Fox TV's House

Pediatric Critical Care Columnist · Nov 18, 2005

Yes, House is fiction and all of us on this board know that what happens in Greg House's world is not real. But the vast majority of people who watch shows like this, Grey's Anatomy, ER and Scrubs have no idea that this isn't the way the real world works. They're oblivious to the nuances of medicine and nursing, the extreme unlikeliness that a hospital actually runs without nurses, that many doctors wouldn't have a hot clue how to run an IV med, that there isn't a chance in this world that they'd be providing personal care (or even cleaning up their own messes!), that nurses are in fact the ones handling the paddles while the doctor stands at the foot of the bed "running the code", providing the emotional support to patient and family and keeping all things on track. They don't know that in real life they'd be very fortunate to see a doctor for five minutes twice a day while in hospital. What they see on TV becomes reality to them and the images of nurse-as-physician's-handmaiden, nurse-as-sex-object, nurse-as-invisible are perpetuated. The impact on young people's career choices is obvious when one looks at the shortage of nurses today. If this was your only exposure to nursing, would you want to be one?

The Center for Nursing Advocacy is campaigning to have nursing more accurately portrayed in the media. They have a number of letter-writing campaigns on the go all the time. If you feel strongly that there's a problem with how nursing is viewed by the world, maybe you could help! They've been successful in having the Skechers print ads, the Pennzoil print ads, the Physician's Formual print ads, the Herbal Essence TV spots and the TAG Body Spray TV spots pulled. They also got Dr. Phil to apologize for his show on "cute nurses out to seduce and marry doctors because that's their ticket out of having to work as a nurse". TV drama is always on the hot seat. I've written a number of letters in response to issues just such as we're discussing; there's a certain satisfaction in speaking one's mind.

steelcityrn, RN · Nov 18, 2005

I Think His Comment This Week About Why God Invented Nurses Was A Compliment Considering It Came From A Dr Who Offered No Assistance At All To Help The Person Himself.

nurse4theplanet, RN · Nov 18, 2005

Yes, House is fiction and all of us on this board know that what happens in Greg House's world is not real. But the vast majority of people who watch shows like this, Grey's Anatomy, ER and Scrubs have no idea that this isn't the way the real world works. They're oblivious to the nuances of medicine and nursing, the extreme unlikeliness that a hospital actually runs without nurses, that many doctors wouldn't have a hot clue how to run an IV med, that there isn't a chance in this world that they'd be providing personal care (or even cleaning up their own messes!), that nurses are in fact the ones handling the paddles while the doctor stands at the foot of the bed "running the code", providing the emotional support to patient and family and keeping all things on track. They don't know that in real life they'd be very fortunate to see a doctor for five minutes twice a day while in hospital. What they see on TV becomes reality to them and the images of nurse-as-physician's-handmaiden, nurse-as-sex-object, nurse-as-invisible are perpetuated. The impact on young people's career choices is obvious when one looks at the shortage of nurses today. If this was your only exposure to nursing, would you want to be one?
The Center for Nursing Advocacy is campaigning to have nursing more accurately portrayed in the media. They have a number of letter-writing campaigns on the go all the time. If you feel strongly that there's a problem with how nursing is viewed by the world, maybe you could help! They've been successful in having the Skechers print ads, the Pennzoil print ads, the Physician's Formual print ads, the Herbal Essence TV spots and the TAG Body Spray TV spots pulled. They also got Dr. Phil to apologize for his show on "cute nurses out to seduce and marry doctors because that's their ticket out of having to work as a nurse". TV drama is always on the hot seat. I've written a number of letters in response to issues just such as we're discussing; there's a certain satisfaction in speaking one's mind.

oh come on! I am all for advocating for the better image of nursing, but this is a tv show!!! a fictional one at that. If we get our panties in a wad over one joke made by a diliberately cynical and sarcastically designed character then we are doing a disservice to the REAL issues we should be debating. A waste of time to worry about this particular show, IMO.

unknown99, BSN, RN · Nov 18, 2005

I did not get to watch the show this week. However, it is one of my favorite shows about the medical community. I think it is meant to portray several faccades at one time. We do have some doctors who think they are "God". We do have some doctors who can make the right treatment choices all of the sudden. AND, we do still have doctors who think of nurses as hand maidens. Just my opinion.

Joebird21 · Nov 18, 2005

I love this show it's great................And i'm just as big of a smart @ss as House is.............

suzi_h · Nov 18, 2005

You all would probably get satisfaction from Grey's Anatomy about 2 weeks ago. One of the iterns pi$$ed of a nurse so, the nurse called for that doc everytime someone pooped or puked. It was hysterical. There was a scene where one of the other doc's asked, "Is that rectal jelly on your shirt?" It was really funny. At the end of the show, the lady in charge said to the one cleaning poop, "what did you do to pi$$ off the nurses?" Classic.

Suzi

Sheri257 · Nov 18, 2005

The impact on young people's career choices is obvious when one looks at the shortage of nurses today. If this was your only exposure to nursing, would you want to be one?

