Positive portraying of nursing
The nursing profession is a reputable field that offers services to humanity. The Johnson and Johnson campaign for the future of nursing is one of the few positive adverts that portray nursing in an admirable way (Truthaboutnursing.org, 2014). The ads show how nurses give healthcare to patients newborn babies and adults alike without any discrimination.
Advert portraying a bad image of nursing
As professionals, nurses both male and female must be treated and regarded with respect considering the services they offer in healthcare facilities (Smith, 2012). I, for this reason, request the Gillette Company to be compelled to do more than withdraw the advert. Many adverts on our TV screens have relentlessly tainted the image and integrity of the nursing profession while popularizing their products to the public. The Gillette Company is just one example of companies portraying such indecency.
I understand the company responded positively to the nurses’ concerns against the ad but the immense damage caused is already hurting the profession. The advert shows a seductively dressed female nurse luring a male patient in a hospital bed (Truthaboutnursing.org, 2014). This advert is one of the greatest insulting portrayals of the nursing fraternity. It was sagacious for the company’s executives to heed to the demands given by nurses to pull out the advert. The company receives my gratitude for being very considerate and reasonable. However, I feel it is important to have stringent measures backed by law to prevent a reoccurrence of such an insult to nursing or any other profession (Carroll, 2015).
Importance of the petition
By compelling the Gillette Company to do more than just what they did in response to the nurses’ outraged demonstrations, several results will be achieved. I believe other companies will be more cautious while using adverts that portray a bad image of the nursing profession (Simpson, Slutskaya & Hughes, 2012). Also, the company should be a force to get actively involved in campaigns that portray a real nursing image. I believe if the requests made in this petition are met, advertising agencies will be very careful not to offend the nursing profession. Most importantly, the move to protect nurses from insensitive advertisers can only be effective if it is backed by law (Wolf, 2014).
Closing remarks
About the damage caused to the nursing profession by the advert, it is only fair for the company to take responsibility and do something to regain the glory of nursing. The company has not made any commitment to change the bad image that was formed during the few days that the advert was aired. I feel it is imperative for the nursing profession to be respected and regarded with the respect it deserves (O’Shaughnessy, 2014). Lifesaving is an important service to humanity, and it should not be taken lightly or be mocked to fulfill clandestine motives. This will ultimately compromise the integrity and the pride of nursing as a profession.
References
Carroll, V. S. (2015). Watch Out for the Wolves: Predatory Publishing. Journal of Neuroscience Nursing, 47(1), 1-2.
O’Shaughnessy, P. (2014). From Candy Striper to Chief Nurse. AJN the American Journal of Nursing, 114(7), 68-69.
Simpson, R., Slutskaya, N., & Hughes, J. (2012). Gendering and embodying dirty work: men managing taint in the context of nursing care. Dirty Work: Concepts and Identities, 1(1) 165.
Smith, E. (2012). Corporate image and public health: an analysis of the Philip Morris, Kraft, and Nestle websites. Journal of health communication, 17(5), 582-600.
Truthaboutnursing.org: Television Commercials Featuring Nurses. (2014). Web.
Wolf, K. A. (2014). Critical Perspectives on Nursing as Bodywork. Advances in Nursing Science, 37(2), 147-160.