Anyone watch ER thursday?

Humbled_Nurse · Sep 30, 2006

No, I didn't, but one of my friends did and told me about it. I really don't watch ER anymore, but I remember in the past when they had episodes with the NICU in it they were usually kind of cheesy. Some of it was accurate, but most of it wasn't. As a NICU nurse it's hard to watch and not be critical.

Gompers, BSN, RN · Sep 30, 2006

Oh my gosh, they did such a horrible job of it!!!!!!!!!

Abby delivered at something like 28-30 weeks - she abrupted after falling down while gunshots were going off in the ER. First of all, they're doing a C-section on her and she appears to have the head of bed elevated to 30 degrees or so during the operation. Then after they take the baby and start CPR on him, she starts bleeding out. She's getting all kinds of blood products pushed in, and the OB is practically chatting with her about whether or not they should do a hysterectomy. She's TOTALLY conscious as she's bleeding out, and the head of bed is STILL elevated! She ends up losing her uterus.

Then the baby is in the NICU. Pretty normal stuff. Sounds like he had a PDA with some PPHN mixed in - when normally preemies don't shunt that badly. They get Abby to agree to an experimental drug to help with the shunting. Two weeks later, the baby is all better and they declare him a "feeder grower" but he was still probably only 30-32 weeks at this point. He ends up with a bowel perforation. They didn't say NEC - they said spontaneous perf probably caused by the experimental med. (Makes sense since Indocin can cause perfs, too.) Instead of placing a drain to decompress, they rush him - like immediately - to the OR to remove the "diseased" tissue. Um...with a spontaneous perf, there's usually not too much diseased tissue like with overwhelming NEC. We often just put in a penrose drain to decompress, do antibiotics, and let the bowel rest for a few weeks like that. So they have him in the OR and he starts coding. They leave the scene with him getting epi and stuff, so you don't know what happens. Then suddenly it's two weeks later - yes, two weeks - and not only did the baby survive, but he's suddenly newborn-sized and AT HOME! Okay, he'd only be 32-34 weeks at the time, plus after a perforation there is no way he'd even be on full feeds by then! Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!

Other annoying things...

When Sally Field was at the bedside knitting, the baby's desat alarm kept going off. No one answered the alarm! She had to make a nurse come over, who kept silencing the alarm saying it wasn't picking up, blah blah blah. Well, very soon after they're intubating him and taking him to the OR. Made us NICU nurses look stupid.

During the baby's surgery, not only was Luka allowed in the OR with his son, but Abby and her MOTHER were watching from the observation room! Since when can family members WATCH their baby get surgery, especially non-medical folks???

They had a breastfeeding seminar for the moms and expected them to all start pumping in the conference room together, like some big happy play group! The nurse seemed annoyed that Abby wanted privacy and kind of huffed about getting her a screen to pump behind. Weird.

They had the same "smart pumps" like many of us are using now. Yet they had no syringes loaded into them, instead had IV bags hanging over the pumps. Plus they looked like they were all alarming and blinking!

Overall, I'm glad the baby was okay, but they really screwed up bigtime. As usual, with ER. They need to hire specialists when they do things other than trauma - the nurses and docs that consult for the show obviously don't spend much time in the NICU.

Long Term Care Columnist / Guide · Sep 30, 2006

I'm with you, Gompers! I've never worked NICU, but I have had one baby in the NICU, plus three C-sections of my own and plenty of postpartum experience both as a mom and nurse. They really did make a mess of things---I can't imagine having my head elevated during a section, let alone as I was bleeding out and my BP was dropping (which happened during my last one). They also made the NICU nurses look uncaring and incompetent........nice. :madface:

Of course, I realize the producers want the doctors to be the heroes of that show, but do they have to make nurses look bad just so the MDs can shine??!! PHOOEY!! :madface:

caroladybelle, BSN, RN · Sep 30, 2006

I don't do NICU, but they made a total joke of nurses there. Between the airheaded lactation consultant, the instant feeder - grower conversion, and the nurse shutting off the alarm, someone must have a serious issue with nurses on that show.

First you see Abbie, bleeding out and about to have a hysterectomy - which she doesn't want. Next scene, you see her, nice and pink, walking around like normal (not slow or unsteady at all) w/no distress at all.

