Subj : Re: Working in a (real) ER
To   : alt.tv.er
From : Sharon Three
Date : Sat Oct 01 2005 21:47:27

From Newsgroup: alt.tv.er


<npardue@indiana.edu> wrote in message 
news:1127572754.745157.148020@g44g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
>
> Nicole Floyd wrote:
>> You bring up a valid point which I think the writers miss.  First I don't
>> thing Crichton has anything to do with the show anymore.
>>
>> Trauma hospitals such as the one shown on ER is a leader in Emergency
>> medicine.  Thousands of doctors/interns/residents would die to have a 
>> chance
>> to work in a trauma hospital in a major city such as New York/CHICAGO/Los
>> Angeles.  That crappy stapling Abbey did would get her kicked out on her
>> ass.  These hospitals have funding.
>>
>> What sickens me is that show this hospital as struggling with the bottom 
>> of
>> the barrel.  If they gave any time and thought they could make them all
>> leadind doctors which interesting cases and side stories.
>
> 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. (And I'm sure many
> Emergency Medicine residents would not choose to work in  a hospital
> like that, but would prefer a different urban trauma center with a
> slightly more upmarket clientele...)

Not really, it's places like County where residents and students get the 
most opportunity to do hands on procedures.  At hospitals where a lot of 
patients have private insurance, the attendings take care of those patients, 
leaving the uninsured ones for the teaching cases.  Of course, these days 
all ER's get more than their share of the unisured, so even the private 
hospitals are struggling to keep their ER's afloat.  County hospitals are 
eligible for many many more sources of funding that the private hospitals 
and therefore are quite competitive with the private hospitals in terms of 
drawing talented docs with comparable salaries, being fully equipped and 
having access to all the latest technology.  Check out Cook County's website 
if you don't believe me, they're state of the art, as County would be in 
real life.
>
> 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.) 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.
>
> Naomi
>
All of which is a change in the writing, not a change in the reality.

Doc Sharon

.