Playin' Doctor

After taking the Q.R.R. for the fourth time I've begun looking for linear relationships in everything. Reclining on the futon whilst watching E.R. after my fourth Q.R.R., I started wondering whether there was a strong correlation between E.R.-watchers and pre-meds. Who would be more likely to spend an hour per week in Hollywood's version of the emergency room than Harvard's own M.D.s-to-be?

It seemed likely, but it didn't hold true. Although pre-meds do watch E.R. there's not an overwhelming number who appreciate it any more than the average viewer. Second-year med student Richard L. Levy says that although he "has the strongest reaction to the med students," he watches it purely for its "entertainment value." Nine out of ten other pre-meds and med students agree.

Jennifer T. Tattenbaum, '98, although not a pre-med, watches the show avidly, and remarks on the "bonding" which the show creates. For her the show is interesting because of the "E.R. culture" that's arising. "There is definitely a bonding that goes on about the show. On Friday everyone is talking about it, and even though we all saw it, we still have to go over every tiny detail." She believes that the show's popularity stems from its pseudo-intellectualism, which makes people feel smart when they watch it. Unlike those who watch the "totally frivolous" 90210, E.R.-viewers come away from the TV guilt-free, almost as if they'd spent the hour doing problem sets.

The show's realism gets an over-all positive rating. Most interviewees agree that there are too many cases moving in and out of the emergency room all the time, but that the drama is necessary to keep the show moving. Noah T. Zinkin, '96, says "I like the high-intensity of E.R. They show interesting medical cases." Pratima Gupta, '96, who watches with Zinkin, agrees that the reason that the show is so successful is that, unlike the soap-opera-esque Chicago Hope, "E.R. focuses mre on patients than on the private lives of doctors. It's interesting because they try to cover the social issues through the patients; like child abuse and AIDS."

Elizabeth S. Niewoehner, a second year med student, loves the show because it seems to follow her syllabus. "Some weeks we learn more from E.R. than from our professors...the disease we just learned about is the thing we get excited about the most."

Niewoehner also commented that some of her professors say they can't watch because E.R. is too much like their own lives. Optimistic Levy says that the depiction of doctors can be too negative. His professors tell him that there's not as much in-house fighting as the show suggests. "At the end of the day it's more likely that doctors admit their mistakes honestly than that they point fingers," Levy says. "Doctors pitted against each other isn't how it goes." He hopes.

Few people say that E.R. makes them yearn for the trauma unit; none say that the show made them become pre-med. But Bryan A. Henry, '95, admits that the show re-affirms his lifelong desire to become a doctor. "There are some things in E.R. that definitely make me excited to get on within the medical career. You see the major decisions [doctors] have to make, but it also opens your eyes to the other side, the huge responsibility that they have." Tattenbaum, a very humanities, social-science-oriented student says that the show does make her think about becoming a doctor, but not enough to go through all the years of med-school.

Although no one was willing to say which character they would most like to be, most seemed to respect Dr. Ross, E.R.'s pediatrician. The womanizing, misogynistic doctor, who can't have a solid relationship, according to Tattenbaum, gains his respect from the sensitivity he displays towards his patients and his strong character. Resident Susan Lewis, one of the show's two major women doctors (as opposed to nurses), also seems to have a large following because she's not perfect. Joanie M. Daya '98 likes her because she is not yet confident in herself. "She reminds me of myself, and that's why I like her. Everyone around her is telling her she can do it, and she does, but she doubts herself the whole time."

Julie E. Mosow, '97, was a history and literature pre-med her first semester, but she realized that she enjoyed her hist and lit classes more than Chem 27. She dropped Chem, and says, as much as she loves E.R., it doesn't make her regret dropping her premed courseload. "I'd much rather be creating the show than living it."