Scrubs: Gender Roles And Media Analysis

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Throughout history, nursing has been seen as a predominantly female dominated profession, but it has not always been this way. Prior to the war men dominated the nursing career, but with men having to fight in the war the female population took over the nursing profession; since this pivoting movement the nursing profession has been dominated by women. However, with the nursing shortage concern increasing it becomes time to notice the effect that the media may be having on the enrollment of male students into the nursing program. The depiction of male nurses in the television show Scrubs, has led society to form numerous negative assumptions about male nurses. Weaver R. et. al (2013) reveals that even though the number of men joining the profession…show more content…
As seen in the 2003 television series Scrubs, resident Dr. Elliott Reid has made prejudgements about the male nurse, Paul, whom she is dating. These prejudgements were derived from the responsibilities of a nurse which includes dealing with bed pans and changing bed linens. The rhetoric foreshadowing was used when Dr. Reid stated that she “hate[s]” how “so many doctors are self-centered”; moreover, she is contradicting herself since she makes assumptions about Paul’s personality due to his occupation (Scrubs, 2003). Furthermore, this emphasizes the negative portrayal of males and society's beliefs on how males are only nurses “because they were not accepted” into their preferred “medical school” (Kouta & Kaite, 2011). In continuation, the image of the nurse is diminished; specifically, male nurses face large set backs such as gender stereotypes which nonetheless effect their professional image. As stated in the Nursing Forum, male nurses face “difficulty maintaining [their] positive masculine identity” which alters “their perceptions and expectations of their gender roles” and how they “conflict with their [desired] occupational roles” (Rajapaksa & Rothstein, 2009). Overall, not only does the media influence society’s negative outlook on the image of a male nurse, it also deteriorates the pride men should have while working in this advantageous…show more content…
One example is quoted in Scrubs as Paul states that being a nurse does not “make [him] feel like [he’s] any less of a man”; consequently, male nurses feel obligated to advocate against gender stereotypes. In addition, men are often “discouraged from selecting a female-dominant profession” due to the “perceptions that” label the job as feminine (Rozier, Thompson, Shill, Vollmar, 2001). This overall creates a pessimistic view on the image of male nurses which accentuates the need for positive recruitment. In like manner, nurses recognize their career as “a rewarding profession” regardless of their gender. In the end, the media should continue to praise the nursing profession rather than degrade the males that dedicate their lives towards helping

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