5 TV Shows That Make You Want to Join the Medical Field

Following the lives of surgical interns and residents at a Seattle hospital, Grey's Anatomy takes a very different stance on the traditional medical drama. The show focuses on the social lives of the characters as well as their development as medical professionals. Its popularity and reputation have placed it among the top shows for the coveted 18-49 viewing demographic.

Richard Boone from Medic, a medical drama popular in 1955. Wikimedia Commons

Medicine has a long history on television. From the 4077th on M*A*S*H to the cast of General Hospital, medical professionals have long been portrayed in various ways on the small screen. Many of these shows have even inspired viewers to join the healthcare field. In this article we'll discuss some of the most popular medical dramas of the past ten years.

Grey's Anatomy

Grey's Anatomy was written for an ethnically inclusive and diverse cast, making it extraordinarily unique for TV. The writer and executive producer who is responsible for the show's creation, Shonda Rhimes, wrote few physical character descriptions. Her intention was to cast whichever actors could do the roles the most justice.

Edie Falco is Nurse Jackie. Wikimedia Commons

Nurse Jackie

Instead of featuring doctors, or characters who wish to become doctors, as most medical dramas tend to do, Nurse Jackie is a show about a nurse. It tends to be a dark comedy, highlighting the type of balancing act that nurses and other ER staff need to work through every day. The show also puts a lot of emphasis on nurse Jackie's own personal strengths and weaknesses.

_Nurse Jackie _constitutes a fresh view of both medical and allied health professionals. It breaks away from formulaic characters and plot development seen in the majority of medical dramas. Witty and dark, people who work in healthcare will appreciate this show's depictions of their chosen profession.

Scrubs

Scrubs is another series that offers a new spin on medical-themed television. The show offers a comedic look at the lives of medical professionals. It focuses on characters who start off as young, fresh-faced and naive medical interns. Much of the show is driven by the internal narration and daydreams of the principal character, Dr. John Dorian, or JD.

Scrubs is funny. At its core, however, Scrubs tends to be meaningful as well. It draws you into the lives and aspirations of the characters, who are all absurdly well played, with a surprising degree of depth and development. Most regular viewers of Scrubs, which stopped airing in 2010, would love to be part of the team with JD and Turk, weathering the ins and outs of life in the medical field.

House M.D.

The exceedingly brilliant but morose Dr. Gregory House is the principle character in the medical drama House which, unlike many medical dramas, focuses primarily on diagnostics. Dr. House and his team of diagnosticians are subjected to time-sensitive cases each episode, with a treatment typically found at the last minute due to the ingenuity of one of the primary characters.

House reminds us of the type of critical problem-solving skills medical professionals must display on a regular basis. Even if it's not as dramatic as this hard-hitting medical drama might suggest, effective diagnosis and treatment is a product of the thought and effort of the entire healthcare team.

ER

ER is certainly one of the most well-known medical dramas of all time. It's also one of the longest running. The show focuses on the emergency room of the fictional County General Hospital located in Chicago, Illinois. ER takes a look at the various internal issues faced by medical professionals as well as the personal issues of the characters.

To call ER's depiction of the world of emergency medicine fast-paced would be a drastic understatement. The electric atmosphere viewers experience on ER made it one of the most popular medical dramas of all time, and has certainly served as motivation for aspiring healthcare workers.