Another New Medical Show: HawthoRNe

[VentMedic]

Yes moderators, it has a Paramedic in it so the EMS part is covered.

It is about a charge RN in a city hospital and while it is a little dramatic at the beginning, it ain't too bad. The first episode dealt with some realistic issues and had some well written scenes with a little bit of well timed humor.

Security officer doing his job
Resuscitating a cancer patient with a DNR order
Elusive doctors
Sleeping oncall resident
ED violence (with a little humor)
Errors by doctors and RNs (protocol mishaps)
Homelessness
Paramedic asking RN for date
Screaming doctor belittling RN
A code with someone actually bagging the patient

 

[Shishkabob]

Well, if it has Vents approval I just might have to watch it.

I saw it on TV and thought "Meh, just another medical drama"

 

[VentMedic]

I think you'll get a kick out of the part where the ED RN gets stabbed in the leg by an irrate family member.

That's the part where the handsome Paramedic comes to her rescue.

 

[Sasha]

I actually liked it and have my DVR set for it tonight.

You wanna watch a crappy show? Try Nurse Jackie.

A nurse snorts drugs in the bathroom, leaves the bathroom to take over a doctor's procedure, tells the doctor how to do his job because she think's he's missing something because he's too interested in his cell phone, of course he IS missing something, patient dies. Nurse just leaves the patient, not bagging or anything to forge a donor card while calling and screaming at the organ procurement team, all the while the patient's just sitting there sans any kind of life support, then goes and screams at a doctor and says what she says goes, and then said doctor grabs her boob. All within the first 20 minutes, I couldn't watch it anymore after that.

 

[Shishkabob]

I'll record an episode tonight... and shall return with my world famous review skills.

 

[Shishkabob]

Decent show.


Not enough blood though.

 

[MedicPrincess]

I think you'll get a kick out of the part where the ED RN gets stabbed in the leg by an irrate family member.

That's the part where the handsome Paramedic comes to her rescue.

I completely forgot out this!! I had it set on my DVR and then in a stroke of "genius" I managed to delete all my shows we DVR. Almost forgot to add Rescue Me back too....

But darn! A handsome Medic..... really.... Does the RN go out with him?

 

[surname_levi]

i saw the first episode.

just to throw in my two cents, i thought it was a good show

 

[VentMedic]

Just saw another episode and found the issues in it were well done.

The 3rd episode dealt with an elderly patient, who was trached and on a ventilator, that the son could not make the decision to end life support but a daughter who had no problem with it. The doctors wanted the bedspace to put viable patients in and the hospital adminstrators wanted costs contained. I frequently talk on the forums about end of life care or terminating life support in the ICUs and did find this show did a decent job of displaying the dilemnas of keeping promises and doing what must be done for the patient and the hospital.

 

[usafmedic45]

You wanna watch a crappy show? Try Nurse Jackie.

Hawthorne is far worse. I'd rather watch a show about a sarcastic nurse who has a problem with prescription drugs (like several docs, nurses and EMS personnel I know have battled with) and has plenty of flaws (like every person I know) than a goody two shoes who is Mother Teresa reincarnated as a fair skinned black woman. I was ready to gouge out my eyes after watching the first episode. The fact that Jada Pinkett-Smith gives that role about all the depth of the average female role in a porno just makes me hope it is banished from television very quickly. That said, I don't go out of my way to watch Nurse Jackie, but the characters remind me far more of people I've dealt with in my professional career than the two-dimensional characters that make up the cast of Hawthorne. I've seen worse programs, but Hawthorne is certainly not a show I would recommend to anyone as a decent portrayal of the medical professions and those who occupy them any more than I would say Grey's Anatomy is a 100% accurate portrayal of surgical residency.

calling and screaming at the organ procurement team, all the while the patient's just sitting there sans any kind of life support

You do realize that they commonly procure organs after cardiac death right? Kidneys are the most common organs recovered this way, but many others have been harvested that way. BTW, if you've ever dealt with OPO personnel (as I did frequently when I worked as a deputy coroner for a little while), you'll quickly realize that many of them you want to reach through the phone and strangle.

 

[VentMedic]

That said, I don't go out of my way to watch Nurse Jackie, but the characters remind me far more of people I've dealt with in my professional career than the two-dimensional characters that make up the cast of Hawthorne. I've seen worse programs, but Hawthorne is certainly not a show I would recommend to anyone as a decent portrayal of the medical professions and those who occupy them any more than I would say Grey's Anatomy is a 100% accurate portrayal of surgical residency.

We do try to keep the nurses who shoot heroin and who must constantly have sex on duty to a minimum in the hospital.

Instead of glamorous drug problems, this show has an attractive RN working around a disability such as a prosthetic leg and dating which is where the Paramedic enters the scene.

