S01.E05: Malignant (1)

[WendyCR72]

Looks like it's crossover time again.

 

Following a knife attack, a member of the team lies in peril and their condition takes a sudden turn for the worse, leaving Dr. Connor Rhodes and Dr. Toni Zanetti scrambling to race against the clock. Word quickly spreads that some of Connor's fellow doctors feel he should have operated sooner, causing tension at the hospital. Dr. Natalie Manning makes preparations for her pregnancy and Nurse April Sexton's  brother struggles through his first day at the hospital. Meanwhile, members of the Chicago P.D. Intelligence Unit help investigate whether the case of a women clinging to life after Firehouse 51 pulled her out of a burning building is attempted suicide or murder. As the investigation deepens, a surprising parallel to other patients surfaces.

[loriro]

I am going to lose my sh*t if I see one more "medical" show in which surgeons waltz INTO THE OR without their surgical mask pulled up.  Seriously, whoever they are paying to be their "technical advisors" either are being disregarded completely for the sake of "we can't hear the pretty person talking if there is a mask covering their face" or they aren't doing a very good job of "advising". 

 

I miss ER.  That was the one (and only) show that consistently got it right.

[preeya]

I don't like Scotty Lockhart as Dr.Rhodes.

[SanLynn]

I don't like Dr. Rhodes either. Maybe it's because he wasn't in the backdoor pilot or something but to me he's a completely unnecessary character and takes screen time away from people I'd rather watch.

 

I'm pretty sick of Severide being up in everyone's business and I particularly didn't like the way Jay let him use Will to get at Rhodes, even though I don't like him. However, he's absolutely right about April's brother Noah. No way should that kid be anywhere near a patient. The worst part is I think he feels like he has too and it's going to end in tragedy. I can see that coming like a mac truck.

[Sandman]

"We were just wondering if you knew that internal monitoring increases the risk of infection without offering a comparable amount of clinical benefit"

"Her mother was a midwife; she grew up with this stuff."

"We were also wondering why, if you really want to respect these women, you'd have them stand around for an hour while you talk about how the TV can play soothing sounds of nature. Because they stand around much longer, these babies are gonna start dropping out right in front of you. Then you're gonna hear some sounds of nature."

 

And this is why we love Maggie.

[Lady Calypso]

I guess I like Rhodes mostly because of the actor. Eh, for me, he seems to realize when he's wrong and corrects his mistakes. Doc Halstead is only slightly getting better. Maybe the break away from him helped. Rhodes wasn't exactly shining this episode, but I still see him as a decent guy who has his flaws. I will say that Rhodes was slightly less likeable, but I think that's more to do with this feud that the show is portraying between the two male leads. 

 

Maggie and April are still pretty cool. I do really like Reese and I see she might have a thing with Splendorkable. April's brother is a tool and I thought I felt sorry for him for a second before he asked Reese to keep this whole 'lying about being a hero' thing from his sister. It's clear he's not going to tell Choi about lying until he's forced to by Splendorkable. 

 

Manning was alright this episode. I think it might help if we saw one or two scenes of these doctors outside of the hospital, living their personal lives. And not at Molly's. 

Edited January 6, 2016 by Lady Calypso

[statsgirl]

It was kind of a weird episode.I think I prefer it when there isn't a crossover because there were too many people to keep track of here and too many stories.  Also too much Severide.

 

I like Rhoades, Zanetti, Charles, Choi and Reese plus the Splendorkable guy.  And Merkerson's character.  There's more people I like than dislike, which is a good thing.

 

I guess I like Rhodes mostly because of the actor. Eh, for me, he sees to realize when he's wrong and corrects his mistakes.

That's kind of my bottom line for if I like a character.  I don't expect them to be perfect, actually I prefer them when they aren't, but I do want to see what they are doing wrong and correct their mistakes.  I have no interest in the Greg House egoists.

