Unrealistic steriotypes of medicine on TV

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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

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It really drives me crazy when they do a code on someone and it is always successful and the person wakes right up and is just like they were before ______ happened. :uhoh3:In reality it is not like that. I think that misguides many people

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Specializes in ICU, ER, EP,.

When ER first came out, my husband grabbed the clicker and shut it off. "You're NOT at work!" he lambasted as I screamed "you DON'T SHOCK a flat line" and then talked about it through a good portion of the show.

Now I change the channel and have not watched a single hospital show, it drives me NUTS:trout:, the hubby too. I'm officially cut off!

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Specializes in floor to ICU.

Lots of discussion about this on this site. No nurses anywhere to be seen comes to mind first.

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Specializes in Geriatrics, Cardiac, ICU.

I was watching some old episodes from season one of Desperate Housewives and Carlos's mom got up from a five month coma and she just jumped up and she had one IV going, it looked like NS or something. No TF, no TPN or nothing. She's got to eat somehow people! And like I said, she starts running down the hall. Please, if she was in bed five months, she is gonna be weak!

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Specializes in Vents, Telemetry, Home Care, Home infusion.

visit the center for nursing advocacy:

http://www.nursingadvocacy.org/faq/faq.html

they have extensive documentation regarding the image of nursing and how inaccurate portrayal in media /tv/print hurts the profession.

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Specializes in NICU.
Lots of discussion about this on this site. No nurses anywhere to be seen comes to mind first.

That's because the doctors are busy doing the nurse's jobs :rolleyes:

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Specializes in 5 yrs OR, ASU Pre-Op 2 yr. ER.

This is why i don't watch any medical dramas. I find way too many flaws.

Except M*A*S*H. For some reason that one doesn't bother me.

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Specializes in Med-Surg/Peds/O.R./Legal/cardiology.

It makes me wonder if they even have a medical consultant during the writing/production of these programs! I know that they are meant for entertainment purposes, but geez! Scrubbed for surgery with gloves on but no mask. Patients waking up from comas and being perfectly fine. All the doctor/nurse sexual relationships... PLEASE! :down:

ebear

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Specializes in 5 yrs OR, ASU Pre-Op 2 yr. ER.
It makes me wonder if they even have a medical consultant during the writing/production of these programs! I know that they are meant for entertainment purposes, but geez! Scrubbed for surgery with gloves on but no mask. Patients waking up from comas and being perfectly fine. All the doctor/nurse sexual relationships... PLEASE! :down:

ebear

I know M*A*S*H did.

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.

1. Doctors perform basic bedside care on these shows when, in the real world, this is definitely not accurate.

2. Nurses are portrayed as 'helpful' background fixtures, not to be seen or heard.

3. Full codes are always glamourized on television when, in reality, there's absolutely no fanfare in any code.

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Specializes in LTC, Med/Surg, Peds, ICU, Tele.

The only show I watch is SCRUBBS which is obviously a comedy. I've been getting it though Netflix and will watch a bunch of them in a row. I guess a comedy doesn't have to be accurate, but these last episode had Elliot intubating a pt with no one else in the room, with an ambubag not hooked up to O2, with no nurse assisting with anything. Also, Carla is supposedly the charge nurse of one unit, but she appears in any unit where the doctors are having an issue such as peds, surgery, icu, etc. Also, I just watched a show where they walk into the janitor's breakroom and they are all white guys, no women, no minorities. They must be trying to go opposite of the stereotype there for comedic effect.

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