Mindy Kaling, Producer
Kaling International
1888 Century Park E, Los Angeles, CA 90067, USA
I am writing to call for a more positive portrayal of nurses in your show The Mindy Project. The main nurse character in the show is Morgan Tookers. He is portrayed as a bizarre, goofy person who is known for his previous conviction for car theft. He is often seen performing non-nursing tasks such as recommending pills to coworkers who want to go clubbing, cleaning the office window, spraying hand sanitizers on the hands of users of the male comfort room, playing peacemaker to warring friends, and having a stray dog in the office although he stated in Season 1 that he graduated from a nurse practitioner (NP) school. When he is shown performing a nursing task, it was to illegally prescribe a sedative for a physician friend. The result was hallucinations, and the physician ended up in the hospital. Sedatives are controlled substances because of their potential for misuse and abuse (Drug Enforcement Agency, 2015). Sound NP practice dictates that every prescription be based on patient assessment, clinical diagnosis, and a treatment plan (Woo & Wynne, 2011). The Office of Diversion Control (2015) cites as a crime the prescription of controlled substances without a real physician-patient relationship. For this reason, Morgan broke the law.
The scenes featuring Morgan mainly use him as comic relief and failed to show that, in reality, nurses are skilled, knowledgeable, and self-reflecting professionals (Dolphin, 2013; Judd, 2013) who are respected by other disciplines in the health care team and are highly trusted by patients. The show further failed to portray NP practice as independent, legally adherent, ethical, and safe. Rather, the show sends the message that advanced practice nurses can easily commit a crime by prescribing controlled substances under unlawful circumstances and causing harm in the process. This message perpetuates a negative image of nursing and must change. This request is important because such an image is demeaning to nurses and devalues our profession. It discourages people from wanting to pursue nursing which can make current efforts to promote nursing as a career path less successful, a situation that will not alleviate the nursing shortage or enhance the availability of nursing care (Weaver et al., 2013). Support for this request will be expected not only from nurses but also the general public because all past, present, and future patients have, are receiving or will eventually need care from a nurse. I believe that, with the 9 million subscribers on Hulu (Spangler, 2015), your show can greatly influence how the public perceives nurses.
As one of the nation’s frontline care providers, it is important for patients to trust their nurses in order for interventions to become successful. Patients who hold a negative perception of their providers often fail to utilize health care services as often as necessary, adhere to treatment, or enact behaviors that support their health (Larsson et al., 2011). This situation undermines the nurse-patient relationship and results in poorer health outcomes. For these reasons, future episodes should develop Morgan Tookers into a character that depicts nurses and nursing in a more realistic and positive light. This is possible by portraying him as a competent nurse practitioner who has undergone rigorous training, capable of independent, ethical, lawful, and safe nursing practice, and continually reflecting on his practice to achieve expertise (Silver, 2010).
References
Dolphin, S. (2013). How nursing students can be empowered by reflective practice. Mental Health Practice, 16(9), 20-23. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.7748/mhp2013.06.16.9.20.e867.
Drug Enforcement Agency (2015). Controlled substance schedules. Retrieved from http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/schedules/
Judd, M. (2013). The use of a reflective grid to aid community nurse education. Journal of Community Nursing, 27(4), 103-106. Retrieved from http://www.jcn.co.uk/files/downloads/articles/09-2013-nurse-education.pdf
Larsson, I.E., Sahlsten, M.J.M., Segesten, K., & Plose, K.A.E. (2011). Patients’ perceptions of nurses’ behavior that influence patient participation in nursing care: A critical incident study. Nursing Research and Practice, 2011, 1-8. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2011/534060.
Office of Diversion Control (2015). DEA warning – Buying drugs online may be illegal and dangerous! Retrieved from http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/consumer_alert.htm
Silver, B. (2010). Reflecting on practice. Primary Health Care, 20(7), 10. Retrieved from http%3A%2F%2Fgo.galegroup.com%2Fps%2Fi.do%3Fid%3DGALE%257CA23835 8699%26v%3D2.1%26u%3Dvic_liberty%26it%3Dr%26p%3DAONE%26sw%3Dw %26asid%3D42b3eabf542b1ba75a30f5f653fb2e62
Spangler, T. (2015). ‘The Mindy Project’ moving to Hulu for Season 4 after Fox cancellation. Retrieved from http://variety.com/2015/digital/news/the-mindy-project-moving-to- hulu-for-season-4-after-fox-cancellation-1201497556/
Weaver, R., Salamonson, Y., Koch, J., & Jackson, D. (2013). Nursing on television: Student perceptions of television’s role in public image, recruitment and education. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 69(12), 2635-2643. doi: 10.1111/jan.12148.
Woo, T.M., & Wynne, A.L. (2011). Pharmacotherapeutics for nurse practitioner prescribers (3rd ed.). Philadelphia, PA: F.A. Davis Company.
