I watched the premiere of “Mercy” last night and was pleasantly surprised—it was actually about realistic nurses! No bimbos in tight, white uniforms and stiletto heels; none so burned out they can’t empathize with patients. And a lead actor we, as long-term clinical RNs can relate to.
The leader of the pack is an RN just back from Iraq—where she slept with a doctor, despite being married at home. Home is Mercy Hospital, a city hospital with a motley cast of patients, who are typical of what a nurse sees during his/her shift. There’s the newbie—just graduated from Penn with a Master’s Degree in Nursing and absolutely no clinical experience. She follows the seasoned nurses around like a puppy, all eager to heal and help. She was mortified that she had to “pull the plug” on one of her patients. Compare that to the Iraqi war veteran with two amputated arms and a colostomy. In other words, the surgery was a success, but the patient died. Who thought ahead enough to figure out just how this vet was supposed to take care of his colostomy? Dying of cancer at seventy-eight was a breeze compared to that conundrum.
I had to think that at least a part of the script was either written by an RN, or a good consulting RN. There’s a difference between the nurses who graduate from a diploma school, and then work their way up to a Master’s Degree. An MSN teaches you nothing about nursing care. It teaches you to teach others, or become managers, which nursing is seeing more and more, and less nurses who actually want to touch a patient. Yes, there are good master’s prepared RNs, but they all started as clinical RNs first. I know. I graduated from a diploma school and got my associate’s degree along with it. I never wanted to be a manager, and I taught plenty of courses, lectures and seminars as “just an RN.” Sometimes clinical experience makes for a better lecture than book knowledge.
I’m sure there are a lot of RNs with advanced degrees who might read this and get angry. All the time, education and cost! And for what? They get paid less than my best friend who has been a clinical RN for twenty-eight years. For what? How about working twelve hour shifts, mostly on your feet, weekends, holidays and nights. That’s the difference. Clinical RNs get dirty. I remember working in an inner city trauma center and a drunk driver vomited so much on me that it soaked through my underwear. Find an advanced degree RN with the same story and I’ll buy her a beer.
My only criticism of the show is the main character drinks. A lot. Her parents are alcoholics, and her brother seems well on his way. Not all nurses are broken after twenty years or so on the job. They’re burned out. From lack of staffing, fumbling residents, and being bit, spat on, kicked and punched. It’s a matter of balance. After the day is over, and you go home, you have to have an outlet for all the abuse you take during your shift. Some fool around with married men (or women, as there are loads of nurses who are male now, and, I may add from personal experience, not gay). Yes, we partied when we were in our twenties, but most of us in practice now have marriages, families, and hobbies that are not destructive.
Ask any RN to watch “Mercy,” and give an opinion. I think it will be a good one. At least we’re not at Seattle-Grace and getting syphilis from the residents.
