Checklist for Monitoring Images of Nurses and Nursing in the Media

Created by Philip Kalisch & Beatrice Kalisch. Published in: The changing image of the nurse, Menlo Park, CA, 1987, Addison-Wesley, Health Sciences

Prominence in the Plot

1. Are nurse characters seen in leading or supportive roles?
2. Are nurse characters shown taking an active part in the scene, or are they shown primarily in the background (e.g., handing instruments, carrying trays, pushing wheelchairs)?
3. To what extent are nurse characters shown in professional roles, engaged in nursing practice?
4. Do nurse characters or other characters provide the actual nursing care?
5. In scenes with other health care providers, who does most of the talking?

Demographics

1. Does the portrayal show that men, as well as women, may have careers in nursing?
2. Are nurse characters shown to be of varying ages and ethnicities?

Personality Traits

1. Are nurse characters portrayed as:
   1. Intelligent?
   2. Trustworthy?
   3. Confident?
   4. Problem solvers?
   5. Assertive?
   6. Powerful?
   7. Nurturing?
   8. Compassionate?
   9. Kind?
2. If other health care providers are included in the program, how does their portrayal compare with that of nurse characters?
3. When nurse characters exhibit personality traits listed earlier, are they shown as positive traits?

Primary Values

1. Do nurse characters demonstrate value in:
   1. Service to others?
   2. Scholarship, achievement?
2. How do the values portrayed in nurse characters compare to those portrayed in other health professions?
3. When nurse characters exhibit the primary values of scholarship and achievement, do such portrayals show them to be an aberration in the expected values of nurses?

Sexual Objectification of Nurses

1. Are nurse characters portrayed in a sexualized manner?
2. Are nurse characters referred to in sexually demeaning terms?
3. Are nurse characters presented as appealing because of their physical attractiveness as opposed to their intellectual capacity, professional commitment. or skill?

Role of the Nurse

1. Is the profession of nursing shown to be a fulfilling long-term career?
2. Is the work of the nurse characters shown to be creative and exciting?

Career Orientation

1. How important is the career of nursing to the nurse character portrayed?
2. How does this compare with other professionals de­picted in the program?

Professional Competence

1. Do nurse characters exhibit autonomous professional judgment?
2. Does the program send a message that a nurse's role in health care is a supportive rather than central one?
3. Do nurse characters positively influence patient/family welfare?
4. Are nurse characters shown harming or acting to the detriment of patients?
5. How does the professional competence of nurse char­acters compare with the professional competence of other health care providers?

Education

1. In programs with nursing students, who actually teaches the nursing students?
2. Who appears to be in charge of nursing education?
3. Is there evidence that the practice of nursing requires special knowledge and skills?
4. What is actually taught to nursing students?

Nursing Administration

1. Are any roles filled by nurse administrators or managers, or are all nurse characters shown as staff nurses or students?
2. Is there evidence of a responsible administrative hierarchy in nursing, or are nurses shown answering to physicians or hospital administrators?
3. Overall, is this a positive or negative portrayal of nursing? Why or why not?

See more on the work of Beatrice and Philip Kalisch here.