Doctor Secrets! My Real Life…

“What do doctors think of their portrayal by actors on TV?”

I think television portrayal  of doctors has come a long way since General Hospital. Though I don’t religiously follow any of the main series – Grays Anatomy, Private Practice e.t.c. but I do peek at them from the corner of my eye when my wife is watching and actually find them quite entertaining. (I’m so embarrassed).

For the most part, the dialogue, clothes, and science behind the shows strikes a strong verisimilatude with me. I’ve heard of past TV errors such as pretend docs using the wrong end of the stethoscope, but since about the 80′s doctor shows routinely consult with medical consultants and writers to ensure their dramas don’t become comedies. One thing I do find off is the amount of rare medicine TV doctors find themselves mixed up in. The routine stuff we usually see – coughs and colds, high blood pressure – simply isn’t sexy enough to draw viewers.  I guarantee if you were to watch most of my real days as a doctor you’d probably snore. I doubt my reality show would last a season.

The other oddity played up on TV doctors is the amount of wild clinic romance. Wow. I really must be missing out. Not to say it doesn’t ever happen – doctors are most likely to marry another doctor or nurse than other single job description – but it’s way over the top on TV. In the past decade of being in the doctor biz, all the doctors I know who were married, still are. Medical school is where the hanky panky is as twenty-somethings play musical chairs to pair up before the dreaded too-late-thirties.  By graduation, doctors are too busy to be chasing skirts/suits and are generally in stable relationships.

So my verdict on TV doctor shows: great entertainment, but don’t take notes!