MovieChat Forums > The Night Shift (2014) Discussion > Why can't medical shows research the med...

Why can't medical shows research the medicine?

posted 8 years ago by witchywomanfrombrooklyn
14 replies | jump to latest

On the episode "Emergent", the former army doctor volunteering in the Middle East first suggested the refugees had malaria, then blamed TC for allowing the infected into the camp because she claimed the rest of the patients would catch it. Except malaria is not communicable from person to person. It is only spread by mosquitoes, except in the case of transmission to a fetus in the womb, which is irrelevant in the case. This is pure laziness on the part of the writers!

[–] blust2 8 years ago

Mosquitoes everywhere. Unless you live in the South Pole.

[–] witchywomanfrombrooklyn 8 years ago

You're missing the point. She was saying the disease was communicable from person to person. It isn't.

[–] GrammarMatters 8 years ago

The stunning stupidity of the writers of this show is appalling.

There really ought to be some award show with prizes for stupidity in writing, and blatantly ignoring science, etc.

I mean, how pathetically stupid can the producers of this show be that they don't spend a FEW dollars to get SOMEONE with even a tiny bit of medical knowledge to check the script?

Consider the fact that I'm not a doctor - and even I knew that the bullony the actors were spewing through the TV was wrong.

I came here to start my own thread.

I guess there are many of us who know more about medicine than the writers of this junk.

[–] 8 years ago

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[–] witchywomanfrombrooklyn 8 years ago

I probably take these things a little too seriously, but I was a trauma nurse. Besides, I catch far too many errors of this type on medical shows, and it ruins the continuity. Also, Jennifer Beals is a Yale graduate and has portrayed physicians before. You'd think she'd catch this error and tell the writers. I know I wouldn't deliver such a stupid line.

I love your username. Does the constant misuse of ....and I vs ...and me irritate you as much as it does me? Or "myself"? I'm ready to canonize my 5th grade teacher!

[–] MeganDrake 8 years ago

I'm surprise you watch. I think most people working in a hospital, or used to, never watch these shows (or anyone working in any field of work watches a TV version of it) because of what you said.

I think people who aren't or never was in the field see it more for what it is: entertainment, regardless how bad the medical procedure is.

I do volunteer work in a major hospital and no one watches any of the medical shows on TV.

[–] 8 years ago

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[–] GrammarMatters 8 years ago

Hi Witchy..

I never really notice 'and I' - but I get really snarky, mainly in the comment section of another website that I spend far, far, FAR too much time on - and I have to admit that - sometimes - I'm just a bit too tired to write a decent sentence myself.

I've tried to explain to people, a few times, that if THEY don't care enough about their words and the message they're polluting the forum with - are not important enough to them to take the time and effort to put down clearly and accurately - then why should WE invest the time and frustration trying to figure out what you are trying to say. (here's a good example of a terrible sentence that I'm too tired to say properly)

But there are some people who post absolutely indecipherable dreck. 3 sentences in one glump with no periods and no capitals - and just torture to try to make sense of - and then there are my pet peeves of people who don't know the difference between there, they're and their - and I find it hard to not yell at people who say 'should of' rather than 'should have.'

I guess it doesn't help that I'm a perfectionist that worked for a while doing 'typesetting' for an editor - so it was my job to go in and correct text that an editor had corrected - so I see it so much more blatantly than most people.

But - I have to admit - that my knowledge of grammar is only about 90% (maybe lower) - and I sometimes become aware of my shortcomings - but becoming clear on the last 10% is not something I'm good at. (and I finish sentences too often with words like of.)

[–] 8 years ago

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[–] 8 years ago

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[–] witchywomanfrombrooklyn 8 years ago

I know a lot of healthcare workers who watch medical shows, especially St. Elsewhere in the 80s and ER. When they're well- written, well-cast and well-acted it's surprising how identifiable some "types" become. I've heard many people insist that specific characters were based on doctors or nurses they knew in the past. But the medical aspect MUST be realistic. One would think the same thing about police and other first responders when it comes to TV shows. However, if the the job is portrayed accurately, many members of the NYPD and FDNY I've known used to watch NYPD Blue, and Rescue Me. Lots of cops and attorneys also love the various Law & Order shows.

[–] GrammarMatters 8 years ago

The accuracy of cop shows and fire-rescue shows is another topic.

I've had a go at a few shows about firefighters - because my dad is a retired firefighter.

But some cop shows probably distort real police work more than other genres of TV shows - just to make things entertaining. Including the fact that things are so often completely wrapped up in 60 minutes.

And the clichés are probably amusing to some of those who are actually involved in the professions.

Like the cop who doesn't like authority and who breaks all the rules to solve the crime - and I've noticed how so many movies in so many genres are actually 'buddy' movies - where two people are thrown together - and hate each other - at first - and then develop and appreciation for each other ....

[–] witchywomanfrombrooklyn 8 years ago

Hi Grammar!

The post about cop/fire shows was strangely placed wrongly in the thread.

The whole I/me/myself thing is more when people speak. It drives me nuts when supposedly educated people think "I" is always correct, when obviously it's not. i can't even watch some local news stations because I just scream at the TV. As for written errors, they're too numerous to list, but the inability tell the difference between possessive words and contractions, or simple laziness, along with the infuriating abuse of punctuation are two things that are like fingernails on a blackboard for me. I understand that it's all too easy to post errors online, but there's absolutely no excuse for these things to slip by in hard copy. I was lucky to have excellent teachers, and I must have internalized the rules, but that was so long ago I don't remember the terms or most of the rules. I just know when something's right or not, just like I know how how to spell without thinking about it. I may may the occasional typo, but I can't bring myself to intentionally ignore punctuation or capitalization.

[–] witchywomanfrombrooklyn 8 years ago

Ha - perfect example! I posted from my phone because my computer's down, and it wouldn't let me edit, so I just saw at least two typos at first glance. Very frustrating, not to mention embarrassing.