# Ridiculous portrayals of professions on TV **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 31, 2011, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ridiculous-portrayals-of-professions-on-tv/601375 "2011-10-31T13:52:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MPB_in_Salt_Lake)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2011, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ridiculous-portrayals-of-professions-on-tv/601375/141 "2011-11-21T00:28:51Z")
> [@CrazyCatLady](#): > > Was Daphne an actual PT? I was under the impression that she started out as a home health aide, and they eventually hired her as a housekeeper who could still help Dad with his therapy/exercises. I think you are right in that she was called a home health aide originally, but as the series continued, they had her as a fully licensed PT. “Frasier” wasn’t always consistent with it’s characters’ backstories, but in general, they did a better job than most sit-coms. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2011, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ridiculous-portrayals-of-professions-on-tv/601375/142 "2011-11-21T02:24:25Z")
I’m glad this thread got resurrected. I was going through a season of one of my favorite shows, [Psych](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0491738/), had an error so egregious that I shouted at the TV. Usually, when there’s a bit on dramatic license taken on a detail, I can let it go. After all, they exist in a different world than I do[sup]\*[/sup]. But there was an episode, [Earth, Wind, and…Wait for It](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1189419/), where they were undercover as firefighters. Shawn is questioning a firefighter who is practicing CPR on Gus. At one point, Gus complains about it, and Shawn says (paraphrased), “Gus, you’re destroying the illusion! He has to practice CPR on a living person to get certified!” You **NEVER** do CPR on a living person. You could actually cause someone to go into cardiac arrest, and die. My late father was a career firefighter. Watching movies like _Backdraft_ and _Ladder 49_ with him could really elevate one’s blood pressure. He got really worked up about the inconsistencies. ---
**Author:** ![EvilTOJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee59a6/32.png) [@EvilTOJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilTOJ)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2011, 11:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ridiculous-portrayals-of-professions-on-tv/601375/143 "2011-11-21T11:01:18Z")
> [@JSexton](#): > > I’m in IT, and it pains me to watch basically any show with computers that invariably have giant, easy to read GUIs, can search any database in the world in five seconds flat, have 128-bit encryption but can be hacked by a laptop in minutes, are able to access traffic cameras in Sri Lanka on a moment’s notice, _have keyboards that can be used by two people at once_, and so on. So you watched [this scene](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39CRw7zH_2A) I take it? ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2011, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ridiculous-portrayals-of-professions-on-tv/601375/144 "2011-11-21T17:31:46Z")
> [@Superdude](#): > > You **NEVER** do CPR on a living person. You could actually cause someone to go into cardiac arrest, and die. If you are doing CPR correctly you will at least be cracking the person’s sternum and probably breaking ribs too. Anything less is not pushing hard enough. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2011, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ridiculous-portrayals-of-professions-on-tv/601375/145 "2011-11-23T02:48:01Z")
> [@Dallas\_Jones](#): > > If you are doing CPR correctly you will at least be cracking the person’s sternum and probably breaking ribs too. > > Anything less is not pushing hard enough. Good point, **Dallas**. I was doing CPR on an elderly gentleman once who had suffered a coronary while riding on a tractor, and fell off. I was doing CPR all the way to the hospital, where the gentleman was pronounced dead. We discovered that the fall had caused a very slight [flail chest segment](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flail_chest), and each compression I did was pushing a portion of bone into the patient’s heart. ---
**Author:** ![Waenara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/50afbb/32.png) [@Waenara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waenara)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2011, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ridiculous-portrayals-of-professions-on-tv/601375/146 "2011-11-23T20:28:27Z")
> [@Superdude](#): > > You **NEVER** do CPR on a living person. You could actually cause someone to go into cardiac arrest, and die. Actually, that’s not the case - the risk of damage is very low. The American Heart Association has recently introduced changes to their CPR guidelines and courses. Some of the changes are to make it so that CPR is initiated quickly once you arrive on the scene - research had found that people spent too long farting around with the person’s airway, checking for breathing and checking for a pulse, and taking too long to start chest compressions. Therefore, they have changed CPR guidelines from ABC (airway, breathing, circulation) to CAB (chest compressions, airway, breathing), and they also eliminate the “look, listen and feel” before starting CPR. For CPR to be successful, it’s imperative to start compressions ASAP. They recommend that healthcare providers doing CPR spend no longer than 7-10 