Is 'E.R' the tv show accurate?

boomerfriend · Jan 16, 2006

I'm with you, Picky. We need a show from the nurses' perspective. Wouldn't it be nice to have a show that glamorized the life of a nurse :wink2:

I used to be a tried and true ER fan till it got so soap-opera that I couldn't stand it. Used to it would show interesting, unusual cases and what they would do about them (guy with a plank in his thigh, guy electrocuted, schizophrenic guy, elderly disoriented lady, etc.) I would suffer through the sex scenes, the lesbian and racial undertones to get to the medical stuff. Sure wish they'd go back to more medical and less soap.... If I want a drama with all that other stuff, I'd watch a non-medical show (like desperate housewives?)

Jo Dirt · Jan 16, 2006

I agree that watching ER is like being at work sometimes. I do think that it is probably one of the more technically acurate shows. What is very unrealistic, though, ...snip

How do they get THAT many hot-looking single doctors in ONE hospital? :chuckle

rouqie · Jan 17, 2006

i have been an er fan since from the begining. i watch it for entertainment and that's about it. i recently have been watching the first episodes on tnt in the mornings and i realized that the nurse manager was the one who did most of the stuff. she was the one teaching some interns on how to do simple procedures and she was one of the many nurses that kept the place going. that's just one good example, now a bad one i read on a nursing web site. where abby, the nurse turned doctor over night (yeah right), tells a patient that dosn't want a nurse caring for him, "i'm not a nurse, i'm a doctor" in a way that makes nursing sound like the crap job. i think er needs to take responsiblity for being a reprensative to the world and treat the nurses with a little respect. i think everyone one should check out the web site mentioned in the above thread if you care anything about being a nurse. i tells how to get behind and support fellow nurses. i think we all could use a little support sometimes. unless you all are getting that great respect from the doctors that we see on the tv.:rotfl:

ErikaRNC · Jan 17, 2006

ER is the only one I've seen enough of to comment on.

Some things are so blatantly wrong -- like scrubbing for surgery before mask is on.

tailgunn · Jan 17, 2006

I think you guys need to chill a bit, and to expect ER to be your image-liaison to the world is delusional. It's entertainment, it may not be accurate entertainment, but remember it's targeted to people that largely know nothing about the professions portrayed and don't really care if it's accurate. Sure, the producers could do a better job of making an accurate show that is also entertaining, but why? Their getting the ratings, raking in money hand over fist, and it's probably one of the most successful dramas of all time.

I'll give you a corollary- I race motorcycles, the crotch rocket type. We are mis-represented all over the place. Maybe some of you have heard of Biker Boyz and Torque; both movies that are a joke among people who actually ride, as are most of our portrayals on tv, commercials, wherever... I have a few racing pictures in my office and people are always surprised when they find out what I do. They're image is of some young punk w/ a face full of piercings and tattoos.

You cannot do anything about the people who don't know better, but I would bet that a lot of people who knew absolutely nothing about hospital life before, have learned a thing or two. I was fresh out of college when it first came on the air, and I knew nothing about what people went through to work in an ER, such as the exhaustion, the danger, the frustration, etc. You want to see something to really complain about, go watch some of the old Emergency Room show from the 70s. I think you will appreciate how far we've come.

I just realized I ended up defending a show I haven't been able to stand for 5 years.

Gil Cosnett · Jan 17, 2006

Hello,

One thing we all must keep in mind is that "ER" like ALL other TV programs is in the business of making money - which translates into - having good ratings - which translates into - sometimes being overdramatic ......... I have no problem with that.

I have personal experience with the this situation. My consulting group (nuclear, biological, and chemical - medical preparedness) has assisted with a few episodes of the TV program "ER". We consulted with scenes involving HazMat and radiological events. We provided specific, standard, and realistic information based on the situation being portrayed. We knew up front that once the writers, other consultants, directors, etc. were involved, that the scene (portrayal) might be changed somewhat in order to be more dramatic or sensational - we had no problem with that. This is Hollywood. People like to watch it, it is entertaining (not particularly educational), it makes money, it keeps people employed, and it makes people happy.