 

Rhodes also gets points for making up with Halstead after the latter's confidentiality violation in talking to his brother.  Halstead's brother is worse than he is, and I didn't think that was possible.

 

Manning's case was the worst written, I thought.  An 80 year old woman being treated for cancer goes into kidney failure -- why did no one bring up palliative care?  She was clearly alone since Manning couldn't find anyone to give her a medical history.  The son wasn't around enough to know anything about his mother or her condition.

 

I didn't like Manning's comment that chemotherapy doesn't affect the kidneys.  She didn't know what drugs the woman had been given and not only does each different chemo drug affect different things, it differs from patient to patient what gets affected.  The line made her sounds like an insensitive ass.  She and Halstead are perfect for each other.

 

"We were just wondering if you knew that internal monitoring increases the risk of infection without offering a comparable amount of clinical benefit"

"Her mother was a midwife; she grew up with this stuff."

"We were also wondering why, if you really want to respect these women, you'd have them stand around for an hour while you talk about how the TV can play soothing sounds of nature. Because they stand around much longer, these babies are gonna start dropping out right in front of you. Then you're gonna hear some sounds of nature."

That's why I dislike Maggie sometimes.

 

It's okay to snark at equals, it's totally inappropriate to do it to someone who has no power especially in front of patients who a) don't know the procedures and b) can't do anything about them.

 

The woman, who is probably an educator, not a nurse, was giving prospective parents a tour of the hospital birthing areas so they would know what's going to happen when the big day comes and they're freaking out.  She wasn't the one who decided what procedures and what equipment were going to be used; that was a person with a medical degree several pay levels above her.  She was trying to do the job she was hired to do which was to explain things to make it easier on the parents and if the parents had wanted a midwife, much less second-hand advice, they could have hired one.  If Maggie had a problem with the hospitals OB methods, she knows who to talk to. That she isn't going to do it makes it that much worse.

 

In my case, internal monitoring cause the baby going into distress so they could give me an emergency C-section.  I'm very glad the hospital used it.

[Happy Harpy]

(I usually avoid commenting on shows I completely dislike, but I made the mistake to watch this episode because I thought they might show if Hermann made it. Of course, they didn't, really, but I need to rant now. So warning: UO and venom ahead).

 

Gosh, what a bunch of assholes. The only character I loved was D.Rhodes. He was the only one who felt real to me, with qualities and flaws. I was won over by his infinite patience, and his keeping his calm, when confronted to the rudeness, constant second-guessing and open disapproval of his colleagues  and subordinates (April all but throwing the epi? I had the feeling that she was a high-schooler throwing a tantrum  at her math teacher).

And Colin Donnell was the only actor with charisma imo, except the (still) underused S.Epatha Merkerson and Oliver Platt. The characters I didn't hate on sight fell flat, like the Burgess doppelganger pregnant doc. Too many characters, not enough with a personality imo.

 

I hate the Halstead brothers, main reason why I avoid this show, and damn they justified my hate here. Kings of self-entitled assholery, if you ask me. I didn't dislike Rhode's girlfriend simply because she was horrified at the idea of undermining a colleague like this. Thank you, voice of reason. Brother whose name I never cared to memorize should be happy Rhodes didn't kick his butt. 

I didn't think I could hate characters more than those two, but here comes High Horse April and her gutless, wimpy brother. Although the girl he took credit away from wasn't sympathetic in my eyes either. Severide was a petulant child during the crossover, far from his best, but still I didn't wish stuck-up April on him. Silver lining, he seems finally free of her and I might not have to worry too much about her popping up regularly on CF.

Edited January 6, 2016 by Happy Harpy

[betsyboo]

Maggie and April are still pretty cool. I do really like Reese and I see she might have a think with Splendorkable. April's brother is a tool and I thought I felt sorry for him for a second before he asked Reese to keep this whole 'lying about being a hero' thing from his sister. It's clear he's not going to tell Choi about lying until he's forced to by Splendorkable. 

