The “naughty nurse” stereotype is problematic, to say the least. For decades, pop culture and the media have hypersexualized portrayals of nurses. Nurses are portrayed as sex objects, who are more concerned with fulfilling the sexual needs and urges of doctors and patients than with being taken seriously as professionals.

Contrary to what shows like Grey’s Anatomy might lead you to believe, nurses do not show up to work on the prowl for sex. They’re there to do their job—not to have salacious affairs with the doctors. Unfortunately, many nurses face sexual harassment at work on a daily basis due, at least in part, to society’s offensive and unfair “naughty nurse” stereotypes.

The doctors and nurses on Grey’s Anatomy certainly get around, but that’s definitely not realistic. Medical professionals are just that: professionals. They go to work to do their jobs.

Photo source: ABC