E.R., time of death 2200

What can I say about ER?

People always ask, is that stuff real?

As real as a heart attack I tell them.

The only flaw is that sometimes, just sometimes, their treatments/medications are a bit behind the latest treatments. Medicine moves just that fast.

Well, emergency room medicine does.

The last episode touched on all the areas that are universal to all health care.

And it showed what doctors and nurses do best which is struggle and eat absolute garbage at four am and be tired and be traumatized and try hard to hold it all together and then you get older and more experienced you can go sit next to a man and say, ‘its time to think about making your wife comfortable.’ And ‘this irregular breathing this is a natural part of dying’.

And not even miss a breath. And have it come out like you are tying your shoes.

I can say I have watched only about 10 episodes of ER.

And even though I have not worked in an ER, every episode feels like going to work.

Because the ER is the place everything and anything can and will happen.

Which feeds the crazy that drives all the nurses and doctors.

Ya see, when you crack open an anatomy book, when you open up a cadaver, when you take a blood pressure, when you put in an IV, when you help birth a baby, when you wash an old man’s face after he pukes up coffee ground emesis, you fight a sergeant to get the inmate to a hospital, when you hold a patient’s hand as they die, when you teach someone’s twelve year old daughter to help clean their granmma’s wound, you sit with a patient and help them unpack unbelievable sadness and trauma and watch as they heal, watch as they come out of their darkness, get their job back, talk to their kids more, and when you listen to their wives and find out they are healing too . . then . . .



You have seen God.



Now here is your assignment, what is the definition of a sternal rub and when was it used in the last episode of ER? First correct answer gets 50 points.

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Have a good weekend everyone!