Subj : Re: Working in a (real) ER
To   : alt.tv.er
From : Ellen K Hursh
Date : Sat Sep 24 2005 11:44:45

From Newsgroup: alt.tv.er

npardue@indiana.edu wrote:

> Do keep in mind that this IS supposed to be a public hospital.  While
> they do have money, they also have to treat vast numbers of uninsured
> patients who use the County ER as a replacement for a primary care
> doctor. So that aspect of it is pretty realistic.

Yeah, that's pretty much what you'll find with any public hospital's ER
(the Catholic-affiliated hospital in my hometown served the same basic
function).

> But the other thing is that, in the early years, County WAS shown as
> being a leader.  It drew top doctors -- Mark and Susan were clearly
> VERY capable residents.  We were told time and again that the surgical
> program anyway was one of the top ones in the country. (When Carter was
> applying for his surgical residency, I think they said there were 6
> applicants for 200? 500? slots.)

Other way around (200 or whatever applicants for the six slots).

> When Abby Keaton joined them they got
> one of the best pediatric surgeons in the country. The OR does numerous
> cutting edge, advanced procedures, ranging from LVAD implantations to
> heart-lung transplants.  Even as late as S7 when Benton was helping
> interview students for admission to the the attached medical school
> they were turning down dozens of VERY bright and qualified applicants.
>
> But then suddenly, by around S9, we're told that County is a crappy
> place where nobody REALLY wants to work ... Pratt is thrilled to get a
> resident slot at Northwestern, and Luka can't understand why Gallant
> would choose to here. They get stuck with below-the-bottom-of-the-barrel
> residents like Morris and Howard because, apparently, they can't find anyone
> better. They have trouble finding new attendings  to replace those who've
> left, leaving the ER horribly understaffed.

Delayed results of Romano's take-over, perhaps? I recall that he had
ordered Corday to fire a list of "dead weight" at some point - there
were undoubtedly other changes he made, that we didn't see, that
snowballed and wound up impairing the hospital's workings.

OTOH, Susan referred to the ER residency program as being a desirable
one when she was bitching out Ray last season... so who knows. (Not
even the writers, I would guess.)

.