My wife is a big Grey’s Anatomy fan; she’s been watching the show since the first season. I must admit, that I used to enjoy watching the show when it first came out. Sitting in my grandparents’ living room watching TV with several family members is one of the fondest memories I have of my grandparents’ house. In recent years, my interest in the show has dwindled. My wife remains a loyal fan and makes it a point to catch the latest episode..
Last week I was sitting in my living room while my wife watched Grey’s Anatomy and I found myself watching the show in bits and pieces. Now, I don’t spend too much time in hospitals (nor do I want to) but I’m curious as to whether some of the stuff that’s portrayed on the show really happens in hospitals every day. One thing that got my attention as I watched last week was a scene where 
3 doctors were operating on a patient and were talking about one of their homes. When I saw that, I thought for a moment and told my wife, “If I go in for surgery, I’m going to tell the doctors not to chit-chat over me as they’re operating. Just focus on the task at hand! Get in, get out and send me on my way.” I really hope that doesn’t happen very often in hospitals across America. Surgeries can be very serious and should be handled respectfully. Can doctors perform intricate surgery while having a conversation with another doctor?
Also, when was the last time you saw 2 doctors (or interns) fight over who would get to scrub-in on a surgery? If it happens in our hospitals, it’s not out in the open as we’ve seen on Grey’s Anatomy.
Overall, I think the show does a good job of giving us some insight as to what happens in a hospital from day to day. But it’s also a television show that needs to entice viewers to stay tuned. How many people would watch the show if all of the surgeries were shown without the added drama? Not many – they’d rather see Derek and Meredith have a lover’s quarrel while some guest star patient’s life hangs in the balance. My wife wouldn’t have it any other way!
I was pleasantly surprised when I checked out your blog to see that you’d written about “Grey’s” since, like your wife, I’ve remained a faithful fan (through some “not so good” episodes I might add). I totally agree with you about the chit chat during surgery. I was thinking about that last week when there was so much conversation going on, that they totally stopped working on the patient. Isn’t every minute precious when you’re operating? Kind of reminds me of times on TV when the driver is talking to and looking at the passenger the entire time he’s driving – hello, there is a road out there! Keep up the good work – I really enjoy hearing what you have to say, even if I’m not a fan of the show.