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They Say If Nurses Do This, We Become Bulletproof
I don’t watch TV medical dramas to judge or find the nursing miscues, but I just can’t help myself.
After being a nurse (RN) for 25 years, mostly in ER and trauma settings, and as a military nurse, it’s kind of hard not to notice when things don’t look or sound right on those shows.
Although I will say that there is some (a smidge here and there) truth to a lot of what is portrayed, the majority is simply Hollywood and geared for Nielsen ratings.
Before I go on, I will share a universal truth about TV shows and real-life trauma nursing.
Stress.
The most significant difference though, is us nurses thrive on that word.
We train for it.
We live it.
The reality of nursing, and now I’m talking specifically to ER & trauma settings, is that indeed anything at any time can find a way through your sliding glass doors.
A father running in with a child who stopped breathing…
Six car pileups and multiple casualties, so let’s call a “mass casualty” alert…
Mom in labor and kid is crowning…
