Journal Learning Assignment

Abstract
This paper examines my personal definition of the art and science of nursing. I compared two films that portray nurses and the art and science of nursing in different lights. From a new nursing student’s perspective I examine how the nurses in each film demonstrate the art and science of nursing and how it has affected my own expectations of nursing.

Journal Learning Assignment

The Art and Science of Nursing
The role and public image of nurses have changed dramatically since nursing’s early origins. Nurses have come a long way over the years and today nursing is a combination of both art and science. The art and science of nursing are two separate skills that nurses must master; yet they are very closely intertwined. The science of nursing is knowledge. It is the knowledge of anatomy and physiology, of diseases, drugs, complicated procedures, techniques and machines to save lives and care for patients. A nurse is constantly improving her skills in the science aspect of nursing. There’s always more to learn especially in today’s world of ever-changing technology. The art of nursing is applying all of this knowledge to real patients. The art of nursing is the ability to deal with machines and calculate numbers and drug dosages and still show compassion toward your patients; it is the ability to read the Electronic Fetal Monitor and not forget that there is an actual woman in labor connected to it; it’s what makes patients feel like real people and not just test subjects. Nurses must learn to master the art aspect of nursing so that while they are performing complicated procedures they are sure they never lose that human touch.
The Public Image of Nurses
Many people today still have differing views on the roles of nurses in the healthcare setting. These uncertainties are reflected in the media and have contributed to a wide array of portrayals of nurses in movies. Nurse Betty and The English Patient are two movies whose storylines are based on a nurse. However, these two movies portray nurses in very different lights. Nurse Betty follows a young waitress whose lifelong dream is becoming a nurse. She witnesses the traumatic death of her husband at the hands of two hit men. As a result of her experience Betty becomes delusional and travels across the country convinced she is a nurse and also the former fiancée of a prominent soap opera star who plays a doctor. The two hit men trail her all the way across the country to Los Angeles. Betty eventually comes back to reality and realizes that the show is not real. In the end she helps capture her attackers and attends a real nursing school to realize her dream of becoming a nurse.
The English Patient follows the story of a young nurse named Hana during the end of World War II. She opts to stay behind in a bomb-riddled villa with a badly burned Hungarian pilot who is on his deathbed. During their time together the pilot’s past is shown in a series of flashbacks that piece together the man’s life. It tells his tale of love and loss during the war.
Despite the differences in these two movies both of the nurses in their own way demonstrated the art and science of their profession. Both Hana and Betty have a deep understanding of the art of nursing and of what it means to be compassionate and caring. In Nurse Betty, Betty shows the art of nursing when she shows up at a hospital in Los Angeles looking for a job as a nurse. Although they deny her the job because she has no references, Betty shows compassion for a patient as she exits the hospital. She notices an older woman lying in a bed moaning and just can’t help but enter the room. She pulls the covers up and comforts the woman by stroking her head. The woman at first seems confused but then appears calmer as the sight of Betty comforts her (Golin, 2000). Though these actions are simple they clearly show that Betty has an immense amount of compassion for people.
Similarly, Hana, the nurse in The English Patient, shows the art of nursing much in the same way that Betty does. Instead of moving on with her comrades at the end of World War II she stayed behind in a dangerous villa by herself to care for a dying man so that he may die with dignity. She spends time with the man, cooks and cares for him, and most importantly talks with him about his life and gets to know him. She adds that element of human touch that is so critical to nursing (Zaentz, 1996).
However, these two movies differ greatly however in their portrayal of the science of nursing. Nurse Betty sends the message that nursing is an easy profession and that you don’t need any formal training to be a nurse. As Betty exits the hospital where she had her interview, she stumbles upon the scene of an accident. Truly believing that she is a nurse she decides to help. She approaches the accident and finds a man with a gunshot wound who is nearly dead from blood loss. Betty quickly realizes that the man has no pulse and plugs her fingers into the wound and begins massaging his heart. As she’s doing this she exclaims, “I’m massaging his heart. I saw it done once… If I don’t do this he’s dead” (Golin, 2000). Because of her bold actions Betty saves the man’s life and is given a job at the hospital. This movie portrays the science of nursing in a negative light. Despite having no prior medical experience, Betty instantly knew what to do in this crisis because she watched medical television shows.
On the other hand, The English Patient portrays the science of nursing in a positive light. The movie shows Hana carefully calculating out morphine dosages to give to her patient and explaining why the drug will help him and what the side effects are. It shows that she has a tremendous amount of knowledge about her job. Also, towards the end of the movie Hana displays her ability to think critically and make decisions about what is best for her patient. As we learn more about the patient’s life, his tale of how he lost his lover during the war wraps up and he asks Hana to help him by ending his life. Hana thinks about this decision and decides to go along with the patient’s wishes. It is evident she feels this is the right decision because the patient is badly burned on most of his body and he is slowly dying. This decision was not easy for her and she weeps as she gives the man a lethal dose of morphine. These actions show that the science of nursing is not just about memorizing drugs and side effects it’s also about your ability to think critically and make important decisions about the future of your patients.
In many ways these two movies are what I personally have pictured nursing to be and in some ways they are not. In Nurse Betty, Betty’s understanding of the art of nursing impresses me. She is both caring and compassionate and she acts exactly as I would like to toward patients that I will one day be caring for. Unfortunately, it fails to accurately portray the science aspect of nursing thereby missing out on such a critical aspect of what nursing is. Betty’s favorite soap opera portrays nurses as unimportant. In the show, the nurses are women clad in white who wipe the doctor’s forehead while he is in surgery (Golin, 2000). This stereotypical view of nurses as people who do nothing more than stand around with baited breath waiting for the doctor’s orders is continuous throughout the movie. This is especially true when they downplay the importance of the science aspect of nursing during the accident scene. In this way the nursing actions in this movie are different from what I have expected nursing to be. I expect to enter a profession where I am respected and am able to contribute to the decisions made about the patients I am taking care of.
On the other hand, both representations of the art and science of nursing in The English Patient have reinforced my previous views of the roles of nurses. Hana combined both art and science in order to take care of her patient and make the best decisions about his care. In that sense Hana is a great role model for the kind of nurse I will one day be. She reinforced my view of nurses as professionals who are able to think critically and at the same time use compassion and understanding while providing care.
These two movies have given me a new perspective on the public image of nursing. The media often gives an inaccurate portrayal of nurses and has opened my eyes to a multitude of stereotypes that I may encounter as a nurse. I have also learned that the art and science of nursing are so closely intertwined that in order to be a competent professional you must learn how to balance both. I admire the compassion that Betty demonstrates yet because of the way that the roles of nurses have changed over the years, in today’s world that is not enough. A nurse must use knowledge and critical thinking skills in order to make decisions. In that sense The English Patient gives a more complete picture of the role of the nurse. Undoubtedly I will encounter stereotypes at one time or another. However, these two movies have compelled me to further my nursing education and to work that much harder so that I may one day combine the art and science of nursing to provide the best care for my patients.







References

Golin, Steve. (Producer) & LaBute, Neil (Director). (2000). Nurse Betty [Motion Picture] United States: USA Films.

Zaentz, Saul. (Producer) & Minghella, Anthony. (Director). (1996). The English Patient [Motion picture]. Canada: Miramax Films.