September 7, 2020          

 

          The film industry has captured the attention of thousands of viewers with drama filled
medical television shows. Medical shows have captured the hearts of thousands with their mix of
medicine, humor, and strategically placed love triangles, yet they are a mix of fact and fiction
and clearly label themselves as so. Having watched episode after episode of these shows, many
fans claim to be medical experts, while others question the accuracy of the content. Medical
students at Saint George’s University compared our beloved TV doctors to the real doctors
serving our community every day. Inaccuracies such as the addition of drama and patient
monitors which inaccurately represent the true condition of a patient were pointed out, as well as
comparisons someone outside of the medical field may not have drawn. One of their first
comparisons was on the social hierarchy reigning in hospitals. Doctor Richard Beddingfield, an
anesthesiologist and author, noted that the physician social hierarchy holds attending physicians
at the highest point, followed next by fellows, then residents, interns, and finally medical
students. Doctor Beddingfield felt this clarification was necessary, as he had seen interns
occasionally ordering their attending around during times of emergency, which he stated would
not occur in a professional environment. He also noted that the fighting between residents
attempting to be first to answer a question, would never occur in front of patients, despite
televisions portrayals. Dr. Beddingfield then compared the choosing of specialties in television to
that of reality. He mentioned that he had seen medical students on television declaring a specialty
and seemingly immediately becoming a physician in that field. In reality, however, he described

the process of a medical student matching with their future specialty as much more complex. In
order to find the speciality which best suits a medical students’ strengths and preferences, the
resident often has to travel and interview with several positions, enter an application system, and
eventually be matched with the residency which best fits the student through a national pairing
system. This system is much longer, more competitive, and more complex, then the one
sometimes seen on television, yet it allows each student to match with the residency they will
most likely thrive in. A third difference pointed out, was in the true specialization of physicians
in reality. Dr. Beddingfield explained that in his opinion, the specialization of physicians is often
not properly portrayed in media. He stated that on television a surgeon may be portrayed seeing a
patient in the emergency room, admitting him to the hospital, reading his CT scan images and
then donning sterile gloves in the operating room, when in reality a team of various doctors,
nurses, physician assistants, and other medical professionals would work together to treat a
patient.

          It is evident that the medical field and tv medical field have a world of differences, yet tv
medicine gives us a look into the field from a perspective many aspiring students may have
limited chances at experiencing. Despite their differences, medical shows have inspired many
viewers to pursue careers in the field and illustrate the important role medical workers play in
serving our community. Despite the shows additional drama and differences from reality, the
shows remain entertaining and more importantly, at times powerful.

 

Sources:

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• The SGU Pulse. (2018, January, 22). Medical Show Myths: 7 Things TV Doctors Always Get
  Wrong. The Saint George’s University Post Medical School Blog.
  https://www.sgu.edu/blog/medical/medical-myths-from-tv-doctors/