The other issue......can anyone on that show have a plain boring healthy child birth. With no postnatal ODs and crap? You would think that it is a miracle that anyone survives to age 5 with all the drama.

dawngloves, BSN, RN · Oct 1, 2006

I swear, every pregnant woman on that show has had some sort of high risk pregnancyy/delivery. That's why I stopped watching it.

kitty29 · Oct 1, 2006

Anyone watch ER thursday night? Luka and Abby's son was born prematurely and in the NICU. I liked it for the most part, except when the nurse blew off Abby's bipolar mother about the baby getting sicker and OF COURSE the baby ended up being really sick. Any thoughts? t.

I like ER; but have come to know they seem to like to put nurses in bad light if it means focus on the major characters...all the TV shows do this.

Wasn't that a transporter they kept the baby in too?

t2000JC · Oct 1, 2006

I wrote a quick letter to the producers from this website: http://www.nursingadvocacy.org/news/2003oct10_er_contact.html

It has a standard letter but I just changed it. I think you all made even better points than I did. Yes I know it's fiction and for entertainment, etc., etc. but you all know how unaware the public is on nicu issues also. (My 28 weeker with PPHN and NEC will survive and be home in no time with no issues, etc.). And, the way nurses were portrayed was almost like someone made them look bad on purpose. They seem to really like the NICU storyline but get it wrong each time; and we all know how the NICU environment is unique in it's own way...t.

nightingale1969 · Oct 2, 2006

Just a first-year student nurse here, not anywhere near the caliber of NICU (WE'RE NOT WORTHY! WE'RE NOT WORTHY!!) :wink2: but the longer I'm in nursing school, the more annoyed I get with ER's portrayal of nurses in general. They rarely show nurses doing anything except blindly following doctor's orders, screwing up big time (at which point an MD steps in to miraculously fix everything), getting into relationship angst with one of the MDs, or getting kidnapped and held hostage by their ex-husbands... Usually this is (just barely) tolerable because of artistic license and the show is all about the doctors, really, and blah blah blah...but I did see this episode and found myself outraged. I really couldn't believe how that one episode repeatedly managed to insult nurses who are absolutely competent and compassionate about their work.

Thanks, NBC and ER writers, for doing so much to undermine the credibility and competence not just of NICU nurses, but just about every nurse out there. Thanks for making nurses even less respected than they already are. :angryfire

BabyRN2Be · Oct 2, 2006

I never watch ER, usually never hear about ER, however, this is the third time this week that I've heard about this episode. Must have been some episode.

From what I understand, the producers on that show don't go for accuracy, not even close. I've heard about how nurses are made out to be bubbling airheads - there for the doctors to fall in love with, mess up to make the doctors be the heroes.

Last week someone had posted about an interview with Matt Lauer on the Today Show that had said that the nurses are way to casual, and now this show on ER that did not portray nurses in a good light. NBC must have something against nurses.

And we wonder why we have a shortage.

Gompers, BSN, RN · Oct 2, 2006

NBC must have something against nurses.

I agree! The only nurse on NBC who I respect is Carla from Scrubs. Yes, she's made her share of mistakes, but usually she's shown in a very good light. The first year or two of the show, especially, she was the one to rescue the "newbie" doctors from their own stupidity. She walked them through procedures and codes, suggested treatments, etc. There were a couple of good episodes that showed the docs going over her head, though, and leaving her feeling frustrated because she doesn't have the power they do. I think we've all felt like that sometimes - that if we were in charge of a case, we'd handle it differently. One episode featured all the new docs on call together overnight and how terrified they were that THEY were the ones in charge. Carla was there to guide them through, and in the morning it's revealed that she wasn't even supposed to work that night - that she switched her schedule so she could be there to help them. Another episode talked about the possibility of her going to school to be a nurse practitioner, and she said that while she knew she'd do great in the program, that there is nothing absolutely wrong with being "just a nurse" and that she loves her job.

Euskadi1946 · Oct 2, 2006

I used to watch ER all the time when it first came out. It had a stellar cast back then. I stopped watching it when Anthony Edwards left and I really loved the British doctor, I don't remember what her name was. I also love Goran Visjnic ( I think that's how you spell his last name) but every since he hooked up with Abby, who I cannot stand, I don't watch anymore. If you think ER does a poor job of portraying nurses, you ought to watch NBC'S Days Of Our Lives and Passions....as much as I love watching these two soaps, the nurses on both of these shows are really stoooooopid!!!!!