A few films do get it right, or at least show a world most people never see. The 10 below mix fiction, true stories, and documentaries, from wartime field hospitals to end-of-life care to cautionary tales of what not to do.
The Good Nurse (2022)
Based on the true story of Charles Cullen, the nurse who admitted to killing 29 patients, though investigators believe the real number may approach 400 across his 16-year career. The film opens late in that career, after he had been let go from nine facilities, and follows the coworker who uncovered his secret and worked with police to stop him. Streaming on Netflix.
Patch Adams (1998)
Loosely based on Hunter "Patch" Adams, a physician who set out to serve patients with humor and warmth. Critics panned it, audiences loved it. The focus is on the doctors, but it makes a real case for how laughter and human connection lift patients' spirits. Streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
File this one under how not to be a nurse. Randle McMurphy, played by Jack Nicholson, lands in a mental institution run by the tyrannical Nurse Ratched, played by Louise Fletcher, whose mission seems to be breaking the men in her care. A blunt look at poor treatment in mental institutions and the power nurses hold over their patients' wellbeing.
The English Patient (1996)
Winner of nine Academy Awards, including Best Picture. A badly burned pilot is pulled from a downed plane in the desert, and while much of the story is his past, it is the selfless, compassionate work of his nurse that anchors the film. Streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
So Proudly We Hail! (1943)
A group of military nurses bound for Hawaii is rerouted after Pearl Harbor and thrown into Bataan in the Philippines during World War II. Overwhelmed by casualties and dwindling supplies, they endure a brutal evacuation to Corregidor under Japanese assault. Available on DVD.
Prison Nurse (1938)
Based on a 1934 novel, the film follows a typhoid outbreak in a state prison. When the doctor falls ill, three nurses are left to care for the inmates while a few plot to use the chaos to escape. A window into prison nursing of the 1930s and how far the profession has come.
13 Weeks (2005)
A short documentary series following six travel nurses on assignment in Southern California. Episodes run 10 to 15 minutes and show how the nurses work, meet patients, and fold into the full-time staff. Travel assignments typically run in 13-week blocks, and this gives an honest look at the rhythm of that life. On YouTube.
Meet the Parents (2000)
Not strictly about nursing, but Ben Stiller plays a male nurse meeting his girlfriend's ex-CIA father, played by Robert De Niro, who attacks the career choice on sight. The film leans on tired stereotypes about male nurses, then lets its bumbling hero win the family over anyway. Streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
Wit (2001)
Vivian Bearing, a 50-year-old woman with stage 4 ovarian cancer, goes through chemotherapy under two physicians focused on research and one nurse, Susie Monahan, focused on her comfort. Monahan honors her patient's wishes to the very end, a quiet argument for the value of bedside care. Streaming on Max.
Nurses: If Florence Could See Us Now (2013)
A documentary built from interviews with more than 100 nurses across the country, caring for newborns, adults, the elderly, and the dying. One describes reuniting a long-married couple so they could die together, within 30 minutes of each other. It spans public health, research, adult care, and pediatrics, and shows nurses as problem-solvers and agents of change. Available on DVD.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is The Good Nurse based on a true story? Yes. It follows Charles Cullen, who admitted to killing 29 patients, though investigators believe the true number could approach 400 across his 16-year career, and the coworker who helped police stop him.
Which of these films won the most awards? The English Patient (1996) won nine Academy Awards, including Best Picture, the most of any film on this list.
What movie shows how not to be a nurse? One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975), where Nurse Ratched's control over patients in a mental institution is a cautionary portrait of power misused.
Are any of these documentaries rather than dramas? Yes. "13 Weeks" follows travel nurses on a 13-week assignment, and "Nurses: If Florence Could See Us Now" draws on interviews with more than 100 nurses across the country.
Why are nurses considered so trustworthy? Americans have ranked nurses the most honest and ethical profession in Gallup's poll for 24 consecutive years, a level of public trust no other field has matched.