The video on the history of nursing shows how nursing has progressed as a profession, and how it has changed over the years, which mostly reflects the way attitudes towards women, and particularly women who work, has changed over the years. Medical technology has developed tremendously over the years and much of the nurse's job has been made easier because of these new developments. As the video points out, nurses now have more respect from other medical professionals, and are advancing in their careers well beyond just basic nursing. Much of the "hands on" practice of nursing has now been relegated to nursing aides (clinical partners, LVNs, etc.) so the nurse plays a different role in healthcare. Nurses today are specializing and becoming nurse practitioners, nurse midwives and nurse anesthetists, taking them far beyond the original role of the nurse.
In writing a sequel to this movie, it would be necessary to include these new roles of nurse practitioners as an integral part of nursing as they are now becoming. It would be necessary to address the way healthcare has developed in terms of the HMOs and the way business is now dictating much of what can and cannot be done for patients. The hospital is a far different place than it was in the 1980s, and this would need to be discussed in the video. The current nursing shortage and the reasons for it - the increasing opportunities available for women in the workforce - should be addressed. The fact that many young women who go through nursing school do not stay in the profession, with many leaving after five years needs to be commented on and the reasons for this. The reality of aging nurses, and the coming crises as the baby boomers reach retirement age and require more medical care should be covered, and the fact that people are living longer and so the need for geriatric nurses is increasing. There are more chronically ill patients for nurses to deal with as advances in...