The “nurse as hero” discourse in the COVID-19 pandemic: A poststructural discourse analysis

• Published in: International journal of nursing studies Vol. 117; p. 103887
• Main Authors: Mohammed, Shan, Peter, Elizabeth, Killackey, Tieghan, Maciver, Jane
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01.05.2021; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: Advertisements; Appreciation; Canada; Citizenship; Clinical nursing; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; Delivery of Health Care; Discourse; Discourse analysis; Enforcement; English language; Heroism & heroes; Humans; Mass media; Normalization; Nurses; Nurses’ role; Nursing; Pandemics; Performative allyship; Policy making; Politicians; Positioning; Poststructuralism; Power; Professional image; Public health; SARS-CoV-2; Social media; Subjectivity; Truth; Websites; Worship; Canada; COVID-19; Discourse; Nurses’ role; Performative allyship; Nursing; Professional image; Poststructuralism; Subjectivity; Discourse analysis; Mass media

Nurses have been labelled “heroes” by politicians, the mass media, and the general public to describe their commitment to providing front-line care to people with COVID-19, despite the risks of exposure and lack of clinical resources. Few studies have examined the implications of the hero discourse...