I loved medical shows long before I find myself in medical school, and my fascination with medical dramas did not end.
I watch medical TV shows for a few reasons. They are of course enjoyable — there’s a bit of drama, a bit of romance. Oftentimes the characters are likable and easy to get along with and so it’s overall a fun thing to watch. They’re incredibly motivational to me — I watch the doctors in action and it actually really inspires me to work harder at my pursuit of this medical degree. And finally, they’re mildly educational — as you may realize, medical TV shows are often quite dramatic and not very realistic. And yet, I find that they’re educational in two ways:
- RARE CASES: medical shows seem to find the strangest and most unusual cases in medicine and bring them to light in entertaining ways. For instance, one night we watched an episode in which the mother suffered from “Broken Heart Syndrome,” and a few weeks later it came up in cardiology.
- ETHICS and MORALS: medical TV series always seem to find those ethically gray areas that wrench at your heart strings. Episodes will often focus on difficult ethical cases (abortion, child abuse, treating a prisoner, etc.) and I’ve learned a lot of really valuable lessons from watching the characters struggle with their hard decisions.
Disclaimer: I am in NO way saying that these are always medically accurate.
MY RECOMMENDATIONS of the Best Medical Shows:
These are the ones that I would like to suggest you guys:
The Good Doctor:
Made by the creators of House
M.D., which I didn’t know until someone pointed it out! The premise, according
to IMDB: “Shaun Murphy, a young surgeon with Autism and Savant syndrome, is
recruited into the surgical unit of a prestigious hospital in San Jose." This
was HUGELY popular when it came out, and I have watched all the episodes of it.
I personally wasn’t as enamored with it as many others, but I do recognize that
it’s a really unique take on the medical field and it also has many interesting
cases (one of which still sticks with me!).
Grey’s Anatomy:
- By far the most frequently mentioned one – adored by millions! I myself have seen few episodes from season 1 one and that’s about it.
- A lot of people also commented that it was a lot of drama and not always realistic, but here are some of the good things they said about it:
- ‘shows multiple surgical specialties’ / ‘really cool surgeries’
- ‘it’s the reason I finally had guts to go to medical school’
- ‘love the characters’
The Resident:
This show follows a cocky but talented resident, as the name suggests.
Also watched a few episodes of it and liked it – the side plot involving a
potential pharmaceutical company scandal was also really interesting. You’ll be
pleased to know that Logan plays the main character!
House:
House M.D. (original title)
An antisocial maverick doctor who specializes in diagnostic medicine does whatever it takes to solve puzzling cases that come his way using his crack team of doctors and his wits.
Scrubs (9 seasons):
Dubbed the ‘most accurate medical TV show,’ Scrubs is goofy and yet insightful. It’s a comedy and yet it often hits close to home with its more emotional cases and storylines. I would definitely recommend – they’re 20 minutes and very easy to enjoy. (P.S. most people hate season 9, the “Med School” season.)
The Night Shift:
Its an American medical drama television series. This show follows the story of a former Army medic working at the hospital. Dr. TC Callahan is a former Army medic who initially exhibits PTSD-type symptoms, having watched his brother die right in front of him on the battlefield.
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