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!
That might be true if there were "hot looking interns". But they aren't that hot looking, there.
Not to mention, many of the same nurses were there, at least in the 80's. But though the book was written in the 70's (after the author specialized in psych and graduated) I believe that it was actually based closer to the 60's....especially given some of the racial and religious bias discussed. But definitely, the behavior would not fly these days at all...which is what the OP is discussing.
Did you see the movie or read the followup book, "Mount Misery"?
My favorite is when someone is going nuts, flailing and yelling and carrying on... then they're held down while someone else gives them a shot in the rear. And before the needle is removed, the patient is limp and unconscious.
I've often wished I had some of that uber-fast-acting sedative.
For me it's all the feeding pumps all the patients are hooked up to as IVs in ER. Once on House, MD, House "pulled the plug" on one ventilated pt by twisting a knob ( he actually turned the peep on the vent to zero) at which point the pt flatlined, then as House turned the PEEP up to 40, the pt miraculously sprang to life. I also have to agree with the docs doing things they would never do in real life, like draw labs, operate the CT scanner, intubate for sats in the 80s, start IVs, etc.... I just have to remind myself that it's a TV show. I enjoy watching scrubs, and ER has become more and more realistic as it ages.....
Ever watch House? Its a funny show, but the most unrealisic...my boyfriend hates watching it with me because I drive myself mad pointing out the mistakes.
On House last week, they coded a patient with just the 2 docs. One bagged, the other did CPR...where were the nurses pushing drugs, defibrilating? Where were the 20 residents and bystanders watching? The docs rarely do anything apart from intubating. They just call out what they want.
Patients always look so picture perfect when they are lying in the ICU bed with only the ETT tube taped to their lips and the 1 IV running.
You really need to work in a hospital to understand how far fetched some of these shows are.
I think it is so hilarious that my entire life I have seen more times than I can count on tv/movies doctors/nurses shocking a flat line, only to now learn in nursing school that this is completely pointless and wrong, hahah!
That might be true if there were "hot looking interns". But they aren't that hot looking, there.
Not to mention, many of the same nurses were there, at least in the 80's. But though the book was written in the 70's (after the author specialized in psych and graduated) I believe that it was actually based closer to the 60's....especially given some of the racial and religious bias discussed. But definitely, the behavior would not fly these days at all...which is what the OP is discussing.
Did you see the movie or read the followup book, "Mount Misery"?
In an older thread on this subject, I mentioned "House of God" and I heard about the movie which I still haven't seen. And I didn't read the follow up about the doc's psychiatric residency.
At Barnes and Noble, I head straight for the medical section and buy books about docs. I can see some in my bookcase now:
"The Intern Blues" The Timeless Classis About the making of a Doctor by Robert Marion, M.D. who asked three of his interns to keep a careful diary over the course of a year and this book is the result. Lots of interesting stories . . and lots of drawing blood, getting urine, taking them to the lab, starting IV's, etc.
"Hot Lights, Cold Steel" Life, Death and Sleepless Nights in a Surgeon's First Years by Michael J. Collins, M.D.
"On Call" A Doctor's Days and Nights in Residency by Emily R. Transue, M.D.
"The Woman With The Worm In Her Head" & Other True Stories Of Infectious Disease by Pamela Nagami, M.D. (Fascinating!)
"Julia's Mother" Life Lessons in The Pediatric ER by William Bonadio, M.D.
"Baby ER" by Edward Humes.
"How Doctors Think" by Jerome Groopman
"The Medical Science Of House M.D." by Andrew Holtz
"The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down" by Anne Fadiman
"Complications" A Surgeon's Notes On An Imperfect Science by Atul Gawande (this is an excellent book).
Guess I'd better quit . . . .. I'll go look for "Misery" tomorrow.
-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...
I've only worked in a rural hospital until recently and the docs, when it is busy, will draw blood and if it is at night and the nurse is busy will run the blood or urine specimens in the lab (no lab at night). They will also take turns at CPR if needed. There is one doc that I can toss the keys to when I need to leave the ER for an imminent delivery and he can do everything. In fact, he does all the male foleys because he thinks a guy is more compassionate to the possible pain. Some of our docs also clean up after a delivery, put the bed back together, take the instruments and placenta to the dirty utility room, clean up blood from the floor.
caroladybelle, BSN, RN
5,486 Posts
That might be true if there were "hot looking interns". But they aren't that hot looking, there.
Not to mention, many of the same nurses were there, at least in the 80's. But though the book was written in the 70's (after the author specialized in psych and graduated) I believe that it was actually based closer to the 60's....especially given some of the racial and religious bias discussed. But definitely, the behavior would not fly these days at all...which is what the OP is discussing.
Did you see the movie or read the followup book, "Mount Misery"?