Educating nurses to impact change in nursing's image 1

The widely held view that nursing is not intellectually demanding or challenging is the result of media representation of nurses. The television producers of dramas with a health care focus or new medical dramas need a clear understanding of a nurse's function and the important tasks performed as essential members of the health care team. The expression of professional nursing practice publicly focuses on the nursing shortage, staffing ratios, and patient safety issues. This article provides an overview of the media's impact on nursing's image and offers a challenge to nurse educators and nurses to speak out and justify the existence of nursing.