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7 Ways Hollywood Goofs Up Medicine
What Hollywood medical cliches have you seen?
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Scrubs Magazine
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Sean Dent | Scrubs Magazine
May 26, 2010
‘As seen on TV’ does not apply to the real world of medicine, nursing and health care in general. I for one fell victim to this urban legend until I entered the world of nursing and became entrenched in the ‘real’ world of health care.
We’ve all seen the TV shows. Everything from the ground breaking ER, Third Watch, House, Grey’s Anatomy, Nurse Jackie, HawthoRNe, Mercy, Three Rivers, Trauma, etc. The list is endless. I’m talking about health care in general – not specifically medicine, or nursing, or ‘hospital’, ‘pre-hospital’, etc. I’m just talking about anything ‘medical’.
Yes, I’m well aware it’s all about TV ratings. Yes, I’m also aware that you need to ’sell’ the audience on the plot of the series or episode. But, sometimes Hollywood medicine is so ‘out there’ and so far from the truth that it’s mind boggling. I think what leaves me speechless and slightly angered is the notion that John Q. Public actually thinks what they see on TV or in the theaters ‘must’ happen in the real world. When they enter the hospital, or the ambulance, the ER, the ICU, etc they will be experiencing exactly what they saw! My fellow health care professionals and I have to do ‘damage control’ quite a bit by dispelling the myths and propaganda.
I thought I’d share with John Q. Public some of the frustrating falsehoods that are misrepresented out there in Hollywood medicine. I apologize how random this may be.
Like I said, I know, I know, it’s TV drama. But sometimes Hollywood can be a little OVER-dramatic.
OK. End of rant. (Please feel free to add to my list.)
Any other Hollywood theatrics you’d like to expose?
More on ScrubsMag.com:
• In Nurses in the Media: Medicine for Your Viewing Pleasure• In Career: Privacy Dos and One Big Don’t
• In Career Advice: Just the Facts, Ma’am
Account Removed
over 2 years ago
This is so right on. When I saw the episode on Hawthorne where she punched out the psych patient who had someone in a choke hold, I started screaming at the TV. THIS DOES NOT HAPPEN!! And, there's more than one Director of Nursing in the hospital I work in. And how does Hawthorne manage to not be in her office administrating? And no one gets promoted to charge nurse ON THE SPOT!
lralkhatib
over 2 years ago
2094 comments
im with you in what you said.
StCindy
over 2 years ago
2 comments
I hate it when the tv crew has been beating on someone's chest for 20 minutes, and then the hero cries out "Just one more time!" and that brings 'em around, A and O x 3, no deficits, just like they used to be........that ONLY happens in fiction!
bk8405
over 2 years ago
2 comments
No, when a hysterical patient gets a shot, he does not instantly calm down.