 

Nickname seconded!

 

 

Gosh, what a bunch of assholes. The only character I loved was D.Rhodes. He was the only one who felt real to me, with qualities and flaws. I was won over by his infinite patience, and his keeping his calm, when confronted to the rudeness, constant second-guessing and open disapproval of his colleagues  and subordinates (April all but throwing the epi? I had the feeling that she was a high-schooler throwing a tantrum  at her math teacher).

 

Yes! Thank you! That made me crazy! You do NOT question a doctor in the middle of a trauma - ESPECIALLY in front of the family! WTF! if you had a problem, talk to him about it like an adult after the fact. That right there might tip the scales for me about dropping this. But I just love Oliver Platt and S.E.M. we'll see how long I can take it.

 

As for storyline - could that be more terrifying!?!??!!? the thought of a doctor completely abusing his power and playing God with such a horrible diagnosis to begin with - <shudder>. The countless number of women and their families affected. Gah.

[Chas411]

Great episode. The crossover is just confirming how much I prefer this show to Fire.

 

To be fair to Will, I think his brother was more the tool in this episode then he was. He shouldn't have implied Rhodes made a bad call but he did hesitate and had it not been his brother I don't think he'd have said anything. I don't think he realised Jay was going to go running to Severide*. I also like that he apologized to Rhodes. What can I say I really like Will. His crush on Natalie is also cute and I love the both of them in that friendship. I do think the actors playing the Halstead brothers are great casting choices. They're so similar in mannerisms.

 

Rhodes took some amount of abuse tonight. Had I been in his shoes I'd have found it really hard not to tell Severide to get lost after his apology. I'm still not a huge fan of the character and hate his relationship with Zanetti but I did feel for him tonight.

 

I like April so please don't make her the new Gabby Dawson. The "you should be the doctor April" line screamed of Firefighter Gabby as did the stink eye she was giving Rhodes when he wouldn't call time of death on the patient. I like her brother though. I think it's nice that Reese have another student to bounce off.

 

Speaking of Reese, she's awesome. Just hilarious and adorable all rolled into one. I'm hoping she sees that lab guy again.

[tvfanatic13]

I love me some Dr. Lulu Spencer!

[Sandman]

It's okay to snark at equals, it's totally inappropriate to do it to someone who has no power especially in front of patients who a) don't know the procedures and b) can't do anything about them.

 

The woman, who is probably an educator, not a nurse, was giving prospective parents a tour of the hospital birthing areas so they would know what's going to happen when the big day comes and they're freaking out.  She wasn't the one who decided what procedures and what equipment were going to be used; that was a person with a medical degree several pay levels above her.  She was trying to do the job she was hired to do which was to explain things to make it easier on the parents and if the parents had wanted a midwife, much less second-hand advice, they could have hired one.  If Maggie had a problem with the hospitals OB methods, she knows who to talk to. That she isn't going to do it makes it that much worse.

 

I think you're right that the woman leading the tour was probably an educator, rather than a nurse, and I agree that she isn't the one who would make decisions about procedures or other aspects of care, but I don't think she and Maggie were on as unequal a footing as you do: the tour leader may or may not have known more information about the monitor. But I think Maggie was actually criticizing her, quite rightly, not because she was failing to be a nurse or midwife, but because she was doing a poor job as an educator. There were indications in the script that the tour was taking a very long time, and not all of the information that was given was really about the birth process itself, but about the amenities available.

 

Granted, Maggie went about it in a probably unnecessarily snarky way, but I had the impression that the leader was indulging herself a little, and her reaction to Maggie's comments suggested to me she was defensive about being challenged. She could have said if the patients had questions about the monitoring or other procedures, that was beyond her expertise, and they should discuss it with their OBs; she didn't. Not all of the patients there could afford to hire a midwife, necessarily. I think there was a missed opportunity to pass on more information that was relevant to the patients' care, or at least explain where they might get it. Instead, the tour leader pretended that Maggie was disrespecting the other patients, when it was tour leader herself that was keeping them all standing around. (I really worried about that part.) I thought her response to Maggie ("... you medical people think you know everything...") amounted to "How dare you question me?" That's absolutely the wrong approach for anyone involved in educating the public.