seconds checking for a pulse before starting CPR, and that laypersons doing CPR _shouldn’t even try_ to find a pulse if someone collapses and is unresponsive and not breathing. Also, once you initiate CPR you don’t bother stopping to recheck the pulse while doing CPR - you continue until EMTs arrive, or the patient wakes up or starts moving. So theoretically if your CPR was successful at resuscitating the patient before EMTs arrive but the patient is still unconscious and unmoving, you would still be doing CPR on them. Cite from the [American Heart Association](http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/122/18_suppl_3/S640.full) (my emphasis added): > [@](#): > > Minimize the importance of pulse checks by healthcare providers. Detection of a pulse can be difficult, and even highly trained healthcare providers often incorrectly assess the presence or absence of a pulse when blood pressure is abnormally low or absent. Healthcare providers should take no more than 10 seconds to determine if a pulse is present. **Chest compressions delivered to patients subsequently found not to be in cardiac arrest rarely lead to significant injury. [sup]110[/sup]** The lay rescuer should activate the emergency response system if he or she finds an unresponsive adult. **The lay rescuer should not attempt to check for a pulse** and should assume that cardiac arrest is present if an adult suddenly collapses, is unresponsive, and is not breathing or not breathing normally (ie, only gasping). The citation for the bolded portion can is: White, L., Rogers, J., Bloomingdale, M., Fahrenbruch, C., Culley, L., Subido, C., Eisenberg, M., Rea, T. Dispatcher-assisted cardiopulmonary resuscitation: risks for patients not in cardiac arrest. Circulation. 2010;121:91–97. Free full-text can be [found here](http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/121/1/91.abstract?ijkey=ffb27abb96b9743b1b0cc2fedebcbdfe0efeedc4&keytype2=tf_ipsecsha). The abstract states (my emphasi added): > [@](#): > > Background— Dispatcher-assisted cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) instructions can increase bystander CPR and thereby increase the rate of survival from cardiac arrest. The risk of bystander CPR for patients not in arrest is uncertain and has implications for how assertive dispatch is in instructing CPR. We determined the frequency of dispatcher-assisted CPR for patients not in arrest and the frequency and severity of injury related to chest compressions. > > Methods and Results— The investigation was a prospective cohort study of adult patients not in cardiac arrest for whom dispatchers provided CPR instructions in King County, Washington, between June 1, 2004, and January 31, 2007. The study focused on those who received chest compressions. Information was collected through review of the audio and written dispatch report, written emergency medical services report, hospital record, and telephone survey. Of the 1700 patients for whom dispatcher CPR instructions were initiated, 55% (938 of 1700) were in arrest, 45% (762 of 1700) were not in arrest, and 18% (313 of 1700) were not in arrest and received bystander chest compressions. **Of the 247 not in arrest who received chest compressions and had complete outcome ascertainment, 12% (29 of 247) experienced discomfort, and 2% (6 of 247) sustained injuries likely or possibly caused by bystander CPR. Only 2% (5 of 247) suffered a fracture, and no patients suffered visceral organ injury**. > > Conclusions— In this prospective study, the frequency of serious injury related to dispatcher-assisted bystander CPR among nonarrest patients was low. When coupled with the established benefits of bystander CPR among those with arrest, these results support an assertive program of dispatcher-assisted CPR. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2011, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ridiculous-portrayals-of-professions-on-tv/601375/147 "2011-11-24T02:29:57Z")
I realized that I should have elaborated a bit in my CPR comment. When I said to not do CPR on a living person, I meant a regular person up and walking around. By all means, EMTs and paramedics and the like, should use the utmost speed and care. But to actually perform CPR on someone with a normal, strong pulse has the potential to be harmful. I suppose I should have went more in depth. Thanks. I’ve been a practicing EMT for the last 4 years. I’m currently going through my continuation for license renewal. ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2012, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ridiculous-portrayals-of-professions-on-tv/601375/148 "2012-02-12T03:46:30Z")
> [@Noelq](#): > > ::marvels in wonderment:: \ ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2012, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ridiculous-portrayals-of-professions-on-tv/601375/149 "2012-02-12T12:25:52Z")
> [@conurepete](#): > > On Fraser the physical therapist lived in his home, and did the family dishes. I don’t do dishes, and feel like I am barely home enough to “live” in my own home. Physical therapists don’t treat people continuously for 4+ years, either. I have to beg to differ on this one. I’d have no problem with Daphne living with me for 4+ years. mmm ---
