Portrayals of Nurses: Original Research
See our in depth FAQ which cites many research studies:
Our book:
Summers, S., & Summers, H. J. (2015). Saving Lives: Why the Media's Portrayal of Nursing Puts Us All At Risk (2nd ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
See other supporting studies and articles:
We have a separate page on the sexual harassment and assault of nurses here.
Here is a comprehensive review of the literature on nursing in the media studies: The image of nursing in the media: A scoping review examining research studies starting in 1981 until 2021, by Hildegart González PhD, BSc, Begoña Errasti-Ibarrondo PhD, MSc, RN, Andrea Iraizoz-Iraizoz RN, Ana Choperena PhD, MSc, RN First published: 06 March 2023 https://doi.org/10.1111/inr.12833
Maureen Anthony, Jill A. Turner, Megan Novell, "Fiction Versus Reality: Nursing Image as Portrayed by Nursing Career Novels" in Online Journal of Issues in Nursing 2019;24(2).
Cristina Escobar & MarySue V. Heilemann. "Reimagining Nursing on Screen: How Marvel's Claire Temple and BBC's Call the Midwife Get It Right." January 2019. Online Journal of Issues in Nursing.
Mason, D.J., Glickstein, B., & Westphaln, K. (2018). Woodhull Study Revisited.
Mason, D.J., Glickstein, B., & Westphaln, K. (2018). Journalists' experiences with using nurses as sources in health news stories. American Journal of Nursing, 118(10), 42-50. doi:10.1097/01.NAJ.0000546380.66303.a2
Rodrigo José Martins Cardoso, João Manuel Garcia Nascimento Graveto, Fernando António Dias Zamith. February 2019. Reaching out: Organizational structures and public communication of nursing professional associations and trade unions in Portugal Nursing Forum.
Glerean, N., Hupli, M., Talman, K., & Haavisto, E. (2017). Young peoples' perceptions of the nursing profession: An integrative review. Nurse Education Today, 57, 95-102. doi: 10.1016/j.nedt.2017.07.008
NINRnews (2015, July 24). From the silver screen to the web: Portrayals of nurses in media [Video file].
Heilemann, M.V. (2012). "Media images and screen representations of nurses." Nursing Outlook, 60(5Suppl.), S1-3. doi:10.1016/j.outlook.2012.04.003
Lauzen, M. M. (2018, September). Boxed In 2017-18: Women on screen and behind the scenes in television (2017-18 Report). The Center for the Study of Women in Television & Film.
Holloway, Shayla M., "Out of the darkness and into the limelight: How Nurse Jackie betters the nursing image". (2017). Senior Honors Projects. James Madison University, JMU Scholarly Commons
Carroll, Stacey M. & Katherine C. Rosa (2016) "Role and Image of Nursing in Children's Literature: A Qualitative Media Analysis," Journal of Pediatric Nursing, 2016 Mar-Apr;31(2):141-51. doi: 10.1016/j.pedn.2015.09.009. Epub 2015 Nov 24
The Representation Project. (2018, October). About The Representation Project.
Roslyn Weaver, Caleb Ferguson, Mark Wilbourn, & Yenna Salamonson. (2014). "Men in nursing on television: exposing and reinforcing stereotypes," Journal of Advanced Nursing, April; 70(4): 833-42. doi: 10.1111/jan.12244.
Roslyn Weaver, Yenna Salamonson, Jane Koch & Debra Jackson. (2013). "Nursing on television: student perceptions of television's role in public image, recruitment and education," Journal of Advanced Nursing 69, no. 12, (December): 2635-2643.
Angelo Dante, Lorena Rizzi, Barbara Ianderca & Alvisa Palese. (2013). "Why do university students not choose a nursing degree at matriculation? An Italian cross-sectional study," International Nursing Review, March; 60(1):129-35. DOI: 10.1111/j.1466-7657.2012.01037.x
Morteza Rezaei-Adaryani, Mahvash Salsali, Eesa Mohammadi. (2012)."Nursing image: an evolutionary concept analysis," Contemporary Nurse Dec. 43(1):81-89.
Jacinta Kelly, Gerard M. Fealy & Roger Watson. (2012). "The image of you: Constructing nursing identities in YouTube," Journal of Advanced Nursing, 68(9), 1804-1813, doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2648.2011.05872.x.
Turow, J. (2012). Nurses and doctors in prime time series: The dynamics of depicting professional power. Nursing Outlook, 60(5 Suppl), S4-11. doi:10.1016/j.outlook.2012.06.006
McHugh, K. (2012). Nurse Jackie and the politics of care. Nursing Outlook, 60(5 Suppl), S12-8. doi:10.1016/j.outlook.2012.06.003
Deborah A. Boyle. (2010). "The invisibility of nursing: implications from an analysis of National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center web sites," Oncology Nursing Forum. March; 37(2): E75-83. doi: 10.1188/10.ONF.E75-E83.
Gavin R. Neilson and William Lauder. (2008). "What do high academic achieving school pupils really think about a career in nursing: Analysis of the narrative from paradigmatic case interviews" Nurse Education Today, 28 680-690. See our analysis or go directly to the study.
