NPs urge drug companies to end media bias

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Nurse Practitioners urge drug companies to end media bias

April 9, 2008 -- Today the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners launched a campaign to convince pharmaceutical and other companies to use "provider-neutral language in all direct-to-consumer ads." Advertisers have long created ads that urge patients to "consult your doctor." There are over a quarter million advanced practice nurses (APRNs) in the US alone, yet advertisers and the media as a whole continue to ignore APRN contributions to health care, including their prescribing authority. And of course, the news media commonly refers solely to "doctors" even in discussing practice areas in which APRNs play a major role. Because of such long-standing media bias, few people are aware that a large body of research shows that care provided by advanced practice nurses is equal to or better than that provided by physicians. When the media continues to ignore APRN contributions and act as if only physicians and their care matters, patients may resist care from APRNs and fail to respond to APRN health teaching. It also makes it more difficult for APRNs to gain a fair scope of practice and equal reimbursement for their work. We must break this cycle of ignorance. more... and please sign the petition!

New Center Nursing Pioneer Biography

Florence Wald: Hospice Pioneer

Guest author Cynthia Adams, RN, MSN, EdD, drew on her dissertation on Florence Wald to create another of the Center's biographies on nursing pioneers.

FLORENCE WALD RN, MSN, FAAN, is internationally recognized as a pioneer in improving the care of dying patients in the United States. After World War II, the care of the dying moved from being home-based into the hospital. The increasing number of hospital beds coupled with a more mobile society and women working out of the home led to a shift in the manner of caring for patients at the end-of-life. This transition to institution-based care left the patient in the care of non-family members. But Florence Wald worked with colleagues in New Haven to design a hospice where the patient and family were at the center of care. more...

Please help us by writing a biography on your favorite nursing pioneer. Learn more...

New free database to find master's nursing programs

April 30, 2008 -- After a friend struggled to find a nursing master's degree program, a husband and wife couple put together a resource called MastersinNursing.com. The creators say that the site is comprehensive and consistently updated "with information garnered from Nursing Professors and Schools in the United States." We applaud these two non-nurses for volunteering to create a valuable resource for the nursing profession in a time of great need. Thank you Amanda and John! See the website at mastersinnursing.com.

Gift ideas for nurses week

The MUSC College of Nursing has created a "NurseStrong" wristband, following the pattern of Lance Armstrong's "LiveStrong" wristband. MUSC's wristbands are $3 including delivery. See how to order.

Also, the Center has Save Lives. Be a Nurse. bumper stickers and RN patches for sale. These empowering items make ideal gifts for large groups. For current members and in bulk, bumper stickers are 25 cents each and RN patches are $1.

Also consider gifts such as a "Just a Nurse" poster by Suzanne Gordon, t-shirts, Save Lives. Be a Nurse. license plate frames, pro-nurse DVDs, action figures and other items. See details on the gifts.

Please click here for ordering details or contact us at info@truthaboutnursing.org or 410-323-1100.

Check out our Action page!

Please consider the wide variety of things we can do to help resolve the nursing shortage, and meet the challenges of 21st Century health care, by increasing public understanding of nursing. Here are just a few:

Encourage others to get involved by:

Creating bulletin boards at your workplace by posting our analyses or news alerts;
Starting a chapter in your hometown.

Read From Silence to Voice, which is nursing's manual on how to speak out about the life-saving work that nurses do. It is important for the health of our profession that you tell everyone you know about the value of your work.

Doing a presentation on nursing's image? Get some film clips here.

Monitor the media and alert us to noteworthy portrayals of nursing. Set your DVR, TiVo or DVD recorder to record every time you watch television. If you see a nursing portrayal you'd like us to consider covering, let us know.

Start a health radio show, like HealthStyles with Diana Mason & Barbara Glickstein. Do health minutes and work to become a local health correspondent for television and radio news programs, like television commentator and author Pat Carroll.

Create, read or support nurse-friendly media and art.

Wear the RN patch on your uniform.

Start a Nurse Shadowing Program for medical students and interns at your hospital or school. We must educate physicians as to the nature of nursing work so they can play a more positive role in creating nursing-related media, and so we can develop more collaborative relationships, which lead to better patient outcomes. See a sketch of a nurse shadowing program at Dartmouth.

Letter-writing campaigns--please write a letter for each of our campaigns.

Last but not least, please become a member of the Center. We need your financial support to make our work happen. Thank you!

See other ways you can get involved on our full action page!

Invest in your future

The Center promotes better understanding of nursing, so nurses can do their work. But just like nurses, we need financial support to do our work. The long-term sustainability of the Center depends on it. If you appreciate our work, would you be able to chip in to help us continue? Our current situation requires that key staff donate many hundreds of hours to the Center every year, at great cost to themselves and their families. Please do your part to help us out. Thank you!

The Center's global media monitoring, analysis and advocacy is a huge challenge. It takes extensive research, writing, communication, and Internet efforts. We must pay for office equipment, supplies, transportation, Internet products, insurance, postage and telephone costs. Our office is donated by our staff. And our staff can undertake only a small part of the work that needs to be done to improve nursing's image.

So we urge you to make a donation to help us continue and expand our work. Just click here to learn about the great gifts you can receive for joining or renewing your Center membership, including our cool t-shirts and the Archie McPhee nurse action figure! It's quick and easy! And because the Center is a 501(c)(3) charity, your gift is tax-deductible as allowed by law.

Thank you for all of your support over the past year. You are the reason we've had a real impact on public understanding of nursing worldwide. Together, we can strengthen nursing, and give patients the kind of health care they deserve in 2007 and beyond!

Sandy Summers, RN, MSN, MPH
Executive Director
The Truth About Nursing
203 Churchwardens Rd.
Baltimore, Maryland, USA 21212-2937
office 1-410-323-1100
fax 1-410-510-1790
ssummers@truthaboutnursing.org