I think you're a little off base here. People are lining up to attend nursing schools where two year waiting lists have now become the norm. Articles have been posted on this board pointing out that over 100,000 people nationwide are waiting to get into nursing schools.

So, I don't think there's any evidence that people don't want to become nurses because of the way nurses are portrayed in TV shows. There's no shortage of people wanting to become nurses.

There is, however, a shortage of available slots in nursing schools and there is a shortage of licensed RN's who, for various reasons, don't want to continue working in the field. That's a different issue and discussion but, I seriously doubt licensed RN's base their decisions on TV shows either.

:coollook:

rn/writer, RN · Nov 18, 2005

Hey, do any of you watch "House" on Fox and if so, did you see this week's episode? I've watched it in the past and have overlooked the obvious flaws against reality (e.g. the little doctor underlings giving meds, drawing labs and sitting vigil at the bedside), however this week's episode drew the line for me. The scene is, "Dr. House" is at the bedside of a patient, he gives an IM of something, the pt immediately responds and gets out of bed (a feat which had previously eluded him), the med wears off and the pt falls. "Dr. House" then says "This is why God invented nurses", pokes his head out the doorway and yells "Clean up on aisle 5!" I'll never watch the show again. Who's with me?

You missed some of the significance of this scene. House jabs the patient with tensilon to see whether or not he has myesthenia gravis. When the patient is able to stand up, he starts asking questions. House says that in the Bible, the proper response is to simply say, "Yes, Lord," and move directly to praising. He tells the patient he has a thymoma, a tumor on the thymus gland, and the gland will need to be removed. The patient says, "I thought you just cured me." House explains that the effects of tensilon last only five or six minutes. The patient goes down much sooner and House says, "Or sometimes less." Then he makes his crack about, "That's why I (Yes, Lord) created nurses," and hollers out into the hallway, "Clean-up in aisle three."

Watching House and looking for a realistic depiction of hospital dynamics will leave you with nothing but complaints and indignation. If the main focus for you is an accurate portrayal of nursing, pleae, spare yourself the torture, and turn the channel.

"House" isn't about nursing. It's about a complex, tormented, and brilliant man who wrestles with himself, differential diagnoses, and every other aspect of his life. He's irreverent and sarcastic, an equal opportunity insulter, someone who sees a sacred cow and thinks, mmmm, burgers. I love watching him in action.

Last night's dialog and House's strategically raised eyebrows and naughty expressions had me and my husband laughing out loud. What keeps him and the show from being purely caustic are scenes like the one in Stacey's office where he actually drops the barbed wit for a moment and apologizes for some of the things he's done.

If a program claims to represent nursing, or if nursging is a major focus, the writers and producers are fair game for criticism whenever they drop the ball. But to get all riled up over show like this (where nursing is barely mentioned and everyone from hospital administrators to doctors to nurses to the patients themselves are equally misportrayed) is, to quote asoldierswifeo5, to "get our panties in a wad" for no good reason.

As a writer, I appreciate the highly-charged dialog, the flipping off of political correctness, the bursting of self-righteous bubbles, and the deeply felt core of wounded humanity that runs beneath it all, coloring the overt hostility with veiled compassion. Admittedly, this isn't eveyone's cup of absinthe, but some of us enjoy it immensely because we don't expect it to be something it isn't.

christvs, DNP, RN, NP · Nov 18, 2005

Honestly, House is one of my very favorite TV shows but I was also really upset when the character said that about nurses last week. But of course you have to remember what a jerk the character is all the time, so I'm still going to watch the show because I learn a lot of medical knowledge from it...but yes, I agree that was a lousy thing to say. I think if I were really working with a doc like him and he said that in front of me, I would "accidentally" spill the contents of a bed pan on him & say "Oh, that's why God gave us a closet full of extra scrubs to change into at the hospital, cuz you never know what's going to happen!" :)

Sumatra · Nov 18, 2005

I love this show too. Fortunately for House, he seems to work in a hospital without visible nurses because they would be spilling the contents of bedpans on him all the time. The Sela Ward character did a verbal number on him, but I can't see a doctor barging into an exam room and having such a personal discussion in front of a patient. I don't watch the show for realism. I watch it because it's quirky and funny and Greg House is a complex character with beautiful blue eyes. :)

rn/writer, RN · Nov 18, 2005

i love this show too. fortunately for house, he seems to work in a hospital without visible nurses because they would be spilling the contents of bedpans on him all the time. the sela ward character did a verbal number on him, but i can't see a doctor barging into an exam room and having such a personal discussion in front of a patient. i don't watch the show for realism. i watch it because it's quirky and funny and greg house is a complex character with beautiful blue eyes. :)

for the record, she (sela ward) barged in on him and she's a lawyer.

i couldn't agree with your last sentence more.

Sumatra · Nov 18, 2005

Thanks for the correction. Hugh Laurie is the only person I seem to be watching . . .