News on Nursing in the Media

March 7, 2018 edition

Announcing the Coalition for Better Understanding of Nursing!

New Group Seeks to Educate Key Decision-Makers About Nursing

The Truth About Nursing, a leader in improving the image of nursing, announces the launch of a new working group: The Coalition for Better Understanding of Nursing.

The Coalition seeks to unite hospitals, nursing schools, and other nursing organizations in a robust effort to strengthen nursing and improve health care by educating decision-makers about the value of the profession.

"Nurses can harness the power of our collective vision and energy to build a better health care system," said Sandy Summers, founder and executive director of the Truth About Nursing. "We don't have to accept inadequate respect and resources that undermine our workplaces and endanger our patients. Now is the time to come together to show our value."

The Coalition will seek to highlight nursing achievements and innovations for key segments of the population, from career seekers to guidance counselors, from hospital colleagues to government officials, and from the media to the public at large.

"Recent months have shown that even those who have not been well-served by existing power structures can make positive changes if they stand together," Summers explained. "That is as true for nurses as anyone else."

Who we are

The Coalition for Better Understanding of Nursing is hosted by the Truth About Nursing, a section 501(c)(3) organization. Its leaders have been working to improve public understanding of nursing since 2001.

Please Join!

Please click here to make your organization a member of the Coalition for Better Understanding of Nursing! Invest in the future of nursing!

Learn more about the Coalition's work to change how society views nursing by clicking on the red buttons to the left.

Please join our Facebook group and follow us on Twitter!

Still need convincing? Consider this!

Forty-Two Years Ago, Nursing Scholar Jo Ann Ashley, RN, EdD, Issued a Strong Call to Educate the Public About Nursing

In 1976 Ashley gave an interview on WNED's Woman program, during a segment called "New Image for Nurses." Ashley stressed that given nursing's status at that time, nothing was more important than educating the broader public about the profession's value. The challenges nursing faces today show that despite real progress, this remains true. Let us heed Ashley's call now!

See that clip here:

Ratched or Wretched? Netflix Should Support Women, Not Damaging Stereotypes Dear Nurses and Allies, I'm writing because the Nurse Ratched show in development at Netflix has not been canceled. Production is scheduled to begin soon in 2018. This means that Netflix will be creating what has been called a "monster" nurse character working in the American mental health system. This negative portrayal denigrates nurses... ...read Dr. Heilemann's full letter explaining why the planned new Ratched show is potentially very devastating for nursing...and then please take action and sign the petition! Thank you for your help!

See Sandy on May 31 on Cape Cod! Sandy will speak at Saint Anselm College's 26th Annual Conference for Nurse Educators at the Sea Crest Beach Hotel in North Falmouth, Massachusetts on May 31, 2018. The conference title is "Clinicians and Educators: Partnering to Develop Competence." Sandy's presentation is "Power of Persuasion: Challenging Media Portrayals of Nurses," and she will speak from 12:30 - 2 pm. ...see the flyer...

Please help the Truth help nursing!

We are working hard to address different fronts in the effort to challenge negative depictions of nursing. Our small staff could really use your help. Here are just a few ways you can help us improve global health through better understanding of nursing:

• Post a review of and/or buy Saving Lives on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, iTunes or other online bookstore;
• Assign Saving Lives to your class or group--it makes for lively discussions!
• Intern for us this summer--there is always a lot going on;
• Make a tax-deductible donation to the Truth About Nursing;
  Please Donate (Thank you!) 
• Designate the Truth as the recipient of your non-profit rewards when shopping on Smile.Amazon.com.

We rely on your help to move forward on our mission. Thank you!

Having an event? Book Sandy today!

Let Sandy Summers empower your nurses and help them fully embrace their autonomy!

Patients deserve better protection. Let Sandy help your nurses and students fully embrace their autonomy to strengthen nursing care, reduce errors and improve care! Sandy recently spoke in Washington DC, Manitoba and Vancouver, and gave the graduation speech at Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing. She speaks widely to a variety of international nursing groups. Click here to see details and book her today!

Publications:

Think about the future

New international text Nurses and Nursing leads off with chapter by Truth leaders

The exciting new textbook Nurses and Nursing: The Person and the Profession includes a chapter on nursing's image by Truth leaders Sandy Summers and Harry Jacobs Summers. Edited by Pádraig Ó Lúanaigh, RN, EdD, the thought-provoking new textbook from Routledge "draws on international contributors with a range of backgrounds to explore, engage with and challenge readers in understanding the many aspects and elements that inform and influence contemporary nursing practice." Our chapter is "Nursing's public image: Toward a professional future." We thank Dr. Lúanaigh for the opportunity to be a part of this important new project. Please consider this book for your classes in professionalism, nursing and society, and nursing leadership. Click here to request a free copy for review now! See more about the book here...

Imagine a world where nurses were fully empowered to protect patients

Get an author-signed copy of Saving Lives for you or a friend

Saving Lives is the transformative book acclaimed by nurses, nursing leaders, scholars, and the media. It can help your friends, colleagues, and students be the strong nurses our profession needs to protect patients from errors, injuries, and disease. See praise for Saving Lives: Why the Media's Portrayal of Nursing Puts Us All at Risk by leaders in nursing and the media as well as the awards it has earned, including three Book of the Year awards from the American Journal of Nursing and an award from Sigma Theta Tau, the International Honor Society of Nursing. The updated second edition from Oxford University Press is now available! All donations and royalties go directly to support The Truth About Nursing, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Thank you for your support!

Click here to order now!

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