Again, what I was stating were the issues that are commonly seen such as end of life, no bed space and organ procurement are the focus. No, there is not always the mega drama and lots of cool trauma to keep one amused every minute of your shift in an ED. The issues this show deals with are more of what you would find on a day to day bases. I believe the nurses who are advising them on this show are trying to keep it more grounded. Although, I'm sure they will eventually write in a helicopter crash or two.

This show also demonstrates how difficult it is to make a show to be somewhat realistic when patient care is not always glamorous. You, like many other members of the public have come to expect alot of sensationalism. To me it is nice to just watch a show without seeing a bunch of hollywood glamour shots and stunts that I hope I don't always encounter or will ever encounter even in a busy city ED.

 

[reaper]

I for one give it two thumbs up!:beerchug:

This is one show that focuses on real life problems in the hospitals, not all the gore and guts!

 

[VentMedic]

I believe this show will be popular with adults going to be faced with some of the situations on the show.

DNR orders and living wills, organ procurement, end of life, hospital costs, lack of bed space, long term life support, suicide, DPOA and family conflicts when deciding care are all issues that may get some talking openly with their own family members. The hospital on the show is also a good middle of the road type facility like what you would find in medium sized cities. It represents the middle class well where many will be able to identify while there are just enough inner city problems such as homelessness to still keep that awareness going.

 

[usafmedic45]

We do try to keep the nurses who shoot heroin and who must constantly have sex on duty to a minimum in the hospital.

Right, but still drug abuse aside- and it does happen (although I've never seen the main character in that show shoot anything...she was just a pill popper unless I was in the kitchen during her Axel Rose impressions...not that it matters other than semantics)- she was a far more realistic portrayal of almost every nurse I've met who did not just graduate from training than Christine Hawthorne.

You, like many other members of the public have come to expect alot of sensationalism.

Actually, I view Hawthorne as being more sensationalistic since it is so fake. I've yet to see anything on there that would even qualify one for an acting award from a community theater company. Just because it doesn't involve sex, drugs, explosions or car chases does not mean it is not sensationalistic.
Also, I can't stand most of the sensationalistic programming. I tend to watch a lot of forensics and history programming more than anything else because of a lack of good alternatives.

To me it is nice to just watch a show without see a bunch of hollywood glamour shots and stunts that I hope I don't always encounter or will even encounter even in a busy city ED.

Right, but then again, I think one of the reasons why I have such disdain of the crap put forth on Hawthorne is that it reminds me of the 'glamor shots' and self-aggrandizing stunts I see nursing and EMS students pull because of their vapid and clueless natures. Pinkett-Smith's character reminds me more of my fiancee's best friend Jamie- a new graduate nurse who still thinks she is going to save the world and is generally one of the most air-headed people I know- than any veteran nurse I have worked with.

Although, I'm sure they will eventually write in a helicopter crash or two.

Hopefully it won't last that long. I can't see people- especially those who tend to watch TNT- standing for a syrupy "drama" that makes some of the medical shows on Lifetime look like they were cut from real life.

Again, what I was stating were the issues that are commonly seen such as end of life, no bed space and organ procurement are the focus.

They hit the topics, but I've seen better acting in even the worst community theater productions I've had the displeasure of sitting through. I actually found myself nodding off at several points during the episodes I've watch. One of the reviews you can easily find online (nearly all of them ambivalent or negative) reported a similar effect: "For now, it does at least have an etherlike quality: It'll lull you into thinking you've watched some far better, far more intriguing drama. And then you'll go quietly to sleep." (Source: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/tv-reviews/hawthorne-tv-review-1003984566.story)

this show has an attractive RN working around a disability such as a prosthetic leg and dating which is where the Paramedic enters the scene.

There is something to be said for keeping the saccharine to a minimum otherwise it gives the show the excessive sweetness of the urine of a diabetic in a fudge shop. Failure to do so makes it a soap opera and one step above a PBS after-school special for making me want to fellate the business end of a Mossberg.

The only way they could have made this a more stereotypical central casting character would be if kid was a retard (instead of the traditional teenage trying to break away from her mom) on top of all the burden from work and had been displaced by Katrina. I mean they hit the race, professional standing, romance and personal tragedy buttons when creating the character. Oh....and surprise! Her mother-in-law is on the hospital board of controllers! I never saw that coming..... The fact that the best friend has a fake leg doesn't seem to add anymore than to the mix than adding that retarded girl did to the Facts of Life. In other words, it was there to appease one of the many special interest groups. Based on the shows out there the average person would be shocked to learn there isn't an ADA requirement that you have at least one handicapped person on every show. We've all seen this same horse and pony show before so many times that I've lost count. They even have a doctor who seems to be doing a Kojak impression with his lollipops. As one reviewer put it, "RN" in this case should be interpreted to mean "rather nondescript". (SOURCE: http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman2/publish/TV_Reviews_21/HawthoRNe_the_RN_s_for_rather_not.asp)

I believe the nurses who are advising them on this show are trying to keep it more grounded.

