Wit is a film about Vivian Bearing (Emma Thompson) a professor of John Donne’s 17^th century poetry.  The film portrayed healthcare providers as being callous, unprofessional individuals who do not have patients’ well being at heart, they do not care about patients’ feeling and point of view regarding the choice of treatments.  I once read somewhere that in order for a healthcare provider to be as effective as he or she can be, he or she should be able to nurture a healthy relationship with their patients.  Ms. Bearing (Emma Thompson) was just told by her doctor that she had terminal cancer.  The physician didn’t acknowledge that the patient might need time to process the diagnosis and prognosis but handed her a paper to sign to start chemotherapy, and was told to be “strong.”  The patient (Ms. Bearing) was not treated with dignity and respect; the doctors treated her as a “thing” to use for their research.

The only health care professional who actually showed care and compassion to Ms. Bearing was the primary care nurse, Susie. Nurse Susie wants to provide Vivian with health care that is consistent but she faces conflicts with the physicians when trying to do so.  It is nice how she tried to comfort Vivian but as a registered nurse she should be her patients’ advocate.  I feel like she didn’t do enough to protect Ms. Bearing.  She should done more teaching, seek help from her supervisor/manager; involve the case manager.  She finally advocated for the patient (Vivian Bearing) at the end when the doctor called a code when the patient has a “do not resuscitate order.”  The film portrayed nurses as not having any power when it comes to decision-making.  The nurse (Susie) does not reveal great deal of substantive knowledge.  Nonetheless, Susie portrays what many modern nurses encounters when dealing with physicians.

As nurses, we will come across many patients who have heard that they are dying from a terminal disease; it is our responsibility to ensure we can protect and promote the well being of our patients.  Nurses should follow the Nursing Code of Ethics as a vital instrument in the nursing profession, they should use it as guidance in making ethical decisions such as when nurse Susie suggested a pain management method she believes would be best for the patient, the treatment which is morally right.  As nurses, we employ practices that are restorative, supportive in nature.