A Wikipedia search produces a list of more than 160 fictional nurses – from the battle-axe Nurse Ratched to the invisible/non-existent nurses of House, to those who are portrayed in terms of their sexuality such as Nurse Betty. Most of these portrayals are inaccurate and reinforce negative stereotypes.
Even today, many people still don’t fully understand what nurses do in modern health care settings. While critical, HIPPA laws and the high standard of privacy practiced in the nursing profession also serves as a barrier to knowledge and understanding.
As a community, them our challenge is to educate the world about the highly technical skills, the breadth of knowledge and the importance of a nurse’s work while abiding by strict ethical and legal standards.
The only way to elevate the image of nursing is to work as a advocate for nurses while practicing your profession. According to Sandy Summers, MSN, RN, executive director for The Truth About Nursing, “We need to stick together to strengthen the profession. Our patients can’t get the quantity or quality of patient care they need until we strengthen the profession.”
If nurses were more open and less anonymous about contributions to patient care and safety (while still protecting patient confidentiality), they might remove some of the mystery and prompt more accurate appraisals of nursing’s value and the key roles played as part of the health care system

The first hurdle in this advocacy is projecting a positive, professional image in all interactions:

–When you meet a patient, introduce yourself as a nurse. Include your surname, as professionals do without being cold orformal
–Tell your patients what your role is in their healthcare; include your role as their advocate.
–Try “nursing out loud.” Describe your thoughts and actions while you’re providing care being sensitive to the patient’s confidentiality and state of mind. When you do this, patients, families, physician colleagues, and others will get a better sense of your education and skills.

When asked by others what you do as a nurse, talk in specifics.  Don’t talk about how you feel but about what you do for the patient. Don’t hide your medical skills. Educate your colleagues. Nurses already teach physicians much about healthcare in clinical settings; it’s time to tell them more about nursing.
Above all else, be sure that the care you deliver to your patients is exemplary, ethical, and safe.  Then, share it with the world.
~Michael and Frida Donner