I’d like to shift gears this month and talk about something a bit lighter in content.

Nurse Jackie is the new show on Showtime that features Edie Falco (of The Sopranos fame) in the lead role of—you guessed it—Nurse Jackie. In the weeks leading up to the show’s debut, nurses around the country were really excited to finally see a show in which a nurse and the profession of nursing were the main focus. Now that the show has aired, I’ve been reading and hearing a lot of complaints from nurses and nursing organizations around the country.

After watching the first episode, it took a little while to sink in: Did I just see what I thought I saw?

In addition to the show being downright hilarious, I think it provides a sort of realism that is missing from most medical shows. That’s probably due to the fact that it’s on cable. A series like this couldn’t be shown on the big three networks.

Now, let’s try to separate the “real” from the “drama” that is television, because the show features some pretty outrageous moments! In the first episode, we’re introduced to Jackie’s drug-abusing ways right from the start. Her behavior is highly unethical and some of the things she does are reprehensible. Unfortunately, this is where most people have focused their attention. To me, that’s just TV, but many people base their opinions on things like that. That’s where the show could do a better job of representing the nursing profession. What I do like about Nurse Jackie is that in between all the things she does that make us cringe, she gives us a sense that she’s a really good nurse (Warning: Spoiler Alert!).

In one instance, a man in the ER runs around screaming, “No one helps me!!” When he approaches Nurse Jackie he slaps her in the face. Jackie in turn calls security. When the man is finally subdued and handcuffed to a stretcher, Jackie actually listens to her assailant. The bewildered man begins to complain about his mother who is morbidly obese, has bilateral amputations of her legs and a foley catheter. This man is her only caregiver and he obviously can’t handle it anymore. After hearing his story, Jackie demands that his handcuffs be removed. The way Nurse Jackie handled this situation showed she was a lot like many nurses that I know and love – she was gritty, tough, smart and able to think on her feet.

Despite some of the more controversial facets of her personality, I was excited to see that, as a caregiver, Nurse Jackie is a good listener and she puts the patient first. In the series premiere, an administrator wants to discharge an elderly man from the ER because he is refusing treatment. Nurse Jackie sternly tells the administrator to look inside the curtain again “like a nurse, and tell me what you see.” When the administrator returns, she says that she’s changed her mind. She lets the patient stay. These are the kinds of things that nurses see and do, and are one of the reasons I enjoy the show so much, and why I feel it is very real.

I believe nurses are critical thinkers who are able to separate the real aspects of the show from the fake. Nurses should see that underneath the drama that sells the show, Jackie is a very strong nurse and a patient advocate. I like to think shows are more than entertainment, and the stories and title character of Nurse Jackie do make you think. As nurses, we can relate to many of the situations that Jackie faces. These are the moments in our everyday lives that require us to think. Thinking is a nurse’s job. It’s what we do almost every moment we’re with a patient. Think about that when you watch the show.

Nurse Jackie is “must-see TV” for all nurses. Some will be for and some will be against. One thing for sure is that you won’t sit on the fence. Nurse Jackie will always make you think.