The piece of media I am analyzing is Nurse Jackie. The tv show Nurse Jackie follows a nurse in a fictional New York hospital. Jackie, the nurse, works at All Saints Hospital in the ER, and tends to stray from normal nursing practices. She using her experience to make judgement calls on patient care which causes conflicts in the workplace.
The theme of conflict in the workplace ties in with our lecture on the authority of doctors. Due to Jackie’s unorthodox decisions, she tends to be in conflict with Dr Cooper, the new ER doctor, and Mrs Akalitis, the nurse manager. An example of conflict between them is when a patient with cancer was admitted due to extreme dehydration and constant nausea. Dr Cooper planned on prescribing an antinausea medication, and Jackie suggested to the patient to try marijuana, which at that time was an illegal substance. Another example of conflict in the workplace was when Jackie flushed a man’s ear down the toilet because he continually stabbed a woman and was not being charged for the assault. When the ear came back up, Jackie ended up in trouble with the nurse manager. A third example, is when a young boy had been brought into the hospital because his parents suspected that he had cystic fibrosis. Jackie decided to discharge the patient because preliminary results had came back that suggested the boy was not sick. However, when the final results came in Dr Cooper became angry with Jackie for overstepping boundaries, and trying to give the family the results which is the job of the doctor.
Jackie is not one to follow the rules, and works based on her own outlook of ‘what is best for the patient’. She disregards the authority of doctors and administration which causes a troubling work environment. Her character brings up the question whether you should always follow the rules or if you should make other decisions because you believe them to have a better outcome?
Julissa's Sociology Adventure 
I’ve never heard of this show before. It sounds like an interesting version of Grey’s Anatomy. In a way I kind of like Jackie’s way of working. If she believes it’s in the best interest of the patient and is good at what she does she should be able to do so. If she isn’t then of course it is best she do it the right way or someone should find a way to discipline her so that people don’t get hurt.
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Interesting post. I agree that workplace conflict can one of the major stressor in the occupation of many people and few as important as that of professional health care providers in subordinate and superordinate interactions, for it is when a patient’s health is affected, that the problem increments. I do wonder to what extent does this really play a role in the outcome of a patient’s treatment.
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