 

Also: I'm getting kind of an Edward Nygma from Gotham stalker-y vibe from the Splendorkable guy.

Edited January 7, 2016 by Sandman

[Lillybee]

Are they going to finish the phony cancer sl on CPD?  I hope that they do. This could almost be a ""ripped from the headlines" story because I do remember something like that but in the case I remember the patients were given watered down chemo and the Dr. and pharmacist pocketed the profits.

[mehtotheworld]

That Maggie vs. the educator scene was annoying as hell. Just like with the Dr. Rhodes nonsense, if you have any constructive criticism, doing it in front of the people who are essentially your patients/clients just makes the hospital look bad and makes the staff look incompetent. Plus, Maggie and pregnant doctor whispering and ignoring the educator was rude as shit. If you want the tour to be more useful and provide more medically accurate/ relevant information, take your concerns to the educator or the department head directly, but it's kind of a dick move to drop that shit in the middle of a tour and leave. Maggie didn't look like a badass, she just looked like an ahole. I normally like both characters, but fuck them in that scene.

 

I like Rhodes, but feel like Dr. Lulu deserves better. Bring in Dominic for some actual chemistry! Maybe it's just a disconnect in my brain, but I still see her as being too young to be a doctor, let alone an attending.

 

i miraculously don't hate April now that she's not on Chicago Fire, but combine her with Severide and I want to punch someone. This show isn't as fun as the last couple of seasons of Chicago PD were (still getting caught up on the current season), but I'll keep watching it.

 

Someone mentioned ER, and it brought to mind how open and huge the hospital in ER seemed, while the Chicago Med hospital seems small and cramped. 

[MakeMeLaugh]

That Maggie vs. the educator scene was annoying as hell. Just like with the Dr. Rhodes nonsense, if you have any constructive criticism, doing it in front of the people who are essentially your patients/clients just makes the hospital look bad and makes the staff look incompetent. Plus, Maggie and pregnant doctor whispering and ignoring the educator was rude as shit. If you want the tour to be more useful and provide more medically accurate/ relevant information, take your concerns to the educator or the department head directly, but it's kind of a dick move to drop that shit in the middle of a tour and leave. Maggie didn't look like a badass, she just looked like an ahole. I normally like both characters, but fuck them in that scene.

...

Yes, hard to believe they would both be sooooo rude and know it all to a low level non-medical person and in front of a group of first-time parents (second time parents usually skip the prenatal classes and tours). Why did Maggie insist on the doc going through the tour if she was just going to question everything the tour leader was saying (and so rudely)? I would love a followup plot with them both to be called on the carpet by S'epatha after the patients complain to their own ob/gyns, who then raise hell with the hospital. Edited January 7, 2016 by MakeMeLaugh

[Noirprncess]

I hate to admit it but I think I am getting closer to dropping this part of the Chi-town trilogy. I really don't much like the characters or the writing for the show.

ER Halsted continues to be Dr Multicolors. I really think his makeup artist must be a newbie or really hate him.

The dialogue seems to be dumbed down a bit compared to ER or other medical shows.

Noah, how the heck did you make it through medical school?. I've always said when you see a doctor, you have no idea if he graduated top of his class or in the last 5%. I guess he's going to be the Chicago version of George aka 007, Licensed to Kill.

[Ariah]

I've dropped Fire from the Chi-Trilogy (even though I love Jesse Spencer) and I'm not rethinking the decision.

