Nurse Jackie - Role of Nurse AssistantIn the pilot of Nurse Jackie, Showtime’s hot new series about a no-nonsense nurse with a drug problem and an ongoing affair with her provider, the hospital’s pharmacologist, Jackie’s coworker, Mo-Mo, hands over Zoey Barkow, a first year nursing student from a local community college. Jackie rapidly becomes Zoey’s mentor. Zoey is eager to please, but a little skittish about her actual nursing duties as a Nurse Assistant.  Photo credit: The Internet Movie Database Halfway through the first episode, Jackie and Zoey wheel in a battered prostitute, covered in bloody gashes, holding the severed ear of the client responsible for her injuries. Though it is entirely unbelievable to think that a nurse and a nursing student would be the only people attending to a patient with such extensive trauma, Jackie’s faith in Zoey on her first day of work is even more ridiculous. During the altercation, the prostitute managed to cut off her attacker’s ear. Jackie gives Zoey the ear to put on ice. A Nurse Assistant on her first assignment would not be trusted with a body part, as evidenced by Zoey’s immediate reaction: vomiting on the floor. In the eighth episode, “Pupils,” Zoey lets Jackie know about a show she watched about eyeballs, and Jackie admonishes her for not paying enough attention to them during check-ups. Zoey’s neglect of the area has her passing out drugs to patients without real problems. As Jackie says, “You like pupils so much, you just make sure you’re checking them.” Would a Nurse Assistant be handing out drugs to Dave the Addict? No. Either Nurse Jackie or Gloria Akalitus, the nursing supervisor, would check nursing orders, preventing errors from occurring. This is again show in the eleventh episode when Zoey accidentally overdoses a patient on pain killers, causing him to lapse into a coma. No nurse assistant would have the clearance to administer that much medication. One of the most true to form interactions between Zoey and her coworkers is her relationship with Dr. Eleanor O’Hara. In the third episode, Zoey parades around with her new stethoscope, which is promptly taken by O’Hara during one of her procedures. Though it is unlikely that Zoey would have been putting in IV’s as she claims to have been doing when her stethoscope is found missing, the power play between the two is true to form. Jackie tells Zoey that doctors will take things from her. Things like “sandwiches. Stethoscopes. Credit,” urging her to assert herself to Dr. O’Hara in order to reclaim her property. However Zoey is unable to muster the courage to ask for it, and Dr. O’Hara tells Jackie over lunch that she’s aware that she took the stethoscope, but has enjoyed watching Zoey obsess over it. Many first year nursing students from both traditional education programs or those who have earned an online nursing degree suffer from the same fear that Zoey suffers from. Zoey is a different breed than her coworkers, wearing panda earrings and patterned scrubs. She’s young. It’s completely logical that a newcomer to the field would fear someone with so much more experience. This would be a leading cause of the power disparity between a nurse assistant and an emergency room doctor. You can make a difference in the field of health care with an advanced nursing degree. Take your time to learn about the nursing programs offered by the accredited online nursing schools below and request a free information pack from the schools that interest you. 
University of Phoenix NursingJoin over 100,000 working professionals and get your degree from the University Of Phoenix Online. A well-respected degree from the University of Phoenix is the first step in you meeting your career goals. 
Walden University NursingWalden University, an accredited institution, offers advanced degrees online to professionals who work to advance their careers as well as the greater good. Degree programs include management, education, health and human services, and psychology. Our rigorous programs are designed to help students make a difference in the lives of children, the health of communities or the success of an organization.
Kaplan University NursingKaplan University accelerated nursing programs can be completed in 18 months of online self-study. The pace is up to you - Attend class anytime, anywhere, 24/7. No campus attendance is required. More Online Nursing Degree Articles |
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