Tuesday, March 29, 2005
TV Review of Grey's Anatomy.....
When I first saw the ads for ABC's Grey's Anatomy I was intrigued. Life of a surgical resident in a primetime drama? That was something I could relate to. But would America watch residents rounding at six, to the OR at seven-thirty, clinic at two, and hopefully home at eight. Would they watch as the residents admitted appendicitis from the ED, held hook on an exploration in the OR, and slept, ate, or watched SportsCenter? Probably not.
Unfortunately the show does the usual job of distorting reality. How so? Let us count the ways:
Disregard for work hour limits: On duty for forty-eight hours straight? Please, give me a break. Is the 80-hour limit not exciting enough for prime time? Obviously not.
Specialty Mismatch I:What are surgical interns doing taking care of a seizure patient? Yes the patient eventually needed an operation, but wouldn't their time be better spent elsewhere?
Specialty Mismatch II:Rare indeed is the surgeon who one day is performing an appendectomy and the next day and the next day a coronary bypass. ER is equally guilty. Their alleged general surgeons did everything from liver resections to lumbar laminectomies.
Yes, yes, I know it is a television show and not even a member of the reality genre. But it's no wonder the lay public has such a misperception of how medicine really works when the airwaves are filled with such tripe. |
When I first saw the ads for ABC's Grey's Anatomy I was intrigued. Life of a surgical resident in a primetime drama? That was something I could relate to. But would America watch residents rounding at six, to the OR at seven-thirty, clinic at two, and hopefully home at eight. Would they watch as the residents admitted appendicitis from the ED, held hook on an exploration in the OR, and slept, ate, or watched SportsCenter? Probably not.
Unfortunately the show does the usual job of distorting reality. How so? Let us count the ways:
Disregard for work hour limits: On duty for forty-eight hours straight? Please, give me a break. Is the 80-hour limit not exciting enough for prime time? Obviously not.
Specialty Mismatch I:What are surgical interns doing taking care of a seizure patient? Yes the patient eventually needed an operation, but wouldn't their time be better spent elsewhere?
Specialty Mismatch II:Rare indeed is the surgeon who one day is performing an appendectomy and the next day and the next day a coronary bypass. ER is equally guilty. Their alleged general surgeons did everything from liver resections to lumbar laminectomies.
Yes, yes, I know it is a television show and not even a member of the reality genre. But it's no wonder the lay public has such a misperception of how medicine really works when the airwaves are filled with such tripe. |
