From Martyr to Robo-Nurse: the portrayal of Australian nurses on screen

Abstract

Nurses have traditionally been seen as among the most trusted of workers, with cultural connections with caring and femininity long been associated with their profession. While the portrayal of nurses in overseas screenworks has had some attention, Australian productions have not. This study identifies four categories of screenworks: popular entertainment, training and recruitment films, wartime nursing, and nurses as workers and unionists. Although more recent mainstream media portrayals of nurses increasingly depict strong, assertive professionals, little research has been conducted into the fourth category, a significant number of which are made by nurses. When nurses take on the film-making task, different outcomes are produced. New types of film about nurses and by nurses offer an evolving representation of the profession and are helping to change the identity of nurses.

Notes on contributors

Dr Lisa Milner is a lecturer in the media programme at Southern Cross University, Coffs Harbour Australia. Her published work includes Fighting Films: a History of the Waterside Workers’ Federation Film Unit (Pluto Press, 2003). Her current research interests focus on representations of workers and trade unions in film and television, and the power of the documentary format to represent working communities.

Dr Cathy Brigden is an associate professor in the School of Management and deputy director of the Centre for Sustainable Organisations and Work at RMIT University, Melbourne Australia. Alongside her research exploring women in trade unions and separate organizing, she has a long-standing interest in the use of film in the study of labour history and the representation of workers and work.

Notes

1. Stanley's list included the Australian productions Patrick (1979), Doctors and Nurses (1981), The Clinic (1982), An Indecent Obsession (1985), Alice to Nowhere (1986), The Lighthorsemen (1987) and Paradise Road (1997).