The 10 Best TV Nurses Of All Time

While there has been so much focus on the doctors from medical dramas, what about the nurses? Here are 10 of the best TV nurses of all time.

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There has been no shortage of medical dramas on television over the last few decades. And while there has always been a focus on the doctors, nurses haven’t really gotten as much attention. Sure, there’s a new Canadian drama on TV called Nurses, which is finally shedding light on these heroes, but plenty of TV nurses came before them who made an impact on their respective shows.

So who have been the best TV nurses of all time? Here’s a look at a list that includes both classic TV nurses, as well as a few unconventional choices.

10 Peter Petrelli: Heroes – (2006 – 2010)

Played by This Is Us’ Milo Ventimiglia on this series, Petrelli stands out not only because he was a male nurse, which, up until recently, hasn’t been shown on TV as frequently as female nurses, but also because he was a nurse with actual superpowers.

He first gained his power to mimic the powers of others around him because of his empathy and ability to connect with people – two qualities every good nurse should possess.

9 Carla Espinosa: Scrubs – (2001 – 2010)

Scrubs was one of the funniest medical dramas in history, with an amazing cast that included Judy Reyes as Espinosa. Espinosa was the head nurse – a tough and funny woman who didn’t mess around nor let others mess with her.

Married to main character Christopher Turk, she eventually left her nursing career to care for her two children, but that didn’t mean she lost her sassiness and strong will.

8 Carol Hathaway: ER – (1994 – 2006)

Julianna Margulies played this dutiful nurse on the iconic series (and again in 2009 for the finale). And while her most memorable storyline on ER was the on-again, off-again romance she had with George Clooney’s character, there was much more to Hathaway.

As head nurse, she made the tough decisions in the emergency room and was an outspoken advocate for ER nurses and the lack of recognition for what they do. She even, at one point, decided to try her hand at medical school to become a doctor, only to leave when she realized that being a nurse was a worthwhile occupation.

7 Jackie Peyton: Nurse Jackie – (2009 – 2015)

While Jackie, played by the multi-award-winning Edie Falco, wasn’t exactly the most stand-up person on a personal level, as a nurse, nothing could stop her. She had incredible intuition, cared deeply about her job and patients, and wasn’t afraid to tell a doctor where to go when she believed she knew best.

However, she was also secretly popping and sniffing pills and sleeping with the hospital pharmacist behind her husband’s back, making her a high-functioning addict and a cheater. Nonetheless, Jackie captivated audiences on Nurse Jackie with just how much she could get away with and her constant battle with her addictions to both pills and her career.

6 Helen Rosenthal: St. Elsewhere – (1982 – 1988)

One of the earlier TV nurses, Rosenthal, played by Christina Pickles, appeared as the head nurse on this series. Unlike nurses on later medical dramas, this show wasn’t so much about scandal and drama, but about the daily lives of medical professionals.

Rosenthal portrayed a solid nurse who was respected by all the staff and doctors on the ward.

5 Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan: M*A*S*H – (1972 – 1983)

Portraying one of the first nurse characters on television from 1972 to 1983 in this iconic series, Loretta Swit was “Hot Lips” Houlihan, who worked under the most extreme circumstances as a nurse in the Army Nurse Corps.

As the chief nurse on M*A*S*H, she was devoted to her career and familiar with the environment, having grown up as an “army brat.”

4 Denise Cloyd: The Walking Dead – (2010 – Present)

Merritt Wever actually played a nurse twice, first in Nurse Jackie as Zoey Barkow (a role that should earn her a top spot on this list as well) and second on this show. She wasn’t technically a nurse – she was still in medical school at the time the apocalypse hit, studying to be a doctor and later psychiatrist.

But being surrounded by the walking dead with sick and injured people and little to work with will fast-track your studies pretty quickly, and she became a skilled nurse/medical aid in no time. Her character was killed off in season six of The Walking Dead, and fans were pretty disappointed about the way she went.

3 Christine Chapel: Star Trek: The Original Series – (1966 – 1986)

Played by Majel Barrett, this human doctor/nurse was there to serve the Human Starfleet in the 23rd Century on this game-changing series, but she had first studied to become a scientist.

The epitome of a strong and intelligent woman who broke barriers, she assisted chief medical officer Dr. Leonard McCoy in all of his work, including surgeries, android manufacturing, and more. She could work on humans and non-humans, alike.

2 Terri Alden: Three’s Company – (1976 – 1984)

As the third roommate on this hilarious 80s sitcom, Terry moved into the house with Jack and Janet and served as the show’s new “token blonde.” Played by Priscilla Barnes, Terri was often seen in her nurse’s uniform, coming home from or going to work.

Unlike other TV nurses, viewers never really got to see Terri at work, as Three’s Company wasn’t really about that (except that one time she administered an injection into Jack’s butt!) But the fact that she came in as an intelligent nurse helped evolve the show from only portraying the buxom blonde as a stereotypical ditz.

1 Olivia Harper: Grey’s Anatomy – (2005 – Present)

This list would not be complete without at least one entry from the reigning leader in medical dramas today, Grey’s Anatomy. Now Olivia Jankovic, Harper, played by Sarah Utterback, was a nurse at Seattle Grace until she was fired after the hospital merged with Mercy West.

She stood with her fellow nurses in their strike, and while she focused a lot of her time on romantic relationships with colleagues, she was one of the most memorable former nurse characters from the show. She left in season 14.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/best-tv-nurses-of-all-time/