Lindsey Conklin

Ms. Diaz
English 120-060
February 7, 2015
Rhetorical Analysis of the Ad: Campaign For Nursings Future-Pediatric Nurses
Nurses Have Healing Powers
This ad campaign exemplifies that nursing offers a more holistic approach, that
nurses are not just there to administer drugs but to have interactions to show genuine care
and compassion in order for a patient to recover or heal. This Campaign For Nursings
Future-Pediatric Nurses is a series of short videos that gives viewers more information
about nursing. At the beginning of this ad campaign there is a patient who is a little girl
named Emma and a male nurse who is caring for her. The little girl is characterized in
what most people would think of as a cancer patient: she has a head scarf around her head
and physically looks ill. Although the little girl appears to be ill, she has a child-like spirit
and is drawing a photo of the male nurse caring for her.
Towards the middle of the ad the mood shifts because the male nurse kindly
informs the little girl that it is time for her to receive her medicine through an injection. It
is clearly shown through the little girls expressions that receiving medicine is not
something she is fond of. However, as soon as the male nurse administers the medicine
through an injection he begins to sing a name rhyming song with the little girl for the
duration of the injection. By singing with the little girl the male nurse was able to change
the mood once again to a more light and child-like environment, making the injection not
as bad as it usually would be. The male nurse offers a more holistic approach to nursing,

meaning to not only treat a patients physical symptoms but to also treat the person as a
whole, including social and mental factors.
The entirety of this ad campaign appeals to pathos because there is an emotional
response not only from the interaction of the little girl and the male nurse but also from
the context of the hospital. From the beginning to the end of this ad there is a little girl
who is sick and in the hospital who needs attentive care that is provided by the male
nurse. This aspect creates an emotional appeal to viewers because it brings on feelings of
sorrow to see a young person in a hospital with what seems to be a terminal illness. Also,
in a healthcare setting there is constant patient to nurse interaction whether it be
administering medication or checking in on the patient there is a constant interaction
between the little girl and male nurse indicating that the little girl trusts the nurse and that
they are comfortable around each other.
One final appeal to pathos, being the appeal to emotion, is in bold letters at the
end of the ad is a statement, Nurses Heal which leaves an impact on the viewer that
nurses not only administer drugs and do their medical tasks but also provide
compassionate care to essentially help patients recover or heal. Overall, pathos is the
strongest argument presented in this ad campaign due to the context and relationships
conveyed.
This ad campaign also appeals to ethos, being the ethical appeal that creates
credibility. Ethos is shown by the ad being produced by a well-known brand, Johnson &
Johnson. This brand creates reliability and trustworthiness not only because it is used by
many people ranging from doctors to parents but has also been around for many years.
Also, the male nurse is dresses in scrubs, has professional equipment (i.e. stethoscope),

and appears to be a professional registered nurse that is able to administer drugs and care
for patients. Finally, the setting of this ad is what appears to be a fully functional hospital
room with all the necessary equipment needed in a hospital setting exemplifying the
overall appeal to ethos.
Although this ads strongest arguments are shown through pathos and ethos, logos
is seen through logical approaches the male nurse takes to care for the little girl. The
nurse demonstrates traits that take a more holistic approach to nursing. He approaches the
little girl with a warm welcome and a cheerful heart as he notices the little girl was
drawing a photo of him. Before he administers the medicine he makes sure that the little
girl is ready and then begins singing a fun name rhyming song with her to distract her
mind away from the injection. By doing this he conveys genuine care, knowledge of how
to care for a child, and appears to have the credentials to be a certified or registered nurse.
These traits the male nurse demonstrates creates an appeal to logos because logically this
is what is expected of how to care for pediatric patients and what pediatric patients desire,
a nurse who is compassionate and kind.
This ad campaign demonstrates that without holistic nursing, being a patient in
the hospital would be unfavorable and tough because patients would not receive the care
and compassion that is needed in order to recover or heal. Through the use of the appeal
to emotion, proper credentials, and logical reasoning that ad is able to exemplify an
important message that more holistic nurses are needed in the medical field. This ad
campaign was able to inform the viewer about the many aspects of nursing to draw them
in to want to known more and possibly inspire viewers to consider being a nurse.