Article link: http://www.newsweek.com/id/187004/output/print
Spoiler
Jerry Adler’s opinion piece, “The Doctor Will See You Now”, is an article that serves as a highlighter of his purported absurdity of popular media portrayals of hospital and emergency room life when it comes to dramatic medical crisis moments, where doctors on television are apparently always present to do everything that is needed. (Providing medicine, initiating codes, assisting with the family, etc.). He talks about how that impossibility just doesn't square with real life. He also feels like, perhaps, this accepted public invisibility and blatant misperception of what exactly acute care nurses do might be a disservice to us all.
His arguments are strong and are certainly worth their weight. He is zeroing in on how hard the nurses work to try to provide the best care for their patients. However, I do feel that he is taking too much away from the doctors themselves. When the focus is solely on the “caring” aspects, which of course all that work in the health care profession do, we deny the dangerous complexity of inpatient care today and the pace, sharpness and technology that demands an educated nursing professional at the bedside for the 95% of the time that a busy MD understandably won't be present.
When the 'real life' TV scenarios occur (and often times, they do) where a patient crashes or experiences any other now familiar aspect of a plot, there’s no point to continue the idea that instead of initiating life saving rescue or potentially preventing or lessening the crisis, that nurses generally rely on earnestly angelic brow wiping, adopting an intent bedpan focus or offering emotional comfort while awaiting the “real” pros to capably save the day. Pretty much like what we see on the ol’ TV. (Of course, until the medical staff arrives, which can vary enormously by things like facility, coverage and staffing.
Adler pointed out one striking example of a nurse who performed a life saving intervention of the kind we generally assume from repeated fictional incarnations would be the heroic doctor's critical role to play. But, let’s face it: in real life we know that's just not always so. This certainly doesn't diminish anyone’s job and it's unfortunate that some choose to infer that it does. There is no conflict here. The tired stereotyping and negative portrayal perpetuated by media of what nurses today need to know and actually do everyday needs more attention paid and an even greater dose of reality if we hope to attract and, perhaps even more importantly, retain the skilled professionals so desperately needed today.
Certainly, the nurses provide something that the doctors cannot. They generally come with an aura of warmth, a level of care and concern for a patient and a limited knowledge of experience. They are still a very important staple in any doctor’s office or hospital. But, they shouldn’t (and aren’t) expected to perform everything a licensed physician does.
His arguments are strong and are certainly worth their weight. He is zeroing in on how hard the nurses work to try to provide the best care for their patients. However, I do feel that he is taking too much away from the doctors themselves. When the focus is solely on the “caring” aspects, which of course all that work in the health care profession do, we deny the dangerous complexity of inpatient care today and the pace, sharpness and technology that demands an educated nursing professional at the bedside for the 95% of the time that a busy MD understandably won't be present.
When the 'real life' TV scenarios occur (and often times, they do) where a patient crashes or experiences any other now familiar aspect of a plot, there’s no point to continue the idea that instead of initiating life saving rescue or potentially preventing or lessening the crisis, that nurses generally rely on earnestly angelic brow wiping, adopting an intent bedpan focus or offering emotional comfort while awaiting the “real” pros to capably save the day. Pretty much like what we see on the ol’ TV. (Of course, until the medical staff arrives, which can vary enormously by things like facility, coverage and staffing.
Adler pointed out one striking example of a nurse who performed a life saving intervention of the kind we generally assume from repeated fictional incarnations would be the heroic doctor's critical role to play. But, let’s face it: in real life we know that's just not always so. This certainly doesn't diminish anyone’s job and it's unfortunate that some choose to infer that it does. There is no conflict here. The tired stereotyping and negative portrayal perpetuated by media of what nurses today need to know and actually do everyday needs more attention paid and an even greater dose of reality if we hope to attract and, perhaps even more importantly, retain the skilled professionals so desperately needed today.
Certainly, the nurses provide something that the doctors cannot. They generally come with an aura of warmth, a level of care and concern for a patient and a limited knowledge of experience. They are still a very important staple in any doctor’s office or hospital. But, they shouldn’t (and aren’t) expected to perform everything a licensed physician does.
