Often, when people hear the word “nurse,” they picture a woman in scrubs by the bedside, administering medication, checking vital signs, or implementing or explaining a doctor’s orders. Of course, this is only part of the picture. Nurses are women and men who help shape and improve the nation’s health care system in myriad ways. For decades, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) has supported nurses at the bedside and nurse researchers, educators, administrators and other leaders in a wide range of settings from the C-suite to the classroom to the laboratory to the landing pad.
A new video from RWJF illustrates that every day, in many ways, nurses shatter the stereotype. The video begins by posing the question: “What is a nurse?” After showing nurses in scrubs providing bedside care, it shows nurses planting trees, tap-dancing with older patients, reviewing research data, working with domestic violence service providers, teaching nutrition to children, conducting simulations, and much more.