Nursing Organizations Call MTV’s ‘Scrubbing In’ “Demeaning” & “Disrespectful”

hot tubs
It’s like ‘The Real World’…with stethoscopes!

They party, they skinny dip and, when there’s time, they take care of sick people.

Although only one episode of Scrubbing In, an MTV reality show focusing on a group of young nurses working in an Orange County, California, hospital, has aired, it’s already caused it’s share of controversy. The show’s cast of ‘wild nurses,’ who are frequently shown partying in hot tubs or getting wild after work, have caught the eye of several national nursing associations, all of which are calling on MTV to stop airing the controversial show. One of those nursing associations decided to take action.

In a letter sent today to MTV’s president, Stephen Freidman, the president of the National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists (NACNS), Carol Manchester, had some pretty harsh things to say about the show.

“This program portrays nurses in a disrespectful and unfair light for purely salacious purposes,” she wrote. “At a time when our nation needs nurses more than ever, this program is denigrating and demeaning the members of what has been shown time and again to be one of the most trusted professions in the United States. ‘Scrubbing In’ does a serious disservice to nurses, nursing students, our health care system and our nation as a whole.”

cast chelsea
“Does this hospital have a happy hour?”

The NACNS isn’t the only nursing association that’s pissed off at MTV for portraying nurses in such a ridiculous light. The National Nurses United, the largest organization of nurses in the country, has also printed some choice words for MTV about the show.

“Nurses have tough jobs, especially in a corporate healthcare environment, where they constantly strive to provide safe, therapeutic care…When their shift ends they are most likely exhausted and going home to their families, not partying in hot tubs,” the group said in a statement on their blog.

The show’s cast have done their best to defend themselves against these nay-saying nursing organizations.

“We would never drink before a shift because you do have to be on point, you have to have enough breath, you need to know exactly what’s happening with your patient and you have to notice the little things,” nurse Heather Ambrose recently told Neontommy.com.

“We are nurses first, and we would never do anything to jeopardize our careers,” she told Vidette Online. “But at the same time, we are all in our 20s so we want to have fun in our personal lives because you only live once.”

If I see them sporting “YOLO” tattoos under their scrubs, I’m done!

(Photos: MTV)

9 Comments

  1. I can see very well why the associations are upset with this show. These younger “nurses” do make it look like their positions are not important to them. Then again MTV’s shows all look that way. It’s what gets their drama. However, sometimes I question if this group are really nurses. They’re really not shown doing things more than taking temps or simply talking to patients. They are watching original nurses do their jobs instead.


  2. I am an rn in greensburg pa outside of pittsburgh I am 26 and have been an rn for 6 years. While we all like to have fun and a good time, I am shocked that the medical facilities thwy worked at allowed them to film this and put their name on it. What someone does in their own time is their own business I agree… but this is like jersey shore with real professions and depicts nurses as loud trashy college students. How old is this cast really?


  3. Did you see Chris Meyers’ (reality star and RN) Tweets? One was about it being the girl’s fault she was roofied. Another was that there should be an IQ test before people can breed. And the one about not being people not being able to speak English. Very sad. NOT what I learned in Nursing School. You can see his tweets at Change dot org Cancel MTV Scrubbing In.

    These kids sold themselves out.


  4. I haven’t watched it. I don’t want to think about what nurses do after their shift. I have a chronically ill child, and I don’t want to watch it and worry what the staff of nurses do between shifts of taking care of my son!


  5. “we would never do anything to jeopardize our careers,”

    I think being on a MTV reality show, drinking and partying is doing just that.


  6. I’m tired of the “we’re young” excuse being used when people join these programs and have to face criticism. Those nurses have messed up with their careers. No one (employer or patient) is going to take them seriously after this. And it’s a MTV reality show. What were the expecting? But I guess the fame and money is worth it to them. =/

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