The Truth About Nursing is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to improving public understanding of nursing across the globe. The IRS considers contributions to be charitable, and they are tax-deductible as allowed by law.
What Work Do We Do?
Our Global Mission
The Truth About Nursing seeks to increase public understanding of the central, front-line role nurses play in modern health care across all nations and cultures. Our focus is to promote more accurate, balanced and frequent media portrayals of nurses and increase the media's use of nurses as expert sources worldwide.
The Truth About Nursing's ultimate goal is to foster growth in the size and diversity of the nursing profession at a time of critical global shortage, strengthen nursing practice, teaching and research, and improve the health care system for all people.
The Truth About Nursing is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization
Our History
The Truth About Nursing was founded in April 2001 by its executive director, Sandy Summers, and a group of five fellow graduate students at Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing. We came together after one member suggested that we form a group to help address the growing nursing shortage, which we felt was caused in part by inadequate understanding of and support for the profession.
Our first project focused on the popular television show ER. In November 2001, members of our group had a one-hour conference call with an ER producer and the show's medical advisor to discuss our concerns.
From there we created a non-profit organization to focus our efforts more broadly on improving the portrayal of nurses in the media globally. In 2009 we persuaded the Lung Cancer Alliance to remove its "Dr. Lung Love" public service announcement. In 2007 we convinced Heineken to digitally alter outfits in a Dos Equis commercial so they no longer resembled nurses.
Our work has won Media Awards from the American Academy of Nursing in 2004 and 2005, and we have been recognized internationally for our advocacy efforts. In December 2008 the Center for Nursing Advocacy decided to close, so our original group of five established The Truth About Nursing, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, through which we continue to pursue our mission globally.
Our Global Team
Founder & Executive Director
Sandy Summers, RN, MSN, MPH
Advisory Panel — International
In Memoriam
RN, PhD, FAAN
Dean Emerita, UPenn
RN, PhD, APN, MBA, CCRN, WCC
NJ Hospital Association
RN, MSN, BA
Founding Member
Staff
