Stock photo nurses vs. real nurses

If anybody’s got it easy, it’s stock photo nurses.
Sure, they all have really white teeth, which makes them pretty nice to look at, but when it comes to an accurate portrayal of nursing, they’re far from close.

Just how far, you ask?

Good question. To find the answer, we revisited several stock photo scenarios (with total acknowledgment that we’ve used them before) and made an attempt to pinpoint a more realistic counterpart.

Here’s what we came up with.

1. Judging by nurse stock photos, nursing school is particularly clean, and not at all boring—even though the professor is gesturing toward an empty white board. So logically, there’s just not all that much that nurses need to learn.

In fact, the very best part of nursing school is studying for exams, because this isn’t a stressful or chaotic time at all.

Then there’s nursing school as full-fledged students and nurses know it:

2. Ah, lunch break. Apparently, not only do stock photo nurses get one, but they also have an outdoor lounge.

On the menu for today? Salmon with a side of greens—untouched because this nurse isn’t particularly hungry, since she’s already had many elaborate meals throughout the course of her shift. Fortunately, this leaves her time to coordinate an ever-expanding social life, full of people and engagements. With her feet up. 

Then there’s the real world, in which nurses are lucky if they catch three minutes to look for something edible in their bag and pockets.