On a similar note, the former CBS TV program, "Chicago Hope", while it was an excellent program - it erroneously portrayed a radiological event on one episode. It was VERY dramatic however, and it provided me a desire to give some accurate technical advise to "Hollywood". This is what helped to start my consulting with "ER"

Thank-you,

Gilbert H. Cosnett

Haddonfield, NJ

NurseNiecy · Jan 17, 2006

I'm a nursing student and after reading some of the posts, I see I've got a lot to learn. I'll watch more critically from now on. I never looked at ER until lately and I'm watching the reruns on TNT cable channel.

CrunchRN, ADN, RN · Jan 18, 2006

No, it's not accurate, but it sure is fun. It would certainly be an interesting place to work.:rotfl:

JMBM · Jan 18, 2006

There have been a couple comments to the effect that it is delusional for nurses to expect "ER" to realistically portray nurses or to expect true medical accuracy on a drama. To some extent, that is all correct. However, "ER" makes the specific claim to be a realistic portrayal of an urban ER. There is quite a long segment on one the DVD's they've released that shows the lengths the producers go to to insure accuracy. The whole gist of its advertising campaign is that it is "real". I see this as taking it out of the standard role of soap operas like "Chicago Hope" or "St Elsewhere". One could imagine the outcry if the "Jeffersons" had claimed to be a true portrayal of a black family or if "Desperate Housewives" claimed to be an accurate rendition of womens' lives in the suburbs. No one thinks of "Grey's Anatomy" or "House" as even remotely accurate. I agree that "ER" is an entertaining drama about attractive individuals who happen to be doctors sleeping with one another in various combinations. To the extent an emergency department provides an interesting context for this, fine. However, the show makes the claim to be a "real" protrayal of the operation of an ER, which everyone who has commented here agrees it is not. So, I'll go on watching "ER" on nights I'm not working at a real ER and be entertained as Luka, Abby, Pratt and company juggle sex, family, sex, money, social lives, sex and .... medicine, but I'll continue to point out that "ER"s claim to reality is ......just TV.

doddlebuggin · Jan 18, 2006

I love ER Cried when Mark Greene died and when He delivered the baby and mom had PIC But being a nurse I notice all the errors Nurse sticks 2 syringes in pocket one kcl, one ns and gives a small child wrong one or seizure patient with no siderails .The 1st mistake on purpose 2nd one not.I love the characters and the outside stories but love to see these lay folks talk the lingo.I also love male lpn that will tell snotty rn " its beyond my scope" got a kick out of that...

joeanwolfe · Jan 19, 2006

No, I don't think the ER show is accurate. They portray the doctor's doing everything from administering medications to surgery all in the same day.....:rotfl: and running out to meet ambulances and getting report......

They do not portray the ER nurses who actually do the majority of patient care, get report, triage the patient, administer meds and monitor the patient's progress, do discharges and teaching as needed....

Usually you have (at least in our ER) one ER doctor and one PA and the rest of the ER staff consists of RNs. Also, I have NEVER SEEN an ER doctor transport a patient anywhere. They don't have time.....the RN usually does it.....sometimes you can get a tech to help.... :rolleyes: if you have more than one tech on duty......

Chaya, ASN, RN · Jan 19, 2006

The ironic part is not false portrayal of the nurses' role- heck, as many have pointed out, there aren't any nurses. Well virtually. There might be one or two at any given time. So- in terms of personnel hours to cover a major urban ER, nurses comprise say maybe 5-10 percent? Plus there don't appear to be any that are not totally dysfunctional. (I know at least a couple of nurses in real life that could pass for halfway normal...)

Do I think ER is accurate? Heck no! Do I think John and Joan Q. Public think ER is accurate? Absolutely! From what I can tell, they think it it the God's Truth because, dammit, they saw it on TV, and it is billed as a drama and not a comedy so it must be true to life!

This is where the potential for true damage from this show lies and this is what makes me just go nuts when I watch more than 90 seconds of it!