Parents' Guide to

Scrubbing In

By Melissa Camacho, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 16+

Nurses fight, curse, booze after-hours in reality series.

TV MTV Reality TV 2013
Scrubbing In Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.

Community Reviews

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age 18+

Based on 1 parent review

redsawxrn
redsawxrn Adult
October 30, 2013
age 18+

Inappropriate for kids under 18

Not appropriate for anyone under 18 in my opinion. It shows nurses working but it doesn't emphasize how hard they work for 12 hours. It shows how hard they party for the remainder of the days they are off. Glorifying their social lives and showing a sneak peak of their work lives is not sending any kind of positive message to younger people.

This title has:

Too much sex
Too much swearing
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
See all 1 parent review

What's the Story?

SCRUBBING IN is a reality series featuring a group of registered nurses taking a short-term travel assignment to work at a Southern California hospital. Registered nurses Heather Ambrose, Michelle Battisti, Chelsey Ferri, Nikki Cirrincione, and Crystal Burrell travel from Pittsburg to work at Western Medical Center in the California city of Santa Ana. Joining the group are travel nurses Fernando Rodriguez, Chris Meyers, and Tyrice Munson. Rounding out the gang is Adrian Martin, a rookie nurse and SoCal native who took an interest in the profession after the death of his brother. It's a stressful job, but when they're not in scrubs and working with patients, they like to party hard.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (1):
Kids say (1):

Scrubbing In looks at the difficult and stressful world of traveling nurses, who are called on to work at different hospitals across the country and who work hard to help patients while coping with endlessly stressful circumstances. But the significance of their work is overshadowed by the regular drinking, flirting, partying, and arguing featured here. Meanwhile, much of their focus seems to be more on being in California for a vacation-like experience rather than on actually making a contribution to the hospital that has brought them in.

Scrubbing In may be voyeuristically entertaining to some, but others may find themselves a bit disturbed about seeing people who are supposed to be trained in helping the sick and injured acting so wild and, in some cases, engaging in self-destructive behaviors, even if it is on their own time. Ultimately, this show is a missed opportunity to underscore the service that nurses perform every day and to highlight how young professionals are still choosing careers that make a significant difference in people's lives.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the way nurses and the nursing profession are being featured here. How real is their behavior? Do you think they act as wild or dramatic when they're not on camera? Why do you think this show's focus is more on what they do when they're not working instead of showing what their jobs are really like?

  • What do these nurses stand to gain or lose by appearing on this show?

  • What are some of the challenges that come with being a nurse? What training does a nurse have to have to be able to practice? What kinds of things are nurses responsible for in a hospital? Could a hospital function without their help?

TV Details

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Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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