The TV show, not the book. Now, we’re not TV watchers; our TV has been in a box since we moved in 2005. But I have been curious about this show; I just checked it out of the library and have watched about half the first season so far.
Has anyone else watched it and if so does it have any connection to reality? I mean, OK, so most of the people (doctors, patients, nurses) are young, thin, and pretty, which I know for a fact isn’t the case in real hospitals 
I’m surprised that they would depict first year surgical interns as so involved in vital processes like running a code, operating a defibrillator, coming up with brilliant diagnoses, sleeping with their attendings (well that probably does happen once in a while). It’s very high powered but I guess people want attention-deficit sound-bites on their network TV, not the dreary long hours of waiting, rounding, and studying that I would think comprise a good chunk of an intern’s night at the hospital.
It’s TV! Connection to reality?!?!
There are occasional elements of “medical reality” if you define “reality” in the context of “reality TV…” (i.e. …not in this universe).
Mostly, the show strikes me as a hybridization between a romantic daytime serial drama, and ER back when it was still somewhat fresh. I frequently have to restrain myself from yelling at the producers through the TV screen. This is usually a good indication that it is time to turn it off. I suspect that the target demographic for the show is primarily female due to frequent narrative ruminations by the female namesake, along with the “MacDreamy” romantic storyline.
Hey… It’s not that I’ve never fantasized about a little linen-closet nookie in the hospital, but (speaking only for myself) a real hospital is about the most UNromantic place I can imagine to be “gettin’ it on.” To each their own, however. I prefer to waste my scant “free time” watching House, whose misanthropy I find much more to my taste. I even check ER every once in a while just to see how much farther it has spiralled down the toilet from the days when it used to be my favorite show on TV.
Just my $0.02 
T
I have seen little bits & pieces of it. The thing that strikes me (and was also true of ER) is the amount of time spent on personal drama - because in a REAL intern’s life, there is not time for that!
But yes, interns will absolutely run codes. Often someone more senior will come in and take over, but what may also happen is that if it looks like you’re doing a good job, they’ll stand back and let you continue. Interns may also come up with the cool diagnoses because as swamped with work as they are, they actually may have some down time with which to research weird things. Plus you’re closer to those basic science classes from the first two years of med school, where all the “zebra” diagnoses were taught.
One of the scariest AND most exhilarating experiences of intern year is realizing that you are a “real doctor” and people are depending on you.
Mary
My husband got me watching it (he’s addicted and now I am too), but we laugh about moments like when the interns are standing in their kitchen, drinking coffee, leisurely getting ready for work and it’s daylight out. I can’t tell you the last time I left the house in the morning and it was even remotely close to being daylight out. They also see the call rooms far more than any intern in my group has.
On the up side, I make far more independent decisions than any of them do, especially this far into the year. Not to say that I am running the team, but we are given a lot of autonomy in many of the day-to-day type issues that arise. Maybe it’s because I am in medicine and not surgery as I can’t comment on the independence of a surgical intern.
Now that I am nine blocks into intern year, I have to say that the administrative part of the job stinks, but having a patient tell you how much it meant to him to have you work with him as he was newly diagnosed with HIV/AIDS or a patient that now needs surgery after his necrotizing pancreatitis hasn’t healed in 4 weeks (he spent the first 3 at an outside hospital and was transferred in) hold your hand an cry as he tells you how scared he is and you help ease his fears, makes it all worthwhile. That part of the comparison is similar.
Just my two cents…and waiting to see if they really do kill off Merideth Grey tonight (but I’ll actually see it this weekend on TIVO).
Tara