GREY’S ANATOMY: REAL OR NOT?
This dramatic emergency intervention is shown to save nearly everyone on the show—when in reality survival rates hover around 10–20%.
What is CPR?
House always orders this full-panel test immediately, but in reality it’s used sparingly due to cost and false positives.
What is a CT scan (or full-body scan)?
This show was praised for accurately portraying this hectic hospital region where triage and stabilization occur.
What is the emergency department (the ER itself)?
The show realistically portrays this emotional experience common to new doctors: feeling intimidated by seasoned staff.
What is impostor syndrome?
Surgeons on these shows often perform procedures alone, omitting the presence of this specialist required in every surgery
What is the anesthesiologist?
Meredith frequently makes bold, split-second diagnoses with little testing, unlike real doctors who rely on this structured reasoning process.
What is differential diagnosis?
The team breaks into patients’ homes to find environmental clues—something forbidden by this basic legal protection.
What is the fourth amendment?
Paramedics on ER follow this medical principle: they cannot begin treatment in a dangerous setting until this condition is met.
What is ensuring “scene safety”?
JD and Turk’s workload reflects the true grueling hours of this medical training phase.
What is residency?
Defibrillators on TV often shock flatlines, but this rhythm cannot be “shocked” back to life
What is asystole?
The show depicts interns constantly performing these critical transport tasks, though real hospitals have dedicated teams for it.
What is patient transport?
House’s pain management often involves frequent use of this opioid, which would require monitoring and restrictions in real practice.
What is Vicodin?
ER sometimes overuses this dramatic chest-opening procedure, although it’s reserved for the most extreme trauma.
What is a thoracotomy?
Scrubs accurately portrays that doctors rely heavily on these colleagues, who often have more practical experience than interns.
Who are nurses?
Shows frequently depict amnesia as total memory loss after a bump on the head, though real head trauma more often causes this milder effect.
What is concussion?
The show frequently depicts doctors rushing patients directly to the OR without these time-critical conversations required by law for non-emergency surgeries.
What are informed consent discussions?
The show frequently depicts these nearly instantaneous lab results that realistically take hours or days.
What are blood cultures?
ER realistically depicts that during chaotic codes, this person—not the doctor—is in charge of medication delivery and timing.
Who is the code/ICU nurse?
Scrubs gets right that interns rarely do these solo procedures that surgeons do—because they require supervision.
What are surgeries?
Many shows depict instant organ transplant availability, ignoring the real-world requirement for this match type.
What is donor compatibility?
The show dramatizes this rare condition where a baby is delivered by cutting into the uterus is this direction even though the other incision is far safer.
What is vertically?
House performs this diagnostic procedure—usually done by radiology—to visualize organs using live imaging.
What is fluoroscopy?
The show shows physicians and nurses rapidly cooling overheated patients—a correct treatment for this life-threatening condition.
What is heat stroke?
Scrubs frequently shows residents being corrected by attendings during rounds, representing this real structured teaching method.
What is bedside teaching?
Shows frequently depict surgeons performing every kind of medical task, which is not accurate. In reality, different specialties handle different procedures. It takes these many years to become a neurosurgeon after medical school.
What is 7 years?