 

I like Rhodes a lot, he makes mistakes, he owns them and he's not attacking his fellow doctors (yet, who knows what the writers will make him do next time). Imagine the same scenario on Shonda Rhymes show - Rhodes would be punching Halstead Doc, Severide and an innocent bystander by the end of the episode!

 

I do dislike Halstead Doc, but I kind of like Halstead Original (must be my soft spot for the cute actor and his dimples). But I agree, both Halsteads acted way out of the line this episode... Though I do question my own doctors when I'm at a hospital, so maybe I'm just looking at a mirror and feeling uncomfortable.

 

Speaking of hospitals and questioning... I can understand the older lady not getting a second opinion, but those younger women? If they really didn't have cancer, why would they stick with this one doctor and his diagnosis, why not seek a second opinion? Speaking from experience here, when cancer occured in the family we've chcecked all options and consulted three different specialists. We've analysed our blood work and tomo. Granted, I don't live in the US, perhaps there the accessibility is different? I just can't imagine a doctor convincing me I have cancer and not showing me exactly where the thing is WITH PHYSICAL EVIDENCE!

But again, this may be my inborn attitude to question doctors with everything.

[Noirprncess]

Chicago Med is the only one I watch (for Epatha and Oliver) so which one of the others do I have to look for to get the ending to this story?  Thanks...

Chicago PD continues the story about the not cancer patients.

[statsgirl]

I like Rhodes a lot, he makes mistakes, he owns them and he's not attacking his fellow doctors (yet, who knows what the writers will make him do next time). Imagine the same scenario on Shonda Rhymes show - Rhodes would be punching Halstead Doc, Severide and an innocent bystander by the end of the episode!

 

--

Speaking of hospitals and questioning... I can understand the older lady not getting a second opinion, but those younger women? If they really didn't have cancer, why would they stick with this one doctor and his diagnosis, why not seek a second opinion? Speaking from experience here, when cancer occured in the family we've chcecked all options and consulted three different specialists. We've analysed our blood work and tomo. Granted, I don't live in the US, perhaps there the accessibility is different? I just can't imagine a doctor convincing me I have cancer and not showing me exactly where the thing is WITH PHYSICAL EVIDENCE!

But again, this may be my inborn attitude to question doctors with everything.

Code Black has a newly hired doctor who is throwing things at the nurses with no consequences.  (Give me a minute to roll my eyes back again.)

 

The fact that none of the women, some of them presumably well-educated and professional, thought to ask to look at the pathologist's report much less for a second opinion before having that horrible treatment is a huge weak point (and one of the reasons I don't watch CPD because they do that all the time).  Chemotherapy is such a horrible thing that that after my first bout, I decided I'd rather die than go through another.  (Fortunately they lowered the dosage for the second round.)  The women in my group not only knew exactly what kind of cancer they had and the treatment options but one ever figured out that the side effects she was suffering were from the solution the drug was in and had hers put into a different solution.  For this group of women to not even question that they had cancer, and for the clinic workers not to clue is, is an almost impossible suspension of disbelief.

 

(I hope your family member is well now Ariah.)

[Lady Calypso]

And maybe that's why the sudden influx of non-cancer patients are suddenly dying. Maybe it's possible that this oncologist diagnosing and administering false cancer treatments are targeting women, or people (I haven't watched PD, nor will I, so I don't know the conclusion of this storyline) who haven't questioned it and have just accepted their fate. Maybe there were patients who questioned the diagnosis and got a second opinion. I don't know whether this has ended up to be the case, but that's the only handwaving I can think of. These women didn't question their diagnosis (and honestly, why should they initially?) so that's why they were chosen for these false treatments, presumably to squeeze money out of them for the oncologist, or whatever the reasons are for them. 

 

I know I should technically watch PD for more information, but since I have refused to watch that show for my ever burning hate for Voight, I won't. If I'm wrong and the answers are different than my hypothesis, feel free to correct me. 

