I wanted to be a nurse at one point. Then I realized I can’t handle gross stuff – and nurses have to do a lot of that. Although doctors often get the glory, it’s the nurses who do much of the work, and we’re hearing the stories of these compassionate caregivers going above and beyond during this critical time.
Unfortunately, nurses sometimes have been portrayed as an assistant or “sidekick” to the doctor, or as women who are just looking to marry a doctor. In reality, nurses are the ones who have more one-on-one time with the patient, are often the ones who provide essential patient care and the ones who do the grueling work. Nurses are very much partners with their doctors.
Fortunately, there are television shows that portray these professional caregivers as the vigilant workers they are. Sometimes we have the funny side character, such as Kitty Forman (“That 70’s Show”) or Ann Perkins (“Parks and Recreation”), whose nursing skills are doled out to their family and friends. But then we have the likes of Major Houlihan (“M*A*S*H”) or Lieutenant McMurphy (“China Beach”), who show us strong compassionate women in the midst of war and chaos. Or Nurses Rosenthal (“St. Elsewhere”), Hathaway (“E.R.”) and Jackie (“Nurse Jackie”) who portray the devastating effects that the pressures of the job can have on a personal life, while at the same time continuing their tireless devotion to their trade. And the nursing profession has provided some groundbreaking roles for women in this medium, with the first non-traditional Latina and African-American professional women on television being nurses. But the contributions of men to this profession haven’t been ignored, with Nurses Petrelli (“Heroes”) and Parker (“Private Practice”) showing men succeeding in this career.
Some of my favorite television characters of all time are on this list. Many of these are shows I watched growing up, and the most vivid characters I remember are these wonderful nurses. Enjoy our photo gallery ranking the 20 best TV nurses. As with our other professionals galleries, we are only selecting one nurse per program.
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20. That 70’s Show
Image Credit: Courtesy of Fox Debra Jo Rupp as Kitty Forman
With her sunny disposition and motherly instinct, Kitty is a natural-born caregiver, which makes her a perfect nurse. She’s a biological mother to two, and surrogate mom to their friends, and is always there to treat them when they get hurt – especially Kelso.
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19. Hawthorne
Image Credit: Sony Tv/Kobal/Shutterstock Jada Pinkett Smith as Christina Hawthorne
As Chief Nursing Officer, Hawthorne is dedicated to her work, often risking her job to fight for her patients and the nurses who work under her. Her devotion to her career often causes havoc in her personal life, especially her relationship with Dr. Tom Wakefield, but she continues to fight tirelessly for those relying on her.
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18. Nurse
Image Credit: Courtesy of CBS Michael Learned as Mary Benjamin
When her husband dies, the now-single mother goes back to work, and has to learn to balance her personal life and professional life. However, she once again learns to deal with demanding patients and finds her work rewarding. Learned won her fourth Emmy for her portrayal of this hard-working nurse.
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17. Parks and Recreation
Image Credit: Courtesty of NBC Rashida Jones as Ann Perkins
Her name is fitting, as she’s always so perky. She rarely complains and is such a devoted caregiver that she doesn’t realize her boyfriend is taking advantage of her by keeping casts on his legs for longer than necessary. Her natural inclination to do good and help others, along with her friend Leslie’s urging, leads her to accept a part-time job as the Health Department public relations director, while continuing her nursing career at the hospital.
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16. Heroes
Image Credit: Nbc/Universal Tv/Kobal/Shutterstock Milo Ventimiglia as Peter Petrelli
Nurses are indeed “superheroes;” in Peter’s case, he quite literally is a superhero. His superpower is the ability to absorb and mimic other people’s powers, and it is perhaps this ability that makes him such an empathetic hospice nurse. He eventually becomes a paramedic, working diligently to save people, even at the expense of his own health.
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15. Private Practice
Image Credit: Courtesy of ABC Chris Lowell as Dell Parker
Male nurses are unusual on television, but one who’s also a receptionist and training to be a midwife? And, on top of all that, wears PINK scrubs? In a reversal of the typical feminist storylines, Dell at one point leaves his job because he’s made fun of. But his co-workers soon realize how valuable a compassionate nurse is, no matter gender, and he is soon able to defy all stereotypes to advance in his career, which makes his ending all the more bittersweet.
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14. Trapper John, M.D.
Image Credit: Courtesy of CBS Madge Sinclair as Ernestine Shoop
Much like the actress who played her, Nurse Shoop in a no-nonsense professional woman who keeps her cool under pressure and in dealing with her doctors. Sinclair was equally efficient, and many of her clothes she wore on the show were from a product line designed for healthcare workers that she helped to create.
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13. Empty Nest
Image Credit: Courtesty of NBC Park Overall as Laverne Todd
Pediatrician Harry Weston owns the practice, but it’s clearly Laverne who runs the place. The wisecracking nurse with the Southern twang keeps the appointments running smoothly, keeps the office organized and kindly keeps unruly children in line. And even though she and her boss butt heads at times due to her strong personality, it’s clear that they respect and care for one another.
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12. One Day at a Time
Image Credit: Courtesy of Netflix Justina Machado as Penelope Alvarez
As she likes to point out, this sassy Latina nurse is definitely a “badass.” After serving in Afghanistan in the U.S. Army Nurse Corps, Alvarez is now a single mom working as a nurse for a private practitioner and struggling with PTSD and depression. Like many natural-born caregivers, she focuses so hard on tending to others, that she has difficulty seeking treatment for herself. This strong woman overcomes these obstacles to advance in her career to become a nurse practitioner.
