Media Matters: Why Nurse Visibility Is a Workforce Imperative
When the world talks about healthcare, nurses are often left out of the conversation. That’s not because we lack insight or experience—it’s because we haven’t always been trained to share our expertise outside clinical spaces. In a time when workforce challenges are mounting and misinformation spreads fast, it’s more urgent than ever for nurses to be seen, heard, and represented in the media.
Despite being the most trusted profession for over two decades, nurses appear in just 2% of health-related news stories (Mason et al., 2018). This disconnect contributes to a public misunderstanding of our role, underutilizes our voice in public health messaging, and makes it harder to recruit the next generation of nurses who may never see our impact highlighted outside the hospital walls.
But we can change that—by preparing nurses not only for bedside care but also for media engagement.
A recent publication in Nurse Educator explores how media training is being integrated into doctoral nursing curricula to empower nurse leaders with the communication skills needed to advocate on behalf of patients and the profession (Malloy et al., 2025). Grounded in the 10 media competencies for nurses developed by Myers et al. (2022), the structured, competency-based program led to measurable improvements in students’ belief, understanding, confidence, and commitment toward media engagement as a form of professional advocacy.
Florida, with its diverse patient population and dynamic public health landscape, needs nurses who are ready to lead not just in the exam room but on-camera and in headlines. Whether it’s discussing stroke prevention, vaccine advocacy, hurricane readiness, or mental health support, nurses have the knowledge—and the credibility—to inform the public. But without proper media preparation, many feel unsure about how to begin.
That’s where professional associations come in. Nursing organizations have the power to amplify our collective voice by incorporating media training into continuing education programs, leadership development, and public health campaigns. When associations equip their members with the skills to speak confidently to the media, they not only strengthen the profession—they expand our reach as trusted advocates.
We don’t need every nurse to become a spokesperson. But we do need more nurses who are media-ready: nurses who understand how to craft a message, deliver it effectively, and engage with journalists and the public from a place of both expertise and empathy.
The microphone is waiting. It’s time more nurses stepped up to take it.
Rachel Malloy, DNP, RN, CNRN, SCRN, is a neuroscience nurse and founder of Nurses in the Media, a media training program designed for nursing associations and doctoral education. She teaches at Wake Forest University School of Medicine and is passionate about empowering nurses to lead through communication.
References
Malloy, R., Olson, D.M., Measho, D., & Bell, A. (2025). Examining a Media Competency Training Program for Doctoral Nursing Students. Nurse Educator. (Epub April 2025) https://doi.org/10.1097/nne.0000000000001869
Mason, D. J., Nixon, L., Glickstein, B., Han, S., Westphaln, K., & Carter, L. (2018). The Woodhull Study Revisited: Nurses’ Representation in Health News Media 20 Years Later. J Nurs Scholarsh, 50(6), 695-704. https://doi.org/10.1111/jnu.12429
Myers, C. R., Muñoz, L. R., Mason, D. J., & Glickstein, B. (2022). Media competencies for nurses: A Delphi study. Nurs Outlook,
70(4), 625-638. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.outlook.2022.03.008
