Unrealistic steriotypes of medicine on TV

pcicurn7 · Sep 25, 2007

i'm surprised no one has mentioned it yet...how about those chest compressions, eh???? I saw whats-his-face in ER doing compressions, and WOW...he wouldnt resuscitate a cockroach.

I work at a teaching hospital...and the medical students/interns do plenty of stuff that has been talked about here (blood draws, cpr, etc). They'll even remove the hep locks when they are discharging them from the ER

Long Term Care Columnist / Guide · Sep 26, 2007

I'll never forget the "ER" episode in which they did compressions on a conscious, talking patient.

I love medical shows, but I have to laugh when they show doctors holding the kidney basin as the pt. vomits, or inserting Foleys/IVs/NG tubes etc. I've worked in community hospitals and nursing homes where MDs don't even toss their own sharps in the box two feet away from the patient's bed, so I always get a kick out of seeing 'em do it on TV.

I also chuckle at the 'comatose' patients who lie in bed in full makeup, with no ventilator, no side rails, and maybe one IV (that's not even connected when you look more closely). They're wearing a heart monitor, which beeps loudly at a cadence of about 60 bpm while showing a rate of 90. And have you ever noticed how the characters usually die with their eyes and mouths closed........and even if they're both wide open, just a wave of the caregiver's hand over the face magically seals them shut?

Funny stuff, I tell ya:lol2:

GatorNurse84 · Oct 18, 2007

How about the nurse on Grey's Anatomy who gave syphilis to George (one of the interns).

Lisa CCU RN, RN · Oct 18, 2007

I also chuckle at the 'comatose' patients who lie in bed in full makeup, with no ventilator, no side rails, and maybe one IV (that's not even connected when you look more closely). They're wearing a heart monitor, which beeps loudly at a cadence of about 60 bpm while showing a rate of 90.
Funny stuff, I tell ya:lol2:

I thought this same thing when I saw an episode of Desperate Housewives and Gabriel's mother in law was in a coma, what 6 months, and she awakens with only NS running and, get this, SHE managed to RUN down the hall! Please, I've seen people in bed less than a week who have a hard time getting up out of bed.

Warpster · Oct 19, 2007

For me, ER was a stress reliever. I mean, consider the scene when a fresh cardiac transplant patient in a bed is being leisurely strolled down a hallway by the ER doc who has morphed into a transplant surgeon, being bagged. The ingenue baby doc flutters her lashes and asks why he's not breathing yet. I don't know what the answer was, I was laughing too hard!

Then there was a scene in which one of the nurse characters, supposedly working the night shift, was awakened by the phone next to her bed! C'mon folks! After we've been home an hour, that phone is sitting there either unplugged or with the ringer turned off! At the very least, that puppy would be in a closet, buried under quilts and towels.

And then all those flatlined patients they shock---and get back! While it's true a flatlined patient isn't going to get any deader no matter what you do, give us all a break here, and try drugs first!

Every episode provided at least one major howler for me.

Unfortunately, there are a lot of people out there who think this stuff is all researched and that hospitals are actually like that, that doing all the heroics in the world will bring Grandpa back every time and that doctors do it all while nurses just follow them around with clip boards and lean on counters.

ibnrn · Oct 21, 2007

I absolutely loathe "House" for many reasons, but the biggest is how he has chronic leg pain and they keep drumming it in that he's an "addict" because he needs pain medication. He's supposed to grin and bear the pain he suffers. That's all we need, with the myths about pain control which are rampant in our society. Also the episode where he does prenatal surgery was ludicrous.

And I hate how the doctors fight and argue with one another in all the medical shows and have all kinds of conflicts. In my experience, most of them are supportive and will close ranks and defend each other in a heartbeat (oh that nurses would do that!).

One of the more hilarious happenin's was on Seinfeld, when George had a red robin foley catheter taped to his nose as an NG tube!

But...I have a guilty pleasure...I LOVE Scrubs. Especially Dr's Cox and Kelso, and the running argument between the internists and surgeons as to who's the best practitioner. Now, I have seen that happen!

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · Oct 21, 2007

The only reason i watch "Scrubs" is to get my Zach Braff fix. :)

teeituptom, BSN, RN · Oct 21, 2007

I'm doing my pre-reqs for Nursing school, and I'm taking English Comp. My instructor gave several possible themes for our second essay, and I chose "Unrealistic steriotypes of medicine on TV" since I felt I could benifit from the information. My problem is, since I've never worked in the medical feild I'm having a hard time getting started. So, if anyone would post some examples of things you have seen on tv that drove you crazy, or made you want to throw things; it would help me greatly!
Have a Great Day!
Chancie

If its on TV then its unrealistic

therefore why watch it

waste of time totally and completely

Diploma'82 · Oct 22, 2007

Don't remember the show but the order to give 50 cc's of demerol made me cringe. I hate no side rails. Talking while on a vent sends me off! I don't watch them much either.

rnparrot · Oct 22, 2007

I agree with all of the above....
-Your hair does not remain frizz free and perfectly styled after 14 hours of work
-Doctors do not take specimens to the lab and run tests themselves
-Codes are sloppy and the room is generally full of bystanders--docs do not do CPR...
and just to reiterate.... You can't shock a flat line!!!

quick question...you don't shock a flat line?? what do you do....when DO you shock?

Pediatric Critical Care Columnist · Oct 22, 2007

Asystole and pulseless electrical activity are not shockable rhythms. Supraventricular tachycardia, atrial flutter, atrial fibrillation, pulseless ventricular tachycardia, ventricular fibrillation... those you can shock. The first three are given small doses of electricity - cardioversion - and the other two are treted with larger shocks - defibrillation. Of course, all this is happening in conjunction with high-quality CPR and drugs. ACLS information can be found here: http://www.madsci.com/manu/indxacls.htm You might not ever need it, but it wouldn't hurt to at least be familiar with it.

doe9181 · Oct 24, 2007

It really irks me that there are never any nurses on the shows. Or when there is a nurse, she is usually negatively displayed. Like the nurse on Grey's Anatomy who gave George syphilis and also when Christina barked at a nurse to give a patient a bedpan. I hate that they display nurses in a negative fashion. Unfortunately I still watch the show because it's entertaining. I wish they would have a nurse-only show that would show the nurses perspective. Maybe follow some new grads through their first year and then compare it to more seasoned nurses. Also on soap operas, who are those nurses kidding? They full face of makeup, the long flowing perfectly styled hair, and the cleavage? Give me a break! :madface: I also love scrubs. It's really entertaining and it helped me get through my first year as a nurse. (I don't know how, I think the shows theme song alone could of been my theme song.)