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11. Star Trek
Image Credit: Paramount Tv/Kobal/Shutterstock Majel Barrett as Commander Christine Chapel
Her expertise has to go beyond the normal, as Chapel treats not only humans but any species that comes aboard the USS Enterprise. Working with Dr. McCoy, she supports him when others question his methods, but also stands up to him if needed. She is calm and confident, even in the most harrowing, life-or-death situations.
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10. Call the Midwife
Image Credit: Courtesy of PBS BBC One Jessica Raine as Jenny Lee
In 1957, young privileged Jenny Lee is assigned to a convent in the East End, and receives a bit of culture shock, making her doubt her abilities. As a midwife and nurse, Jenny handles a variety of situations in this poverty-stricken area, from illegal abortions, to domestic abuse, to elderly people living with sickness in rundown conditions. Kind and compassionate, Jenny overcomes her initial apprehensions to become a valued part of the community.
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9. Emergency!
Image Credit: Courtesy of NBC Julie London as Dixie McCall
As a former Army nurse during the Korean War, Nurse McCall learned the value of medics, and becomes an advocate during the early days of the paramedic program. As head of the ER of Rampart General Hospital, she defends this program against the doubtful Dr. Brackett. The headstrong and unflappable McCall has no problems calling out someone on inappropriate behavior, rather it be one of her paramedics, nurses or even a patient, and is a role model for the younger medical professionals.
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8. Marcus Welby, M.D.
Image Credit: Courtesy of ABC Elena Verdugo as Consuelo Lopez
As the nurse to two doctors, the older Dr. Welby and the younger Dr. Kiley, she often has to intercede when the two generations clash. Smart, capable and well-spoken, Lopez is one of the first positive and realistic portrayals of the nursing profession, as well as the first professional Latina character, on television.
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7. China Beach
Image Credit: Courtesy of ABC Dana Delany as Lieutenant Colleen McMurphy
As a tomboy with five brothers, Murphy thought she would have no problem volunteering to deploy to Vietnam during the war. However, although she’s resilient on the outside and clearly “one of the boys,” the horrors of the war are having a deep impact on McMurphy, despite the fact that she’s a noncombatant, and leads to years of PTSD. “China Beach” was one of the first series to honestly address the Vietnam War, and the first to tell the stories of the women who served. Delany won two Emmys for her powerful portrayal of McMurphy.
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6. Nurse Jackie
Image Credit: Showtime/Kobal/Shutterstock Edie Falco as Jackie Peyton
This character has received some criticism, as she is addicted to drugs, is an adulteress and sometimes uses unethical means to care for her patients. However, others praise the character as a realistic portrayal of the harrowing ordeals an ER nurse must manage, and the bureaucracy and personal trauma she has to deal with in order to properly care for her patients. Despite her lapses, Jackie will stand up to her superiors and advocate for her patients, all while dealing with her own personal demons. She won an Emmy for the role.
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5. Scrubs
Image Credit: Courtesy of NBC Judy Reyes as Carla Espinosa
Carla doesn’t mess around, and often has to keep the others in line – especially when her boyfriend (later husband) Turk and his best friend J.D. are goofing around. She is often the stable professional in a world of craziness, and she will stand her ground, for herself, her nurses and her patients, and is one of the few staff who isn’t afraid to stand up to Dr. Cox. Reyes’s real-life sister is an actual nurse, and she relied on her to help with the technical aspects of the portrayal, as well as the personality traits.
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4. E.R.
Image Credit: Courtesy of NBC Julianna Marguiles as Carol Hathaway
She certainly has her share of personal drama, beginning with a suicide attempt and a rocky on-again-off-again romance with Dr. Doug Ross. But Nurse Hathaway bounces back, holding her head up high and becoming a nurse manager. Equal amounts of heart and backbone help her to balance keeping both the administration and her nursing staff happy, standing up to higher powers when needed. She won an Emmy for the first season of the show.
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3. Julia
Image Credit: 20th Century Fox Tv/Kobal/Shutterstock Diahann Carroll as Julia Baker
Carroll made television history by portraying the first African-American woman as a lead character in a non-servant-type role. Baker is a nurse, whose husband died in Vietnam and left her to raise a young son alone. Despite the fact that she is a capable and compassionate nurse, she almost loses her job to “downsizing,” which is being applied to the minorities in employment, raising awareness to minority discrimination. This role led to Carroll being the first African-American woman to receive an Emmy nomination in the Actress in a Leading Role in a Comedy Series category, and the first black actress to win a Golden Globe.
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2. St. Elsewhere
Image Credit: Fred Bronson/Nbc-Tv/Kobal/Shutterstock Christina Pickles as Helen Rosenthal
In the halls of rundown St. Eligius Hospital, the ever-efficient Nurse Rosenthal keeps things going, despite staffing shortages and a faulty computer system. Regardless of personal issues, including four marriages and divorces, a prescription drug addiction, and a mastectomy following a breast cancer diagnosis (one of the first such storylines on television), Rosenthal remains unflappable and so utterly indispensable that she is the only non-doctor who is on a first-name basis with the senior physicians of the hospital.
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1. M*A*S*H
Image Credit: 20th Century Fox/Kobal/Shutterstock Loretta Swit as Major Margaret Houlian
“Hot Lips” Houlihan, an Army brat. Major Houlihan is the head nurse of the 4077th, and holds her own in a male-dominated world while a war rages around her. Despite being on the receiving end of teasing and pranks by the likes of Hawkeye and Trapper John, she is also recognized for her exceptional skills as a nurse and never hesitates to speak up for her nurses under her command. During a time when feminism was gaining momentum, Houlihan was an example that women can be equally strong and compassionate under the most extreme conditions. War is hell, indeed. She won two Emmys for the role.
