Grey’s Anatomy has an unfortunate tendency to simultaneously glorify surgeons and put down everyone else, especially nurses. This depiction of the medical profession is completely inaccurate and unfair.  Every member of the hospital staff is important to keep things running smoothly, ensure adequate patient care, and save lives.

On the series premiere of Grey’s Anatomy, a doctor insults Meredith Grey by calling her a nurse. The implication is that nurses are inferior to doctors. On Grey’s Anatomy, the surgeons do everything that is actually done by nurses in real life, including providing around-the-clock patient monitoring and care, following through on each patient’s individual treatment plan, and getting to know the patient and their family members on a personal level to provide them with comfort and support. Nurses play a crucial role in medicine; without nurses, surgeons wouldn’t be able to do their jobs, and the entire hospital would be unable to function.

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