A Decade of Nurses - the Best There Are on TV

From the common assistants to strict managers, nurses have been portrayed on our TV screens in as many ways possible. If you're thinking of attending nursing school, you might be motivated with the experiences of these nurses which we follow on these TV shows. Here are the top ten nurses of the decade!

In ER, Julianna Margulies plays the role of Dr. Doug Ross' on and off love interest, Carol Hathaway. She is a well-respected nurse in the hospital. She's best known for her statement in season one that "it's the nurses that make this place run and not you." She is conceived to be moody and depressed at times and was obliged to resign from her Nurse Manager position in the clinic. For her commitment to the profession, nurses can still look up to her as she is very loyal to her colleagues as she heads the ER.

Scrubs' Carla Espinosa, a Dominican-born Sacred Heart Hospital nurse is played by Judy Reyes. Her role in Scrubs is a down-to-earth nurse who has to put up with a lot of nonsense, not only from her physician boss, but from her superiors and friends too. Nurses can take her characteristic of not letting herself feel less important even if her superiors are egoistic all the time.

Laverne Todd of Empty Nest plays Dr. Weston's assistant. Her character is of a strong-willed nurse who provides both comic relief, due to her strong southern accent, and inspiration for nurses. Though outspoken, Todd is completely in charge in every situation. Modern nurses can take pointers from her as she proves that a nurse doesn't have to be always in the background. They can be in charge when time needs them to be.

Jackie Peyton, Edie Falco in real lifeplays the lead role in the much-talked about Showtime series Nurse Jackie. One thing you can take from her character is her willingness to do whatever it takes to help innocent patients. Her role represents that nurses and others in the health care profession are similar to us, and can be victims of troubled a health care system.

In Mercy, Veronica Callahan as played by Taylor Schilling is a troubled nurse who came back to New Jersey's Mercy Hospital after a tour in Iraq. She tries to escape her past as a nurse in Iraq and her hospital's gross treatment of their nurses.

Jada Smith plays the role of Christina Hawthorne in Hawthorne, a chief nursing officer which battles the hospital administrators over patient care issues and nurse benefit concerns. Her ability to make things work and give solutions to professional and personal issues is commendable.

Linda Caredellini or Samantha Taggart is really well-loved, mostly by real nurses, due to her fierce and independent role in ER. She may have a rocky family history, and is a single mom, but her determination as exhibited by her decision to continue a higher nursing degree as a nurse anaesthesiologist is something unique and highly appreciated by the audience. It is non-conventional as other series show their characters abandoning nursing to be a doctor.

Hot Lips Houlihan in the TV series M*A*S*H is also one of the most famous nurses of the decade. She grew up in a military surrounding. She plays as the strict and impatient Army Nurse Corps who gets into affairs with her team members. She exhibits equilibrium in her personal and professional life and explores means to be more patient with her co-workers.

Grey's Anatomy's Nurse Olivia is now the most known nurse in SGH. She has complicated relationships with her colleagues but finds a way to make it work. In her earlier airings, she's an enemy to Izzie - now she's one of the most important characters in the supporting cast!

Another top TV nurse of the decade is Abby Lockhart of ER who plays as a delivery nurse who decided to begin medical schooling as payment for her ex-husband's medical training. She has a really problematic relationship with her mother and has complicated love relationships. Her role in ER gives proper motivation for nurses out there to think positive and not give up even if they suffer major setbacks in life.