10 Sexiest Jobs

Nurse

"Why they’re sexy: Nurses keep you comfortable, make sure you’re healthy and bring you morphine when you’re hurting. That they devote their lives to caring for others and understand all that medical jargon only makes them sexier.

Where you’ll find them: In hospitals, your doctor's office and other health care facilities.

Pros: They care for patients, watch them get better and put a baby in its parents' arms for the first time.

Cons: The hours are long; patients and their families can be demanding; and there are plenty of sad events they have to witness, too."

How does everyone feel about the description above about how nurses are "sexy"? I know I'm extremely offended by these comments! This quote was from a recent on MSN Careers article that placed nursing as the 6th "sexiest job"! Check out more information at http://msn.careerbuilder.com/custom/msn/careeradvice/viewarticle.aspx?articleid=1234&SiteId=cbmsnhp41234&sc_extcmp=JS_1234_home1articleid=1234&SiteId=cbmsnhp41234&sc_extcmp=JS_1234_home1&GT1=10785&cbRecursionCnt=1&cbsid=a6eb904eb5d8474dacf9019caa44bc48-255400390-WC-2.

"Media watch" letters are a great method to address the positive and negative media images of nurses and the nursing profession itself. Please use the positive and negative portrayal templates already posted online on the CNSA website ( http://www.cnsa.org/committees.html) to help voice your opinion. I am including my letter below and would gladly help anyone if needed. Thank you.

To Whom It May Concern:

I am writing in response to Anthony Balderrama’s article “10 Sexiest Jobs” article published on msn.careerbuilder.com. As a nursing student and current chair of California Nursing Students’ Association’s Ad Hoc Image of Nursing Committee, I am very concerned and disappointed to find that nurses are listed as being one of the sexiest jobs.

Your recent depiction of the nursing profession is inaccurate and misleading. To continue the unrealistic “sexy nurse” stereotype and simply deduce nurses’ responsibilities are to “keep you comfortable… and bring you morphine when you’re hurting” undermines the complexity of nursing care and their clinical judgment.

Nurses are intelligent, highly educated, professional men and women who are dedicated to saving lives and helping people heal from serious illness. Many nurses have Master’s and Doctorate degrees and work with physician colleagues as the primary health care provider for adults, the elderly and children. In addition to being able to find nurses “in hospitals” and “other health care facilities,” nurses are respected in many academic and corporate settings for their knowledge and contribution. It is time to cast aside these outdated stereotypes and show the true image of nursing.

We currently have a national, as well as global, nursing shortage. The American Nurses Association predicts a shortage of 1 million nurses by the year 2010. Instead of focusing attention on why nurses are “sexy,” I suggest Anthony Balderrama and other MSN Careers writers conduct proper research before writing and publishing a fallacious and stereotypical article. An accurate portrayal of nursing is both respectful and paramount. In effect, negative images aggravate the growing nursing shortage and are socially irresponsible.

On behalf of the California Nursing Students’ Association, I ask you to discontinue your inappropriate depiction of nursing. Instead, you should be a catalyst towards an accurate public perception of nurses. Next time you feel the need to use a nurse’s image in the media, take into consideration the 3 million educated professional nurses that are keeping this country alive. Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

Judy Chang
Chair, Ad Hoc Image of Nursing Committee California Nursing Students’ Association San Francisco State University, CNSA