Our Patients Deserve a Stronger Nursing Profession --
How Can We Get There?
When you plan your year-end holiday giving, please consider a generous gift to the Center for Nursing Advocacy. Your tax-deductible gift will support our efforts to raise public awareness of the value nurses bring to patient health.
Why does that matter?
The nursing shortage is one of the world's major health crises. At least partly because of a lack of willing and qualified nurses, millions die every year from preventable and treatable illnesses such as AIDS, diabesity and malaria, as well as from health care errors and the terrible cycle of malnutrition and diarrhea. If policy makers and the public understood that a significant investment in nursing could cost-effectively improve the health of billions of people, then surely we would have that investment. What a holiday gift that would be!
But we need your help.
Too few people understand the worth of nursing care. Many believe that nurses are two-dimensional stereotypes--physicians' handmaidens, scut-work saints, "naughty nurses," or bitter crones they see on television and in other media. And because the media places such low value on the nursing profession, decision-makers often follow suit, and the funding for nursing clinical practice, education and research remains abysmally low.
Help the Center change this! We hope that you will join our year-end fundraiser with a generous donation today. As a member-funded organization, we rely solely on your support.
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So, what have we done this year to fix nursing's media image?
Our new chapters
Since late 2006, we have been developing chapters across the world. We now have over 20 chapters in three countries, with more on the way. Each chapter is reaching out to its local media to improve public understanding of nursing. With each chapter member taking ownership of his/her local community, we can effect global change.
Widespread press coverage
When we generate press coverage, millions of people hear our message that stereotypical depictions of nurses are impeding our ability to solve the global nursing shortage. This changes the way people think.
"Medical" accuracy coverage
The Center and its message about poor TV portrayals of nursing received coverage on MSNBC and Forbes, and in extensive, unique pieces in the New Jersey Star-Ledger, the New Jersey Bergen Record, the Salem News and the Harrisburg Patriot-News.
Coverage of nursing and its image
The Baltimore Sun included significant comment from us in a piece about a city firefighter's survey on which Baltimore nurses are the hottest. Our executive director appeared on KGO radio to provide expert commentary on the nursing shortage. Chicagoist covered our exchange with musician Jack White about his song "The Nurse." Newsday covered our campaign to do away with the naughty nurse Halloween costume.
Full-length video interview
In July, Barbara Ficarra interviewed the Center's executive director for 45 minutes on the effect Hollywood images of nurses have on the global nursing shortage on Scribe Media. Many professors and nursing organization leaders stated that they used this interview to educate their students and members about these issues.
The Reach of Our Website
Our website, which is 1300 pages and growing, received over 1.1 million visitors last year, with over 3.5 million pageviews. The site reaches nurses and members of the public all over the world.
Action on Advertising
Dentyne Ice Commercial Withdrawal
We led the effort to persuade Cadbury Schweppes to withdraw a Dentyne Ice gum commercial showing female nurses being lured into bed with male patients. Over 500 Center supporters sent letters and the Center placed many calls to top Cadbury Schweppes executives. The Cadbury Schweppes CEO later called the Center to tell us that the company was pulling the ad and to explain that he understood our concerns.
Bloomingdale's
Recently, our Long Island chapter notified us of a Bloomingdale's radio commercial featuring a lusty nurse seducing a physician with a cashmere sweater. Less than three hours after our initial contact, the company pulled the ad off the air.
Products to educate the world about nursing
Earlier this year, we saw a product for sale that encouraged people to go into nursing so that they could "be someone special." If being "special" was the key quallity in nursing, then everyone who makes gingerbread cookies for his ailing neighbor could be a "nurse." Being "special" is a good thing, but it doesn't take 3-10 years of college education. Given prevailing stereotypes, this kind of imagery undervalues what nurses do.
So we developed a new slogan to educate the public about what nurses really do:
"Save Lives. Be a Nurse."
With this slogan, you can tell people that nursing matters--and deserves serious funding. And incidentally, saving lives is pretty special too!
Every joining or renewing member gets a free "Save Lives. Be a Nurse." bumper sticker. Help us teach the world what nurses really do!
The Challenges
Clearly, we have made progress. Millions of people have a more accurate vision of nursing because of the Center's activities. Our news alerts, in-depth analyses and growing web site are an educational resource for nurses, the media, teachers, and anyone else interested in nursing and the media. For instance, one of our most popular web pages is the FAQ on naughty nurses. Our data suggest that people searching for naughty nurse images often bump into this page. When they do, they see a few examples, but they also see our explanation of how such stereotyping can damage their health care system.
The Center also does its best to "catch the media being good." We encourage those who create accurate images of nursing. Look for our fourth annual Golden Lamp awards later this month, when we honor the best (and worst) nursing portrayals we've seen this year.
But entertainment media products telling millions that nurses don't matter --from the alarming new television hit "Private Practice," to video games, toys, and fiction--appear all the time. Countless influential health pieces, in the news media continue to ignore nursing, or suggest that it consists of menial assistance to physicians. The powerful companies responsible continue to resist changing products that foster the same old stereotypes.
The Center is a small, member-supported non-profit. And our media monitoring, analysis and advocacy is a huge challenge. It takes lots of research and writing, communication with groups and contacts, and complex video and Internet efforts. We handle campaigns and analyses related to media products from Canada to Thailand, from Russia to Malawi. Our mostly volunteer staff can pursue only a small part of the media products that merit our attention.
So we urge you to make a year-end donation to help us continue and expand our work. Please click here to become a Center member online. It's quick and easy!
Why do we need your help today?
To help us move toward a world where society really respects nursing--and allocates its resources accordingly--the Center must be able to shape media portrayals in a more proactive and broad-based way. We must be able to do far more to:
• train and work with those who create media portrayals.
• educate the public in more direct and innovative ways.
• encourage the media to use nurses as expert sources and advisors.
• encourage nurses to create media and speak up about their work.
That's where you come in. In a 2004 American Journal of Nursing editorial, three prominent nursing leaders--Claire Fagin, Diana Mason and Pam Maraldo--urged nurses to "honor yourself and your colleagues by supporting the Center for Nursing Advocacy."
We are an independent, member-supported charity, and our work takes resources. We must pay for computers, software, office equipment and supplies, transportation, Internet products and services, insurance, postage and telephone costs. Our office and utilities are donated by members. Our donor levels start at just $9 for students, but we urge those of you who can do more to give as generously as possible to support our work.
Just click here to learn about the great gifts you can receive for joining or renewing your Center membership, including our cool new license plate frames and bumper stickers! And because the Center is a 501(c)(3) charity, your gift is tax-deductible as allowed by law.
Wherever you live in the world, no matter why you are interested in improving understanding of nursing, please support the Center for Nursing Advocacy. Together we can help nurses strengthen their profession worldwide, and give patients the kind of health care they deserve in the coming year and beyond. We're counting on you to help make this work! Thank you!
Sandy Summers, RN, MSN, MPH
Executive Director
The Center for Nursing Advocacy
203 Churchwardens Rd.
Baltimore, MD USA 21212-2937
office 1-410-323-1100
fax 1-410-510-1790
ssummers@nursingadvocacy.org
P.S. Join at the $100 level and get a free stainless steel "Save Lives. Be a Nurse" license plate frame. You can support the Center, educate the public about the value of nursing and inspire a new generation of nurses!
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Educate the world that nurses save lives!