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2012, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ridiculous-portrayals-of-professions-on-tv/601375/150 "2012-02-12T12:34:24Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I know this is a bit anticlimactic, but to get back to the OP: > > I can’t say that physicists are mis-portrayed on screen, but that’s mostly because physicists just aren’t portrayed at all. What you get instead is a character who’s a Scientist. What’s his specialty? Why, Science, of course. Probably the worst example of this was John Crichton from _Farscape_, whose degree was in “theoretical and applied science”, but any scientist character ever, in almost any TV show ever, is an expert in all branches of science. I mean, as a physicist, I probably know more than the general public about, say, biology, but most of that consists in knowing when I need to pass the buck to an actual biologist. Even within physics, there are quite a few subfields where I only have a passing knowledge at best Crichton was an astronaut, that meant he was pretty damn bright to start with and would have a general grasp of science. He never showed any special ability in any science until the episode with…well lets just say his brain was messed with by advanced aliens who implanted advanced physics knowledge. After this we see him doing equations, never before. He learns from the other crew members about Leviathan tech, and he manipulates it on the level they do which is much like a mechanic. In that horrible episode where he is stranded on a planet he becomes a beach bum fisherman, we see no special ability beyond any 20th century astronaut. ---
**Author:** ![Sister\_Vigilante](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@Sister\_Vigilante](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sister_Vigilante)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2012, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ridiculous-portrayals-of-professions-on-tv/601375/151 "2012-02-13T21:22:39Z")
> [@drachillix](#): > > \ Lucky! My husband has a pic with him. Wish I’d been there. ---
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2012, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ridiculous-portrayals-of-professions-on-tv/601375/152 "2012-02-13T21:38:50Z")
> [@Krokodil](#): > > Lots of TV lawyers routinely save their client by discovering the real killer; IRL, defense lawyers establish reasonable doubt and then call it a day. IIRC, the first episode of Matlock had him proving the innocence of his client, but when somebody asked him who did it, I think he responded along the lines of, “I leave finding that to the detectives.” I am fairly certain that none of the other episodes left the crime unsolved. ---
**Author:** ![KneeSid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dec6dc/32.png) [@KneeSid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneeSid)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2012, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ridiculous-portrayals-of-professions-on-tv/601375/153 "2012-02-13T22:32:45Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > A bigger issue for me on forensic shows is the convenient clue. A particular bit of leather found on the scene is only used in one brand of shoes, which is only sold in two stores in the entire city. That’s just lazy writing. > . Like Leopold and Loeb with Leopold’s glasses. They were found near the scene and that kind of hinge on the glasses was only purchased by three people in Chicago. Or in NJ the police set out to identify a potential suspect with a writing sample based on an advertisement he answered for a penis enhancement product. They would have to go through some 50,000 replies and they found what they wanted on the fifth sample they looked at. People do get lucky ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2013, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ridiculous-portrayals-of-professions-on-tv/601375/154 "2013-06-14T18:37:18Z")
For lawyers, they rarely show the hours of searching through databases and checking up on citation health. ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2013, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ridiculous-portrayals-of-professions-on-tv/601375/155 "2013-06-14T19:15:03Z")
and the way Zombie Thread hunters are portrayed… why it’s totally unrealistic! ---
**Author:** ![The\_Mad\_Hermit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b5ac83/32.png) [@The\_Mad\_Hermit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Mad_Hermit)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2013, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ridiculous-portrayals-of-professions-on-tv/601375/156 "2013-06-14T19:55:37Z")
…but this is the JMS zombie thread! ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2013, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ridiculous-portrayals-of-professions-on-tv/601375/157 "2013-06-16T06:48:54Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > I’ve been in Security for over 30 years, and according to television, books and movies I belong to the dumbest, laziest and most incompetent group of people on the face of the Earth. When I did security work in the late 90s, I watched some crappy movie about the first WTC bombing. One of the characters was some bum (IIRC, he was some Princeton/Harvard/Uof Paris graduate, who was blaming himself for not saving the world from AIDS/Cancer/WWII, etc…). After the bombing, the Security guard ran around asking everybody and their cat “What do I do???” I think he even asked a school teacher and her classroom full of 7 years-old kids who were there for some field trip. The bum?? Of course, he came out of the sky and saved just about everybody in the building, then went on to stop blaming himself and become the Albert Schweitzer that he was destined to be. So, even bums trump Security Guards in a movie. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ridiculous-portrayals-of-professions-on-tv/601375.md?page=7)