Professional nursing associations, academia, and healthcare organizations have much to gain by offering media training to their nurses and embracing media engagement that includes the nurse's voice. Rachel Malloy, owner of Nurse Malloy, LLC, has developed specialty-specific, customizable media training for nurses. Read on to learn more about her inspiring journey.

The Need for Nurses in the Media

Have you heard of the 1998 Woodhull Study? It pointed out how nurses were missing from the media and suggested ways to amplify their voices. Fast forward to 2018, and the Woodhull Study Revisited showed that nurses are still underrepresented, appearing in only 2% of print media. The clear takeaway? Nurses need media training to harness the power of media, develop essential skills, and create impactful media plans. Rachel Malloy, DNP, RN, CNRN, SCRN, a passionate neuroscience nurse and nursing advocate, is on a mission to change this by creating a media competency training program based on the 10 media competencies for nurses. 

“It’s important to know that I was once quite nervous about any form of media engagement. I turned down an interview with a reporter on a topic I strongly felt could benefit the health of others because I was hesitant; I wasn’t sure what to do or say. If I were asked to speak to a patient on the same topic, I would have done so eagerly. So, what is the difference? I believe it is training. Just like nursing skills, we all learned to start an IV, and then we all did it for the first time. New nursing skills require bravery and confidence in our knowledge. The same is true for the media; once you learn and then do it, you become more confident.”

Rachel's nursing journey began in the 1990s with a BSN, leading her to roles in intensive care, diagnostic imaging, and as a code neuro nurse specializing in stroke. In 2009, she earned her master’s in nursing with a focus on education, initially planning to teach. However, she found her true calling in the medical device industry as a neurocritical care clinical specialist. Now, as a Clinical Application Manager for a neurodiagnostic company, Rachel shares her expertise while leading a team of nurses who educate and train others on caring for severely brain-injured patients. 

Always eager to grow, more than 20 years after graduating with her BSN, Rachel pursued a Doctor of Nursing Practice at Wake Forest University. As a non-traditional student who does not work in a clinical setting, she focused on program development for her DNP project. This led to the creation of the Media Competency Training Program for the Neuroscience Nurse, now available through the American Association of Neuroscience Nurses. Her project was recognized for significant contribution to the advancement of nursing practice and earned her the 2023 Project of the Year award. 

Thanks to its customizable nature, Rachel adapted the program for general nursing. It is now being taught at Wake Forest University School of Nursing as part of the advocacy curriculum for their DNP students, both post-masters and in the nurse anesthesiology program. “Media engagement is a form of advocacy. By sharing our nursing expertise through media, we care for patients beyond the bedside and elevate the public perception of nurses. We bring value to our communities in new ways. The more value we add, the more opportunities we’ll have to influence healthcare decisions. Media training is the next step in our professional development.”

Media comes in many forms: letters to the editor, social media posts, blogs, podcasts, and interviews for newspapers, radio, and television. It can be as simple as writing a health story for your local newspaper or creating a healthcare social media post to share with your network. Just like you choose how you personally engage with the media, you can choose how you engage professionally, as well. If you work in a healthcare setting, your facility may have some restrictions on what you can and can’t share in the media, so make sure you understand your facility’s policy. Once you have media training, let your employer know you are a media-trained nurse and how you see yourself engaging with the media for professional transparency.

The Greatest Impact

“Professional nursing associations can showcase their members as specialty experts while positively impacting population health,” says Dr. Malloy. Nursing associations that position their members as media experts will be seen as leaders—not just by colleagues, but by the general public, too.

Each nursing association's membership consists of nursing experts in their specialty. Offering media training to their members and developing a plan to highlight their nurses provides value to the public, the association, and the nursing profession. “As we see our nursing colleagues in the media, we should elevate them. Like and share, spread the news, so the nursing voice is readily heard as an invaluable resource and the public can benefit from our knowledge,” says Dr. Malloy. 

Nurses play a role in educating people about what we do, and depending on your specialty, nurses do different things. Nursing associations can help nurses communicate this outside of their organization through media. “I believe if nurses receive media training that aligns with their specialty, it will have greater meaning for them. I am passionate about creating customized training. If this speaks to you, I want to hear from you!”  

Normalizing Media Engagement

Media is here to stay. Every day, people click on or turn to media as a source of information. Nurses can learn best practices for using this tool to shape healthcare. “I know media engagement isn’t for everyone. I also know that nurses bring great value to healthcare.

If we begin to normalize the idea of nurses having a public voice, we will have a greater impact on our communities. We will bring value to the profession.”

Just as nurses are taught to advocate for the individual patient, nursing colleges should consider offering courses on media engagement. These scholars are future nurse leaders who will advocate beyond the bedside. Offering media training to nurses sets them up for success so they can be prepared when the opportunity to be interviewed arises.  

“Being a nurse has been the most extraordinary journey for me. I graduated from nursing school in 1997, a year before the Woodhull study was published. In my 27 years as a nurse, I completed a BSN, an MSN, a DNP, a postgraduate fellowship, and two specialty certifications. I am involved with four nursing associations, am a public speaker, and consider myself a nursing leader. Yet, not once was I encouraged to learn about media. I want to change that; I want nurses to have the opportunity to learn how to use media to impact population health.” 

Dr. Rachel Malloy, a neurocritical care nurse, has advocated for nursing through education for over 25 years. Most recently, she found her passion in training nurses to advocate for population health through media engagement.