What smells?? ER! - page 4

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doctors firing nurses??? :( what the heck was on er tonight? carter gets to decide how much money to spend on security measures, and then is going to fire three senior nurses to pay for it???... Read More

Oct 11, '02
Joined: Apr '02; Posts: 38,756; Likes: 16,281

I am with the folks that say it's just TV ; but if you are truly upset and wish to evoke change, then go for it. You have been given but one avenue in which to pursue this right here on the board. But do NOT stop there; volunteer your time within your communities to help change our image, go out there and show and tell others what we do. Let us put some money where our mouths are....to complain about TV is such an easy thing for us to do. Another thing you can do that is VERY POWERFUL????? HIT THE OFF BUTTON when the offending show comes ON! And let us all grow a thicker skin; it is a lifesaver in nursing! Peace be with you all today.:kiss

Last edit by SmilingBluEyes on Oct 11, '02
Oct 11, '02
Occupation: Cardiac Surgical ICU RN Joined: Sep '01; Posts: 157

yes, but heather...
i never said in my post that "Friends" was realistic...nor do i believe that it is realistic. hey, i lived in New York, i KNOW it isn't. i watch it purely for entertainment, like you do "ER". no need to get defensive. it is just my opinion.
Oct 11, '02
Occupation: New RN Grad... Just passed NCLEX.. Working on a Ortho floor Joined: Nov '01; Posts: 1,616; Likes: 37

TV programming is there for our entertainment.... Everyone is soooooo upset at ER.. What about the idiotic show MD's.... Talk about a show that misinterprets the way things are.. But it is on for us to laugh and forget about the ill ways of the medical community.... However there are the "Real" shows out there that show nurses at their finest... Just turn on TLC and there are tons..
Oct 11, '02
Joined: Oct '00; Posts: 8,729; Likes: 8,412

Even TLC follows the docs...
Nursing is an exciting, challenging career, with real responsibility and rewards. But no one will ever know unless they spend an extended period in the hospital. I'm trying to get some outreach going to the local high school. But that's another thread.
Oct 11, '02
Occupation: Cardiac Surgical ICU RN Joined: Sep '01; Posts: 157

i agree...
the TLC shows still have the docs in the "starring" role. when i watch those shows... i still don't see overworked, stressed out, decision making nurses. i see a world of full staffing, good pt ratios, and nurses not questioning the doctors. i have heard from a few OB/L&D nurses, on this BB in fact, say that the L&D show is unrealistic. full staffing, 1:1 pt ratios, and a nurse who is clearly not stressed. now, i don't work in L&D....but i suspect that nothing is like that. comments heather???
so, as a nurse, i KNOW it really isn't that way. but the general public knows no difference. also, not every one has cable...so they watch shows like ER, MDs, Chicago Hope, Scrubs...and get perspectives that are way different from the real world.

however, i don't think anything or anyone can change these shows, as they are for entertainment purposes. so, i won't complain/ or get distressed about it any longer. i think the only way to get a real perspective, is to be a conscious pt in a hospital for a month or so... and we all know that will never happen!!
Oct 11, '02
Joined: Apr '02; Posts: 38,756; Likes: 16,281

Welp I am not Heather, but I do OB and you are right, those shows on TLC make it all look so pat and easy. And the nurses never seem overworked and LO! there are 2 or even 3 nurses at these televised deliveries. Not realistic at all. And don't even get me started on Baby Story...!
Oct 11, '02
Occupation: Cardiac Surgical ICU RN Joined: Sep '01; Posts: 157

that's okay if you're not heather! any OB nurse will do to back me up!
Oct 11, '02
Joined: Oct '00; Posts: 10,236; Likes: 64

Nope. It's not like that at all.

The difference is that shows like ER, MDs, Chicago Hope, Scrubs, etc. are manufactured, scripted, and made-up. And they never pretend to be anything more than that. TLC goes around advertising their programming as "real life," and I think that makes them far more dangerous than shows like ER, MDs, Chicago Hope, and Scrubs.

Heather
Oct 11, '02
Occupation: Cardiac Surgical ICU RN Joined: Sep '01; Posts: 157

i agree with that one heather! i think TLC shows are more dangerous to the viewing public. they are not "real life"...they are dressed up for television...
Oct 11, '02
Occupation: poor nurse Joined: Oct '01; Posts: 2,293; Likes: 86

Hey Heather!

4 more days until what? Looks like I'm out of the loop of henle again.....
Oct 11, '02
Joined: Oct '00; Posts: 10,236; Likes: 64

Originally posted by Furball
4 more days until what?

My birthday! :hatparty:

Heather
Oct 13, '02
Joined: Feb '01; Posts: 3,747; Likes: 2

Well folks, I think I discovered why Carter is getting to be a head hauncho & getting the glammy commercial spots...just read Noah Wylie's considering moving on after the '03-'04 season when his contract is up, he says he's dissappointed his character hasn't grown after the stabbing incident and wants to try new things. So maybe they're trying to appease him and give his character some balls after all :chuckle

Actor Noah Wylie to Leave 'ER'
By The Associated Press
ASSOCIATED PRESS

RADNOR, Pa.- "ER" star Noah Wylie sounds ready for a career move.

Wylie, a cast member for eight years, may try something else when his contract expires after the 2003-2004 season.

"I think most actors are born with a drop of gypsy blood, in that they like to be jacks-of-all-trades but masters of none," the 31-year-old actor said in this week's TV Guide. "And I've been sort of a master of this one trade for a very long time. So the need to do something different is definitely growing within me."

Wylie is also disappointed that his character hasn't grown much since being stabbed and developing a drug habit in the sixth season.

"He's been the utility player that you can plug into anybody else's story line as a reactive character or a sympathetic character to allow the audience to see through his eyes," Wylie said. "There have been a lot juicier roles on the show."

Last season, CBS's "CSI" knocked "ER" from its perch as TV's top-rated drama.
Oct 13, '02
Occupation: RN Joined: Sep '00; Posts: 88; Likes: 29

I've read all these posts, and I do understand why people are upset. And I do realize it's television, but the bigger piece of reality I took from the episode is that anyone at anytime can come into any hospital and finish the job they started.

I work in a trauma center. We have no metal detectors. We have people who get into fights in the emergency waiting areas and stab each other. We have people who have brought guns into our hospital. No hospitals have metal detectors, and good luck getting them. Your safety is the last thing on administrations list of priorities. Is it just me that saw this in the episode?

What smells?? ER! - page 4

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