You may remember that
my post yesterday was about a website that advocated for nurses, especially in regards to how they are portrayed in the media. I noted that the site was in a "transition phase." The transition in this case was forced upon the site by the Board of Directors of the Center for Nursing Advocacy who decided to put an end to their organization.
Fortunately, Sandy Summers - who had been the Executive Director of the old organization, has founded a new organization,
The Truth About Nursing.
Please check out her website!
I just read
a remarkable book review on the Truth About Nursing website. The book was written by the Holly Hobby Company and appears to be a marketing vehicle for their product.
Fanny is about a girl who wants a glamourous, sexy doll, a "Connie" doll, but her mother refuses to buy it for her. The girl, Fanny, eventually resigns herself to the fact that she cannot have a Connie and makes her own doll, which she names Annabelle.
According to the
Truth About Nursing site,
Fanny is "fairly well-written" and there's actually nothing wrong with the overall theme of the story, which is that the home-made Annabelle has many good feminine qualities, while Fanny's friends' glamourous, sexy Connies - modeled after the Braatz Dolls - are only glamourous and sexy. The problem with
Fanny, is how that theme is illustrated. In the story the girls have their dolls "play doctor," with Annabelle being the capable veterinarian and the two Connies are
"nurses" who stand around looking pretty and assisting Annabelle, reinforcing what are arguably the most damaging stereotypes of nursing today--the unskilled physician assistant and the naughty nurse.
The "playing doctor" scene is only one part of the book. Nevertheless, that part of
Fanny is, in Sandy Summers words, a "blatant 'feminist' attack on nursing." While few would believe that this children's book set out to deliberately denigrate the nursing profession, that was the unfortunate result.
I wouldn't want to see the Braatz Dolls working in health care.
Fortunately, America's nurses are capable professionals. They deserve our respect!
Many nursing students have breathed a sigh of relief upon learning about the Incredibly Easy series of books. No matter how intelligent you are, it often helps to read something that is meant to be clear and readable - that's what you get from this series from Lippincott Williams and Wilkins (the corporate author and publisher).
