Health Beyond the Blog: Netflix’s The Good Nurse

Netflix’s The Good Nurse: One Healthcare System’s Inability to Protect Its Patients

by Soma Sonawane

The Good Nurse tells the story of Charlie Cullen, a nurse at Somerset Hospital who killed several patients under his care over 16 years. The Netflix original film, released in 2022, is based on the true crime book of the same name by Charles Graeber. 

Viewers should prepare to be unsettled, not only by actor Eddie Redmayne’s depiction of Cullen’s cold demeanor and aloof expressions, but also by how swiftly Cullen exploits cracks within his healthcare system. During his employment, several signs pointed towards his lack of fitness as a caretaker: Cullen was mysteriously fired from his previous positions and his employee record reveals excessive visits to the hospital’s drug storage. Yet, he managed to continue his murder spree for over a decade. 

The course of events can be frustrating and fear-inducing for audience members. Allowing for a healthcare professional to be responsible for one’s health or wellbeing is difficult enough and Cullen’s story is a great example of where such anxieties spring from. Cullen was convicted of his crimes in 2006 and is currently serving 18 consecutive life sentences, but his ability to commit mass murder in a hospital setting poses important questions. Why was it so easy for Charlie to get away with his crimes? Why wasn’t he caught sooner?

The answer seems to be that Somerset Hospital was simply too understaffed and underfunded to be able to protect their patients from Cullen’s violence. Most employees and administrative staff were too busy to ensure the quality of his care and there wasn’t much of a budget to address the shorthandedness. If hospitals such as Somerset experience medical oversights due to limited resources, how can providers ensure the safety of their patients? 

The Good Nurse seems to be a manifestation of a patient’s worst nightmare, entrusting a health professional completely with your well-being and having that trust violated. When receiving care, patients ought to feel comfortable in their vulnerability, but the case of Charlie Cullen revealed that in circumstances of scarcity, this vulnerability is far too easy to take advantage of.

You can watch The Good Nurse on Netflix.