Actually, I read it exactly the other way: it seems to be nothing more than nursing propaganda to show how nurses are the only thing standing between patients and the world and that strong powerful nurses can walk on water (although most CNOs have way too much power in hospitals). I can't tell you the last time I saw the CNO of a major medical center down in the trenches almost constantly. They basically made her a pushy b***h whom we are to assume has as her only major fault that simply cares too much about her patients and protecting them from the big bad unfeeling male doctors who only care about their paychecks. I don't consider that to be grounded and actually take a small degree of offense at the gender bias that seems to be behind that (and you know me, I'm not easily offended by BS like sexist comments, etc). That is propaganda that would make Josef Goebbels go "Ja wohl meine Frau!"

 

[AnthonyM83]

I believe the nurses who are advising them on this show are trying to keep it more grounded. Although, I'm sure they will eventually write in a helicopter crash or two.

Let's not forget the EMTs/Paramedics doing their part...

 

[VentMedic]

Actually, I read it exactly the other way: it seems to be nothing more than nursing propaganda to show how nurses are the only thing standing between patients and the world and that strong powerful nurses can walk on water (although most CNOs have way too much power in hospitals). I can't tell you the last time I saw the CNO of a major medical center down in the trenches almost constantly. They basically made her a pushy b***h whom we are to assume has as her only major fault that simply cares too much about her patients and protecting them from the big bad unfeeling male doctors who only care about their paychecks. I don't consider that to be grounded and actually take a small degree of offense at the gender bias that seems to be behind that (and you know me, I'm not easily offended by BS like sexist comments, etc). That is propaganda that would make Josef Goebbels go "Ja wohl meine Frau!"

I don't know where you work but not all hospitals are poorly run and not all nurses are looking to bed a doctor. This show is definitely refreshing from "Rescue Me" and some of the other lame shows that must use sex to attract viewers. Not allow TV watchers are horny teenagers and the baby boomer generation would like something a little more believable with topics that actually matter.

 

[usafmedic45]

...not all hospitals are poorly run....

Then why are you lauding a show that furthers that stereotype? At our hospital, the nursing administration does not act in the bullish and immature manner that Hawthorne seems to think is the only way to "save patients". If a nurse were to act like a self-righteous holier than thou rebel, she would find herself out on her backside pretty quick. That is exactly what this show is portraying- with bad acting that I would expect from a high school freshman drama class the first day of the semester- as the acceptable and normal approach to disagreements or turf wars in the health care professions.

not all nurses are looking to bed a doctor.

In what way did I say that is what I believed to be the normal? I was talking about the cranky, disillusioned and a little burnt out attitude. It is the same that not every nurse out there is trying to take down the docs and the hospital administration in the ways that Hawthorne portrays.

This show is definitely refreshing from "Rescue Me" and some of the other lame shows that must use sex to attract viewers.

No, but what puts it back into that category of lame programming is the poor acting and the other problems that have roundly gotten this show negative reviews from pretty much everyone else. If you'll notice I did not once say that the problem was that it sucked because of the lack of sex scenes, etc. I said it sucked because, well, it sucks. The acting is bad, the stories are predictable and lack depth and the attempts at conflict come off like the staged fights on a reality show more than any disagreement between professionals. The only bright spots are exactly what you mentioned- it remains a decent show from a moral standpoint even if it is of such low quality that it jumped the shark long about the time the ink dried on the script.

BTW, Rescue Me does suck. On this we agree.

Not allow TV watchers are horny teenagers and the baby boomer generation would like something a little more believable with topics that actually matter.

Like I said, I agree that it is nice to see a show touch on topics that actually matter instead of who is going to be Paris Hilton's new best friend or any other such drivel. However, I am saddened that it was this disgraceful excuse for acting and screenwriting. I've seen more realism and better acting in the scenarios featured in the ACLS training DVDs.

 

[VentMedic]

Then why are you lauding a show that furthers that stereotype? At our hospital, the nursing administration does not act in the bullish and immature manner that Hawthorne seems to think is the only way to "save patients". If a nurse were to act like a self-righteous holier than thou rebel, she would find herself out on her backside pretty quick. That is exactly what this show is portraying- with bad acting that I would expect from a high school freshman drama class the first day of the semester- as the acceptable and normal approach to disagreements or turf wars in the health care professions.

How does being an advocate for patients and staff make her the villian?

The acting could be better but it still is better than most and it deals with more realistic issues.

