Nov 24
Pop culture has become the way in which many of us recognize the events that are going on in the world through a different light, as well as become informed of many positions through an entertainment venue. Pop culture generally features well known references to a given population’s cultural values, including daily interactions of people broadcast through a wide entertainment source. Twitter is one of the leading pop culture trends and has been brought up in nearly every type of forum, thus demonstrating its popularity within our culture. While nursing in pop culture has been a trend dating back to the early twentieth century, certified nurse assistants have additionally become a prime target for the many hospital shows that are on TV, and allow many of us an insight into the balance between nurses and nurse assistants.
Grey’s Anatomy is an ABC sitcom which generally revolves around the lives of surgeons at Seattle Grace Hospital in Washington, although the nurses in the show have had prominent roles as well. Even more important is the fact that nurse assistants have been mentioned, especially in episodes where there are mass patients due to some catastrophic incident. While the nursing staff is not readily focused on in every episode, there are many scenes which demonstrate how busy they get, especially working in an emergency wing. Therefore, their nurse assistants are ready to jump in and care for patients who may not be getting the attention they need from Registered Nurses. Many episodes additionally feature elderly patients who are nearly on their death bed. While it seems like the doctors are constantly tending to them, every time the doctors make their rounds, there is a nurse assistant in the room along with a relative.
ER was the quintessential hospital show, running 15 years before airing the last episode this past year. Featuring a multitude of different cast members, the show revolves around the lives of doctors and a few nurses as well. Different from Grey’s Anatomy, this show builds up the characters of its nurses, rather than focusing solely on doctors, thereby becoming more analogous to real-life hospital settings. While nurse assistants were not readily featured on the show, they played many recurring characters, especially since one of the primary characters on the show was Nurse Carol Hathoway, distinguishable from the doctors due to her pink scrubs. Similar to Grey’s Anatomy, nurse assistants are not readily mentioned on the show, but are always in the background of the show to make the drama more realistic.
Finally, the medical comedy Scrubs takes a different spin on the medical community by making interactions between doctors, nurses, and patients comical, rather than the dramatic approach other medical TV shows take. Ending earlier this year as well, the show revolved around the lives of several doctors and nurses from the point of view of Doctor J.D. Dorian. The head nurse in this hospital is one of the main characters of the show and demonstrates how important nurses are to the structure of the hospital. Additionally, her nurse assistants are a prominent force within the hospital and help tend to many of the patients throughout the series.
While certified nurse assistants may not be a primary role in any pop culture reference to nurses, they are typically in the background tending to patients, both in TV and in real life. Registered Nurses would not be able to do their jobs without their assistants, thereby emphasizing their vital role within the hospital.
Nov 19
Nursing assistants play a valuable role in our society although they have long gone unrecognized over the years. With more and more patients opting for at-home treatment to get away from the dismal sights of hospital life, nursing assistants have found more job opportunities in an economy that has seen so many other opportunities shrivel up. Additionally, nursing assistants have become the “eyes and ears” of nurses who are too busy to spend a lot of time with their patients.
Nursing assistants provide basic bed care to patients all while under the supervision of a Registered Nurse. While they have limits in their responsibilities, nursing assistants provide a basic standard of care to their patients and ensure that they are taken care of when nurses cannot focus on one out of twenty at a time. The medical community has remained a vital part of the economy in recent months as it is one of the only industries that still needs hundreds of positions filled. Additionally, rather than suffering through years of medical school, nursing assistants only require minimal training. While they do not make as much as registered nurses, it is still a glimpse into the health industry to ensure this is what you want to do with your life.
Some hospitals have experienced cutbacks due to the over-experience of many of its staff and simply over-booking nurses and doctors. These cutbacks have resulted in less nurses available in hospitals and therefore a higher ratio of nurse to patient. Nursing assistants do not require as much funding as nurses and are therefore the perfect solution to the problem: they can stay at the patient’s bedside and still remain within hospital budgets. Additionally, nursing assistants still pay more than minimum-wage and have the opportunity to move up in the hospital ranks if you earn additional administrative degrees (such as a Masters in Public Health or Health Administration).
Nursing is a career which is much less glamorous than television has idealized it to be through shows like ER and Grey’s Anatomy. Therefore, becoming a nursing assistant is the perfect way to ensure this is the field you want to go into. In this type of economy especially, you do not want to risk years and money in school for a career which you will end up hating. Therefore, nursing assistants are a valuable career both for hospitals and for many students who are uncertain of a future in medicine.
