Grey's Anatomy

One of my new favorite shows is Grey's Anatomy on ABC. It is about some "surgical interns" and their lives as such. It is funny, entertaining, and both so right, but so wrong. The right part comes from how they feel. Scared, overwhelmed, tired, but loving every minute and depending on each other to make it through. The wrong part is some of the medical stuff. General surgeons, for example, do NOT perform cardiac surgery or neurosurgery, or vice versa. Tonight's episode had a guy who they wanted to make an organ donor and it was such a big deal to figure out who he was within 6 hours so that they could get the families permission. You don't just pull the plug because it has been 6 hours and say, "oh well, I guess he just won't be an organ donor". You wait until the family shows up, or you know who he is before you "declare him" and call it quits. The other gripe I have with the show is that sure it is about interns, but I don't think they quite know what a resident does. The intern, to me, would be like what we call a JURSI or a clinical clerk in other areas of the country. They are senior medical students who have not yet graduated from medical school but are able to see patients and help treat them, but are lowest on the totem pole. Residents climb the ladder according to year and have progressively more knowledge and resposibility.

I do appreciate the humanness this show gives to what I do. In that respect, it is very real. It is funny to find something that mirrors an aspect of your life so well in one part and so badly in another.