Dear Grey’s Anatomy (and media in general),
Please stop degrading nurses. We hear those one-liners, those snide little remarks. Excuse me, but I’m not laughing.
At the rate we’re going, the sad truth is that you’re all likely going to end up in the hospital at some point in time. And when that day comes, we will be directly responsible for your life for 12 hours at a time. You better hope when it’s your turn, you’ve got an intelligent, proactive, and vigilant team of nurses on your side who will catch everyone else’s mistakes, stop the wrong device or medicine from going into your body, and give a damn about you when no one else will give you the time of day.
Beyond the bedside, you also better hope that you’ve got smart, active nurses working in your community, at the table helping to make viable policy decisions, running your prevention programs, and contributing to research to make sure you’re getting the most effective, most efficient, and highest quality care.
Health care is a team effort. From the janitor to the chief of staff, we all have a hand in what happens to your health and well-being—inside the hospital and out. Think twice before you decide to put down the hard work of others. That’s the smart thing to do.