[twoods]

Noah, how the heck did you make it through medical school?. I've always said when you see a doctor, you have no idea if he graduated top of his class or in the last 5%. I guess he's going to be the Chicago version of George aka 007, Licensed to Kill.

He's a fourth year medical student. It's different memorizing things from books and doing things in the field, especially in such a stressful place like the ED. Lots of students did great with tests but were terrible clinically. Maybe Noah will end up doing residency in a less stressful field.

Reese is growing once. I liked her and Splendorkable. Hope they don't drop the storyline.

The CF and CPD were a bunch of douchnozzles.

Maggie and Natalie being entitled bitches during their tour was ridiculous. If you think you're better than everyone, then bypass everything and just have your baby, then we can watch you mismanage that with your arrogant attitude.

[izabella]

Not only were Maggie and Natalie rude and condescending bitches, but they also gave those parents reason to question the medical care they would receive in this hospital.  They made themselves and the hospital look bad, but I think we were supposed to cheer them on?  Bad writing.

 

I also wasn't clear on what happens to the non-cancer patients now.  Are they able to treat them?  Will they get better or is it too late for that?

[rhys]

What sent non sick women to that doctor in the first place?

[Texasmom1970]

I might be the minority here but Dr. Choi, Dr. Rhodes and the Splenda steaer Reese are the only ones I actually like. Oh well it goes without saying Oliver and Epatha, I will watch them any chance I get.

Did not like preggo doctor and nurse bitchy pants, if you are gonna act like you are the end all authorities then don't take the damn tour. Don't like April or her brother, but that is just my never liking Ya-Ya in any role. For some reason she has always bugged me.

Really dislike Halstead 2.0, I much prefer the original. Its probably the eyes and dimples, and I love him and Sophia together on P.D.

I don't know this episode had too many of the regulars being pissy, maybe it was the crossover stuff that made this episode a mess to me.

[twoods]

What sent non sick women to that doctor in the first place?

You're right. Usually people are referred to an oncologist after they find a tumor or abnormal lab work. Healthy people don't see an oncologist. Maybe it was clearer on PD how the doctor got away with it, but forgot to tape it.

[Sonja]

Not that it wasn't clear from the beginning that it had to happen at one point, but I hate crossovers. I can't stand Chicago Fire and I've never had the urge to even try PD (even less so after this episode and a second Halstead I'd like to have slapped around the block with a wet towel), so now I'm left with an unfinished episode (and suspicions about the 'son' of the eldest non-cancer lady). Gäh. So many unlikable characters in one ep, this must be some kind of record.

 

Even if it's his brother asking, Halstead shouldn't have said anything. His initial reply was fine, why didn't he follow up with 'Do you comment other detectives work if you only know half the case?'. April's brother seems a realy sweetheart so far, I hope he doesn't get too much screentime in future eps. Maggie's comments were hilarious but except for the one about standing around too long she really should have taken the issues up with someone in private.

 

Good to see Rhodes admit he screwed up, Zanetti not being huffy about it (probably helps that she met his father) and Reese having ideas; especially since it led to the discovery. I hope she does get the credit for it in the end.

 

I watch this show mainly for Platt, Merkerson and Donnell; Zanetti (don't know the actresses name) is also getting there, but I can really live without episodes filled with characters from other shows.

[statsgirl]

It is surprisingly hard to get kicked out of medical school for incompetence because once having let you in against all the tough competition, the school has a vested interested in graduating you. A family friend who teaches at the medical school here tried to fail a student on his clinical rotation because he made basic mistakes like repeatedly not turning on his stethoscope and the school insisted the student passs.

 

Is "the boys become doctors and the girls become nurses" still a thing?  That plotline felt like it came from the 1930s.  Noah is so bad at even basic logic and April is good, it seems strange that she thought she shouldn't go into medicine.

 Maybe it's possible that this oncologist diagnosing and administering false cancer treatments are targeting women, or people (I haven't watched PD, nor will I, so I don't know the conclusion of this storyline) who haven't questioned it and have just accepted their fate. Maybe there were patients who questioned the diagnosis and got a second opinion.

