct. 2018].
Ferrer, J., Boelle, P. Y., Salomon, J., Miliani, K., L’Hériteau, F., Astagneau, P., & Temime, L.
(2014). Management of nurse shortage and its impact on pathogen dissemination in the
intensive care unit. Epidemics, 9, 62-69.
Gray, K., Wilde, R., & Shutes, K. (2018). Enhancing nurse satisfaction: an exploration of
specialty nurse shortage in a region of NHS England. Nursing management (Harrow,
London, England: 1994), 25(1), 26-33.
McKechnie, T. (2016). CALL FOR NURSES: The Multi-Dimensional Manifestation of Nursing
Shortage on Patient Care. QIHI Journal of Healthcare Improvement and Patient Safety,
(2).
McLaughlin, M. M., & Skoglund, E. W. (2015). Drug shortages and patient safety: an overview
of essential information for the infusion nurse. Journal of Infusion Nursing, 38(3), 205-
208.
Press Herald. (2018a). Lewiston hospital finds success recruiting nurses from the Philippines.
[online] Available at: https://www.pressherald.com/2018/10/01/st-marys-finds-success-
recruiting-nurses-from-the-philippines/ [Accessed 29 Oct. 2018].
Press Herald. (2018b). Our View: University’s nursing plan is the right way to face a crisis.
[online] Available at: https://www.pressherald.com/2018/09/21/our-view-universitys-
nursing-plan-right-way-to-face-a-crisis/ [Accessed 29 Oct. 2018].

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Robinson, S. (2015). Hospital hires newly qualified pharmacists for wards amid nurse shortage.
The Pharmaceutical Journal, 23(30), 294.