Nursing dean outlines ways to increase nurse visibility

Donna Nickitas, PhD, RN, dean of the Rutgers School of Nursing in Camden, N.J., outlines steps nurses can take to make their voices heard during the International Year of the Nurse and Midwife. Actions include writing letters to the editor and developing skills for speaking with the media. Nurses can also reach out to their organizations’ communication pros to share nurse-led research and other newsworthy items. Citing the finding of a 2018 study, which reported nurses were quoted only 2% of the time in news stories about health, Nickitas wrote, “The full picture of health care today won't be portrayed accurately until nurses are included.”