Prompt 10: Recognizing Truth (Grey's Anatomy)

Technology has advanced and progressed more then ever before within the last few decades.  Because of that, the demand to participate and possess different forms of it has increased greatly.  One of the more influential pieces of technology is the television.  There is a wide range of shows pertaining to different aspects of life; many though for mere entertainment.  Some of these shows can be decieving when comparing what is portrayed through the media to the real world.  Grey's Anatomy is an example of this.

Image taken from Google Images

Though the focal point of the show is driven around trauma surgeons and dealing with tragedy within personal and professional life, it is a great source to use to compare the medical field in the media to reality.  Throughout the series relationships between the interns and other doctors working in the hospital occur and often times lead to problems.  Dr. Ryan Tran states that in real life any attending sleeping with students and resident would be fired in real life. Not only would the obvious happen, but he also implies a sort of weakness in the workforce if there is no evident sexual harassment lawsuit occurring.

Surgical procedure from series (Google Images)

Another common misconception in the television series is the surgeries being done by residents.  Often times the episodes reveals a resident performing surgical procedures independently without the presence of an attending surgeon.  In reality, that is not safe, obviously, nor legal in the work force.

One of the chiefs, Richard Webber (Google Images)

The chief of surgery is defined to "perform highly responsible and specialized administrative and clinical duties by serving as the chief physician over surgical services; oversees, develops, and maintains programs and activities to ensure the optimum quality of clinical care; and provides day to day management  and leadership of the Department". As frequently seen in the show, there is not always an attending surgeon accompanying a resident performing surgery. Dr. Tran tells us, again, that in reality the consequences of doing so would result in losing your job and license to practice medicine.

Overall, the show does not accurately depict the reality of the medial field experiences.  Most often then not, everything viewed in the series is a false representation of the career.  Although it is not an accurate source of what my future goal careers look like, I personally enjoy watching the series.

-Samantha B


Sources: https://www.quora.com/How-real-unreal-is-the-life-of-doctors-as-portrayed-in-Greys-Anatomy

http://www.co.monterey.ca.us/personnel/documents/specifications/54B82.pdf

Tran, Ryan Bich, Dr. "False Reality of Doctoral Life as Portrayed in Grey's Anatomy?" How Real
Unreal is the Life of Doctors as Portrayed in Grey's Anatomy?Quora, 25 Apr. 2013. Web.
10 Nov. 2015.

Bouyea, Janine. "Hospital Chief of Surgery." Ed. Greta McClay. HOSPITAL CHIEF OF SURGERY
(n.d.): n. pag. Print.