Good point (and good use of statistics).

 

On the other hand, why didn't the women who he falsely diagnosed as having cancer report him to the AMA?  It's these enormous plot holes that keep me away from Chicago PD.

[starri]

I am going to lose my sh*t if I see one more "medical" show in which surgeons waltz INTO THE OR without their surgical mask pulled up.  Seriously, whoever they are paying to be their "technical advisors" either are being disregarded completely for the sake of "we can't hear the pretty person talking if there is a mask covering their face" or they aren't doing a very good job of "advising". 

The OR set on The Night Shift actually has a sliding door.  That's great after you've scrubbed in.

 

 

He's a fourth year medical student. It's different memorizing things from books and doing things in the field, especially in such a stressful place like the ED. Lots of students did great with tests but were terrible clinically. Maybe Noah will end up doing residency in a less stressful field.

They said he was a third year, but he still has no business being near a patient if he doesn't know ACLS protocols.  That's pretty basic.

 

I felt for him when Choi was pimping him about the location of the bullet, because when a doctor I've never worked with before does that to me, I always freeze.

[Ailianna]

it seems strange that [April] thought she shouldn't go into medicine.

 

She did go into medicine.  She's a nurse.  In fact, almost everyone we see in this show went into medicine.  Nurses, aides, techs, and more are all medical professionals.  She simply didn't go to medical school to become a doctor. 

 

And I think she did want to be a doctor, but it's a lot fewer years of training and less money to get a nursing degree than a medical degree.  And she was pretty clear that she was trying to get a job to pay for things, including her little brother's schooling.  Being in school, whether for her 4 year degree or medical school, is a lot of great things, but a money-making enterprise it is not.

[twoods]

They said he was a third year, but he still has no business being near a patient if he doesn't know ACLS protocols. That's pretty basic.

I felt for him when Choi was pimping him about the location of the bullet, because when a doctor I've never worked with before does that to me, I always freeze.

It's not like he's going to run a code in medical school. He can have a code card in his pocket. Sadly, the route they are going with his character will probably having him kill a patient or almost killing one, even though it's ridiculous why he would have this type of responsibility only being a third year. I hope this show proves me wrong and shows some growth in his character, but it seems to be all about the drama.

[starri]

It's not like he's going to run a code in medical school. He can have a code card in his pocket. Sadly, the route they are going with his character will probably having him kill a patient or almost killing one, even though it's ridiculous why he would have this type of responsibility only being a third year. I hope this show proves me wrong and shows some growth in his character, but it seems to be all about the drama.

He doesn't need to run the code, and he may not need to know when to give a bolus of epi versus a bolus of amiodarone, but he should at least know why you shock v-tach and don't shock asystole.

[statsgirl]

At the very least he should be smart enough to figure out the logic behind when you shock and why.

 

She did go into medicine.  She's a nurse.  In fact, almost everyone we see in this show went into medicine.  Nurses, aides, techs, and more are all medical professionals.  She simply didn't go to medical school to become a doctor. 

 

And I think she did want to be a doctor, but it's a lot fewer years of training and less money to get a nursing degree than a medical degree.  And she was pretty clear that she was trying to get a job to pay for things, including her little brother's schooling.  Being in school, whether for her 4 year degree or medical school, is a lot of great things, but a money-making enterprise it is not.

April is smart and driven. She said that there was a family expectation that her brother would become a doctor. I don't see why she had to go into nursing to pay his education to be a doctor, if he wanted it that badly, he could take out the loans himself.

 

When a friend of mine started university in 1973, her grandfather said "what for?" because the family expectation was that the girls go to work so the boys could go to university. But the old man was born around 1900 which somewhat excuses him.  I don't like the implication that April comes from a culture where girls support and boys shine.