As large as the nursing population is it would be very difficult to cover each and every personality involved. Thus, I believe this show went for a conservative approach and doesn't want to compete with a sex crazed, alcholic, pill popping Paramedics, FFs and nurses on other shows.

I am beginning to think you just hate nurses who are in charge and that has clouded your judgement on what the show is about.

Hospital work is not for everyone and EMT(P)s may want want action and crashes. However, the educated public may be looking for something that is somewhat entertaining and doesn't have their senses blown to pieces or intelligence constantly insulted.

 

[usafmedic45]

How does being an advocate for patients and staff make her the villian?

She's not a "villain", just not a very accurate portrayal of nurses or nurse managers. It's also the way the overplay it. It would be like watching Rodney Dangerfield try to play Hamlet only with insipid dialogue ("I'm a nurse, dammit!" and "It's my job" and surrounded by equally shrug-worthy characters who say things like, "There's no right way to grieve." SOURCE: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/tv-reviews/hawthorne-tv-review-1003984566.story). Pinkett-Smith admitted herself in an interview that she plays the character as having a God complex. I don't know about you, but that isn't exactly a great thing to paint nurses as having anymore than it is to paint docs that way (and they would be labeled as a**holes for it).

Also some of the illegal practices she uses to "save her patients" (the broom closet turned hospital room?) or the miraculous code save only by God herself? How about those? Neither of those are accurate portrayals. Not villainous, but not what I would want portrayed about my profession if I were a nurse or if she was an RT.

The acting could be better but it still is better than most and it deals with more realistic issues.

Just because it deals with realistic issues that does not give it a carte blanche to suck otherwise and still be a good show. Even a documentary on end of life care that is completely accurate that is horribly done is still going to be viewed as bad.

As large as the nursing population is it would be very difficult to cover each and every personality involved. Thus, I believe this show went for a conservative approach and doesn't want to compete with a sex crazed, alcholic, pill popping Paramedics, FFs and nurses on other shows.

Nothing wrong with a conservative approach. I actually wish more shows took that track. However, we are not judging other shows that feature what you mentioned so please stop using strawman arguments to defend the show. Just because the other programming involving this field also really suck and the people are flawed, that is not an excuse to provide this show a pass simply because they have a bunch of goody two shoes as characters. They went out of their way to make sure every race, disabled people, etc were represented. Why could they have not put some of that effort into trying to give the characters some depth? Perhaps you'll agree they should have gone for quality of characters over the quantity or diversity of them. I would have rather seen an all minority or all white or all crippled cast that has more than just the underhand slow pitch softball equivalent of lines and backstory.

I am beginning to think you just hate nurses who are in charge and that has clouded your judgement on what the show is about.

I'll have to tell that one to the nurse practitioner I have an appointment with tomorrow. She's been a friend of mine since childhood and is one of the senior people in the state association/group for nurse practitioners. I have nothing against nurses having power (in fact, I have argued docs should turn primary care over entirely to NPs and PAs so they can focus on complex patients). I would far rather have a nurse overseeing the operations of a hospital than an MBA.

Why is the assumption that I dislike nurses because I can't stand a poorly executed impersonation of a stereotype of nurses? I would pan the show exactly the same way (on its merits, or more appropriately lack there of) if it was about respiratory therapists, paramedics, doctors, physical therapists or any other profession.

Hospital work is not for everyone and EMT(P)s may want want action and crashes.

And this has what to do with the discussion?

However, the educated public may be looking for something that is somewhat entertaining and doesn't have their senses blown to pieces or intelligence constantly insulted.

That is what I approached this show hoping to see. It failed to deliver. As part of that same educated public you consider yourself to belong to, I found the show to be shallow, insulting to my intelligence and lacking in anything approaching genuine emotion. It is simply a night time soap opera of the same ilk as the other shows produced by TNT such as Saving Grace and The Closer which are also both crap but at least the former has better acting that god awful Kyra Sedgwick abortion or the adventures of St. Hawthorne.

 

[VentMedic]

usafmedic45,

Just don't watch the show if it upsets you that much. If you find so many things wrong with it, why didn't you just change the channel?

If you can not see beyond just the fluff stuff...don't watch the show. You have that choice. You seem to have spent a lot of time and effort watching and critiquing a show that you dislike. CHANGE THE CHANNEL!!

All I did was point out that this show addresses more mature issues like end of life, organ donation and hospital over crowding in the ICUs. I also stated if you are looking for sex, drugs and gore, it is not the show for you. I never intended this to be an all out bash on nurses or anyone else.

I am also over 20 years older than you as are probably many of the viewers of this show. We will not agree as my preferences have changed over the years. I no longer watch the same shows with the attitude I did at 20. Living wills, healthcare costs, termination of life support and organ procurement are more related to my profession and life.