BELLEVILLE – MTV’s new television show documenting the lives of a group of California nurses is causing a stir among nursing students.
Scrubbing In is MTV’s latest attempt at recreating the success of Jersey Shore. The show premiered Oct. 24 and showcases the lives of nine nurses who work at Orange County Hospital in California. They live together in the same house for three months, working during the day and going out to the clubs at night.
The characters go out and party on worknights, get into fights and show up to work hung over. Their lifestyle is upsetting nursing students who have watched it.
Jessie Greve is a second-year nursing student at Loyalist College. She says that what is being displayed in the show is false.
“We are taught in school that nurses are not supposed to do everything that they have done,” said Greve. ”It’s crazy that they put a show like this on TV and portray nurses in such a disgusting way.”
First-year Loyalist nursing student Megan Tompos agreed that the show is inaccurate.
“They do more nursing I believe in the soap opera General Hospital then they do in that show,” said Tompos.
It shines a negative light on the profession, she added.
“It’s demeaning to nurses, because they party all the time and they fight a lot.”
Tompos said she feels she and her fellow nursing students are more productive than the people in the show are.
“We are a lot harder-working than they are.”
An online petition has been started by the Ontario Nurses Association to try to remove the show from TV. Tompos said she has signed the petition.
But while Tompos is against what the show displays, she says she’ll continue watching it.
“I am watching it to see how it goes. But I wouldn’t watch it for fun.”