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The invisibility of advanced practice nurses in popular magazines
1Department of Nursing at Gonzaga University, Spokane, WA, USA. norwood@gu.gonzaga.edu
Purpose:
To determine the image portrayed in the media of nurses and particularly nurse practitioners (NPs) compared with other health care providers.
Data Sources:
An analysis of advertisements and articles in popular magazines aimed at female, male, and gender-neutral audiences was conducted between 12/99 and 06/00. Relationships between target audience and content of advertisements and articles, as well as portrayal of health care providers were also explored.
Conclusions:
A review of 100 consecutive advertisements for health-related products and 96 consecutive health-related articles in popular magazines revealed that the media continues to overwhelmingly depict and promote physicians as the source of health care and health-related advice.
Implications For Practice:
Because when there are few references to a group, such as NPs, it is reasonable to assume group members have little influence, standing, and authority, NPs should be concerned about the implications of these findings. Strategies for increasing the visibility of NPs as credible and valuable members of the health care team are shared.