To the editor:

After reading your closing word in Dimensions of Critical Care (May/June 2010), I was reminded of some words a close friend of mine told me during a hockey game after watching a Manitoba Nurses Union advertisement that reminded the general public "Always a nurse, always caring." (He is an accountant, not a nurse.) "The problem with nursing is how you have branded yourselves. A commercial like that makes easy to make fun of nurses. Boy, Jason, I could sure use some caring right about now."

In Canada, we see commercials and ads reminding the public about the caring we provide (not unimportant). I have never seen an ad in Canada or the United States showing a registered nurse making an important decision, performing a critical lifesaving intervention, or aggressively advocating for a patient in need, all things I or colleagues have had to do during our careers. Perhaps our professional bodies and collective bargaining units should focus on selling and promoting these attributes to local media. Once we rebrand ourselves and change our own mind-set regarding what a nurse provides to the public, Hollywood, and ourselves, and change our own mind-set regarding what a nurse provides to the public, perhaps the national networks will take notice. Until we rebrand, we need to prepare for more of the same.

Jason Trottier, BN

Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

Editor's response:

Thank you, Mr Trottier, for taking the time to write about the editorial concerning how nurses are portrayed on television. While we are taking steps to improve the situation, we have a long way to go.