 

Some techs, like respiratory, I think of as being in medicine.  Not lab techs or aides or ward clerks because they're only hovering on the fringes and supporting those who make the medical decisions.  I use the term medical doctor to differentiate them from other kinds of doctors but all nurses are medical, aren't they?

[Ailianna]

Not lab techs or aides or ward clerks because they're only hovering on the fringes and supporting those who make the medical decisions.

 

As someone who recently spent about a month and a half in the hospital after a very dangerous surgery--the aides and technicians on my floor (which I am guessing you are referring to as ward clerks) may not have made the big, splashy "medical decisions" but they did a hell of a lot of medical care, and were absolutely the people who were there night and day, when the doctors were at home, and were an indispensable part of my recovery and healing.  While a number of them were also working their way through various schools at the same time, they were the people who were there for every part of the good and bad, and helped me not only to heal but to keep my dignity and self-respect during a time when I couldn't move or do anything by myself (I was nearly paralyzed).  They are absolutely in medicine, and do work that many "medical professionals" such as doctors and nurses might consider "beneath them" but which patients know are a lot more important for day to day living than you can imagine if you've never been in the position of relying entirely on others as an adult for everything you do.

[statsgirl]

A ward clerk is basically the secretary of the department, making phone calls, filling out forms.  I spent a couple of  years as one part-time during university and while it was one of the best jobs I had, no way would I call what I did "medical", nor did I get close to a patient other than to ask for their insurance information or be asked by one to get someone to get her a bedpan.

 

The lab techs are the people in the labs who analyze the blood that the nurses and other people take from the patients.  They don't go near patients either. . 

 

Many aides are warm, caring people but if you were to ask my grandfather, who was a doctor in his own country but couldn't practice after he immigrated here and had to work as an orderly, he would say that while what they do is very important, it's not medicine.

 

For some people, being a nurse is absolutely the right thing to be.  But the point I was trying to make is that if April wanted to be a doctor, she wouldn't be happy being a nurse and the lower status and following other people's orders that that entails.  In the emergency department I worked in, the frustration of the extremely capable Head Nurse having to follow the orders of doctors who she knew were making the wrong decision was palpable.

 

April could end up like Maggie was with the educator, bitching out people because she feels powerless herself to make the changes that need to be made.

Edited January 12, 2016 by statsgirl

[izabella]

April is smart and driven. She said that there was a family expectation that her brother would become a doctor. I don't see why she had to go into nursing to pay his education to be a doctor, if he wanted it that badly, he could take out the loans himself.

 

I think that's the crux of this story line.  I can't remember why it was that April had to take care of her brother, but that's what she did.  Instead of taking the time and money to be a doctor herself, she settled for nursing so she could help put her brother through med school because that's what they all wanted for him.  I think it was her choice and that's what she wanted for him as well.  But he doesn't seem to have the aptitude or innate drive to be a doctor; he's also following what the family wanted him to do and sacrificed for him to do even though April might have been the one who should have gone to med school.

 

I suspect we'll be seeing this play out.  At least, that's how it seemed telegraphed to me.

[GodsBeloved]

And I think she did want to be a doctor, but it's a lot fewer years of training and less money to get a nursing degree than a medical degree.  And she was pretty clear that she was trying to get a job to pay for things, including her little brother's schooling.  Being in school, whether for her 4 year degree or medical school, is a lot of great things, but a money-making enterprise it is not.

 

 

April is smart and driven. She said that there was a family expectation that her brother would become a doctor. I don't see why she had to go into nursing to pay his education to be a doctor, if he wanted it that badly, he could take out the loans himself.

 

 

During her arc on CF, it was revealed that April has parents who are local and live in a pretty nice house. I was totally confused as to why SHE was working to put her brother through med school.

 

Plus she took extended leave (she was going to quit but "they wouldn't let her") to travel around the world, so more confusion as to why she's working as a nurse to put the brother through med school.

Edited January 13, 2016 by GodsBeloved