ER last night and the nurses!

mother/babyRN, RN · Oct 10, 2003

Here is my problem with that issue, as with most of the tv shows I have seen...No doctor has ANY call on staffing. ESPECIALLY if there is a union involved, it would be nursing AND nursing's call...Dr. Romano in the real life world would not have been a factor..AND, those nurses would have been fired for deserting their patients....In the real world of nursing that was a nice attempt at trying to address issues, but a poor public perception. Doctors are NOT in charge of nurses. They have NOTHING to say about staffing AND the way Romano yells at the nurses, he would be both reported and in hot water however connected he is...

Basically VERY inaccurate portrayal....I was sadly disappointed at yet another inaccurate and inappropriate portrayal of nursing where doctors are shown as in charge.....Not the way it is or ever should be....I will still watch the show as they DO try....Wrongly....

purplemania, BSN, RN · Oct 10, 2003

Have never seen the show

SnowieRN · Oct 10, 2003

I missed it last night, thought I was taping it but the tape ran out Anyone know when it re-runs?

huggietoes · Oct 10, 2003

I had mixed feelings concerning the episode, loved the part about triage (been there). As far as the cutting of hours Mother/babyRN is correct, especially since they call the hospital "County General" which implies it is a county/state run facility which usually have strong union representation, made the nurses who walked out look greedy and bitter ("Hell hath no fury like an RN scorned"), also, since when are travel RNs less expensive than regular staff. Abby taking care of Level 1 patients all by herself, so not real, and gives the impression that the MDs do all the work so you only need one ER nurse per shift. And what was up with Abby not being allowed to tell the pt about her ppnh? If I am not mistaken was she not 20 years old, as in age of majority, as in has every right to be involved in her course of treatment and know her condition? And do not even get me started about the vascular surgeon who sticks his hand in a man's abdomen and lo an behold, miraculously saves the guy just in the nick of time from a AAA! Then again it is just a TV show so I guess I will get over it until the next grossly inept episode.

Chaya, ASN, RN · Oct 10, 2003

I do think ER does a great job of raising some of the issues we face everyday. It's pretty realistic and up to the minute. What I do have an issue with is that except for Abby, the nurses are,as usual, invisible. Yes, there are a number of characters they trot out whenever an order needs to be carried out. But none of the nurses except for Abby has had their character developed beyond the most sketchy outline. We know almost next to nothing about them except they seem to be there. Sound familiar? Typical treatment of the nursing profession by the media...

cannoli · Oct 10, 2003

I want to know what was in the Dear Abby letter.

mother/babyRN, RN · Oct 11, 2003

she got dumped....John wanted an unfettered life in the Congo apparently.....Now I think she wants Luca (me too), but he has Gillian, who Abby referred to as a nurse but I thought was a doctor...Does this sound like a soap opera?

christanje · Oct 11, 2003

I really liked the part when the med students were asked a question and Abby answered and he said "you've just been nurse slapped". It reminds me of when people say "just a nurse..."

imenid37 · Oct 11, 2003

I thought Abby not being able to open up to the patient about her dx and wanting to crack the chest on that kid was another implication that she's a doctor wannabe. I know the Abby character was in med school at one time BUT it gives the impression that she is TO GOOD TO BE A NURSE so she's wanting for that "physician brass ring", since nursing is portrayed as drugery and not as good as medicine. I enjoy the show, but I don't take it too seriously. Their portrayal of what Ob scenarios occur in the ER is TOTALLY OUT THERE! I remember one episode where they were running pit in the ER. NO WAY NOWHERE. If the ER staff thinks you might be packing a loaded uterus, it's off to L/D with you even if you have a splinter in your gluteus maximus. Personally, I'd take Carter, Luca, or preferably both!

eak16 · Oct 11, 2003

cannoli, nbc.com has the full text of the "actual" letter

Personally, I am infuriated every time I see doctors portrayed as the "bosses" of nurses.

fab4fan · Oct 11, 2003

Unrealistic, for the most part. I worked in ED before I ruined my ankle, and it's nothing like the show.

The way they portray one nurse holding the entire dept. together, having almost all of the pts., plus the fact that she went from OB nurse to charge nurse in the ED in the blink of an eye...yeah.

The triage last night was pretty funny and realistic. When they referred to it as a "shark cage" I had to laugh...I've never heard of it called that before, but it is oh so true.