Casting Director, TLC's Mind Your Manners
City Lights Media
6 East 39th Street
New York, NY 10016
May 29, 2007
Dear [Casting Director]:
I was taken aback by your request that the New York State
Nurses Association recommend Òrude, crude, and obnoxious nursesÓ for the new
reality show, ÒMind Your Manners.Ó
I understand that you are seeking cast members at this
point, but featuring a nurse on this show would be a disservice to nurses
everywhere. Furthermore, a nurse who behaved this way would be an ineffective
nurse and probably not very long in the profession. In addition to clinical
knowledge and skill, a registered nurse must respect, connect with, and care for people. ItÕs a big part of the
job.
Please abandon your efforts to put a nurse on this show.
It would brand the individual as an inadequate nurse, and also would reinforce
the ÒNurse RatchedÓ stereotype that we have been fighting for decades. For more
information on nurse stereotypes in the media, visit www.truthaboutnursing.org.
Needless to say, we will not assist you in finding crude,
obnoxious nurses. We will be notifying other nursing organizations of this
ill-advised storyline. And, if the future show does feature a nurse, we will
urge all RNs to boycott it.
Sincerely,
Tina Gerardi, RN
Interim Chief Executive Officer
New York State Nurses Association