Nursing and Greys Anatomy

I have to admit, even after all these years and all the foolish things I have seen on it, I still like to watch Greys Anatomy. I guess it is a guilty pleasure. 

However, I have one huge beef with this show and that is basically they make it seem like nurses have no role in the hospital… except that redhead who gave George syphilis (I still miss George!)

So for those of you that watch Greys, or any other medical drama where it seems like the only people in the entire hospital who do anything are the residents and consultants I would like to clear up a few misconceptions:

1. Bloodwork.

I have never in my career seen a doctor order bloodwork, go in and draw the bloodwork, carry said bloodwork to the lab and wait for the results. Here is how is usually goes down:

Dr orders bloodwork.

Nurses draws blood.

Nurse sends blood to lab.

Nurse looks up lab results.

Nurse calls Dr with lab results. (and sometimes gently suggests appropriate treatment based on said results)

Furthermore, if a nurse is unable to get blood from a patient the Dr will be the last resort to finding the vein… and that is only because they will cheat and use an ultra sound machine!

2. Post-Operative Patients

Well there have been no shortage of post-op patients on this show, including half of the main cast who miraculously recovered in record time. Here is how post-op situations usually goes down:

Many nurses get room ready for patient.

Patient arrives, nurses gather in room to settle patient, including cleaning up all blood and other messes so that the family is not even more traumatized than they already are.

Nurse performs head to toe assessment, repeatedly. This includes monitoring cardiac system (includes heart rate, blood pressure, temperature, lab results), respiratory system (lung sounds, resp rates, suctioning), neurological system (including coma scale, orientation to person place and time, motor functioning), GI system (including insertion of feeding tubes, drainage tubes, poop collection tubes), and GU system (urinary output, kidney function). All the while taking care of many intravenous medications that are hanging. This is done hourly.

Patient wakes up, is confused and combative – a common occurrence for post-op patients. 

Nurse gets grabbed by patient, ends up with bruise on wrist/arm/wherever patient managed to hit/grab/slap…

Nurse continues to assess patient despite confusion and aggression while patient is attempting to pull out breathing tube, central lines, catheters, dressings…

Nurse gives sedation to patient, for patient safety and continues to assess patient.

Nurse stays at bedside 24/7, monitoring patient, speaking with family members who can be approachable, loving, hostile, weepy, angry, hysterical, threatening,

3. CT Scan/MRI

This might be one of my favourites… I love love love that the interns on this show all singlehandedly take their patient for a scan and then perform and interpret said scan. A more accurate picture:

Dr. orders CT. 

Nurse enters request for CT in computer.

Nurse arranges with CT staff a time for patient to have CT.

Nurse prepares for CT – hooking patient up to portable monitor, portable ventilator (an RT does this), portable IV poles including the 5 life sustaining medications the patient is on.

Nurse, along with RT and support worker, take patient for CT. 

Nurse gets patient settled onto CT scanner board.

Nurse stays while patient receives CT.

Nurse takes patient back to room and spends 1/2 hour untangling the lines of all the IVs and tubes

Nurse calls Dr and let them know CT is complete.

4. Bedside care

I seriously wonder where the nurses are when Meredith/Miranda/Christina (well maybe not Christina) are having heart-to-heart talks with the patient. Where are the nurses when they are sitting at their bedside 24/7 while the patient weeps into their arms and opens up to them their life secrets?

I feel pretty confident that even my resident friends can agree that their bedside care, even though professional and kind, pales in comparison to that of a nurse.

As nurses we are educators, social workers, family mediators, grief counsellors. We are comedians and chaplains. We comfort the families of the sick and the dying. We rejoice with the patient who is well enough to be discharged. We pull up a chair and listen intently to the old man who wants to talk about his glory days – even when the charting needs to be done. We lovingly wash the hair of the woman who is used to having hers done every week. We think of creative and inventive ways to check a child’s tonsils. We are patient advocates. We are family advocates. 

We are all that and so much more.

So yeah, I will continue to watch Greys Anatomy, and perhaps you will too. But the next time you see a doctor in high heels start doing chest compressions you better believe that if it was happening in real life it would be a nurse… in comfortable runners.

Happy Nursing week to my nurse family. I am honoured to work among you.

One Love, ♥