Beatrice J. Kalisch, Suzanne Begeny & Sue Neumann. (2007). The image of the nurse on the Internet, Nursing Outlook 55 no. 4 (Jul-Aug): 182-188.
Takase, M., Maude, P., & Manias, E. (2006). "Impact of the perceived public image of nursing on nurses' work behaviour." Journal of Advanced Nursing, February 53 (3), 333-343.
Alice R. Boyington, Cheryl B. Jones, Dianna L. Wilson. (2006). “Buried Alive: The Presence of Nursing on Hospital Web Sites,” Nursing Research, March/April 55, (2) 103-109.
Terry Ferns and Irena Chojnacka. (2005). "Nursing stereotypes: angels and swingers, matrons and sinners," British Journal of Nursing, 10/2005; 14(19):1028-32. DOI: 10.12968/bjon.2005.14.19.19947.
Linda S. Smith. (2003). "Image Counts -- Greeting Cards Mail It in When It Comes to Accurately Portraying Nurses," Nursing Spectrum, Oct. 1, (Southern ed.).
Lusk, Brigid. (2000). "Pretty and powerless: Nurses in advertisements, 1930-1950." Research in Nursing & Health, 23 (3), 229-236.
Leah F. Binder. (1994). The quintessential working women: Primetime television's depiction of nurses 1973 to 1992, a thesis in communication. Full text in pdf.
Duncan, PAA. (1992). Media portrayals of nursing versus the actual work of nurses. Dissertation. Syracuse University Library.
Kaiser Family Foundation. The Impact of TV's Health Content: A Case STudy of ER Viewers, June 2002.
Kalisch, P. & Kalisch, B. (1987). The changing image of the nurse. Menlo Park, Calif.: Addison-Wesley Pub. Co., Health Sciences Division.
Kalisch, Philip & Kalisch, Beatrice. (1986). A comparative analysis of nurse and physician characters in the entertainment media. Journal of Advanced Nursing, Mar; 11 (2), 179-195. abstract full text in pdf Click here for a detailed summary of the article.
Kalisch, P. A. & Kalisch, B. J. (1985). When Americans called for Dr. Kildare: images of physicians and nurses in the Dr. Kildare and Dr. Gillespie movies, 1937-1947. Medical Heritage. Sep-Oct, 1 (5), 348-363. full text in pdf
Kalisch, B. J. & Kalisch, P. A. (1984). The Dionne quintuplets legacy: establishing the "good doctor and his loyal nurse" image in American culture. Nursing & Health Care. May, 5 (5), 242-251. full text in pdf
Kalisch, P., Kalisch, B. & Scobey, M. (1983). Images of nurses on television. New York: Springer Pub. Co.
Kalisch, B. J. & Kalisch, P. A. (1983). Heroine out of focus: media images of Florence Nightingale. Part I. Popular biographies and stage productions. Nursing & Health Care. Apr, 4 (4), 181-187. full text in pdf
Kalisch, B. J. & Kalisch, P. A. (1983). Heroine out of focus: media images of Florence Nightingale. Part II. Film, radio, and television dramatizations. Nursing & Health Care. May, 4 (5), 270-278. full text in pdf
Kalisch B. J. & Kalisch P. A. (1983). An analysis of the impact of authorship on the image of the nurse presented in novels.\ Research in Nursing & Health. Mar; 6 (1), 17-24. abstract full text in pdf
Kalisch P. A., Kalisch B. J., Clinton J. (1982). The world of nursing on prime time television, 1950 to 1980. Nursing Research. Nov-Dec; 31 (6), 358-63. abstract full text in pdf
Kalisch B. J., Kalisch P. A. & McHugh M. L. (1982). The nurse as a sex object in motion pictures, 1930 to 1980. Research in Nursing & Health. Sep; 5 (3), 147-154. abstract full text in pdf
Kalisch, P. A. & Kalisch, B. J. (1982). The nurse-detective in American movies. Nursing & Health Care. Mar, 3 (3), 146-153. full text in pdf
Kalisch, P. A. & Kalisch, B. J. (1982). The image of the nurse in motion pictures. American Journal of Nursing. Apr, 82 (4), 605-611. full text in pdf
Kalisch, P. A. & Kalisch, B. J. (1982). The image of nurses in novels. American Journal of Nursing. Aug, 82 (8), 1220-1224. full text in pdf
Kalisch, P. A. & Kalisch, B. J. (1982). Nurses on prime-time television. American Journal of Nursing. Feb, 82 (2), 264-270. full text in pdf
Kalisch, B. J., Kalisch, P. A. & Scobey M. (1981). Reflections on a television image: The Nurses 1962-1965. Nursing & Health Care. May, 2 (5), 248-255. full text in pdf
Schorr, T. (1963). "Nursing's TV image: Television's nurses face a critical audience in their real-life counterparts." American Journal of Nursing, 63 (10), 119-121.
Last updated September 3, 2019
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