Hour 6
I think this is the best episode of the season so far (directed by Noah Wyle himself). I loved the focus on the nurses.
The student nurse is acting as an excellent surrogate for the viewer this season. She’s asking the same questions, and reacting to situations, the same way we would,
I found Perla’s reaction to Louie’s death strange. Did she make some mistake to cause it?
No. He was someone there often enough long enough that she cared about him, more than the usual “detached concern” for every patient.
Those that are fixating on the helmet must not have spent much time in Pennsylvania. It’s a pretty common sight.
It was obvious in season 1 that Mel was undiagnosed autistic. There really isn’t a reason to make even more obvious.
It does seem to be moving slow this season but then I remember the pace last season before the mass cass event.
I tried to stay away from spoilers but I think I got enough hints to know want the plot crescendo is.
It’s a common site everywhere. Just not among ED docs. A friend of mine would roll down his window and give unhelmeted motorcycles a card that had organ donor information and the line “from the American College of Emergency Physicians (or some such) - we don’t want your business.” - until his wife made him stop thinking someone would react … badly … at some point.
Just watched the new episode and a few observations:
The plotline of Dana acting as SANE to the sexual assault victim was very well done. Katherine LaNasa can project empathy like no one else.
Noah Wyle should be teaching that double take he did at Abbot and Mohan in improv courses all over Hollywood.
I just hope that the cutting marks that Santos has on her thigh are old and not fresh. Her trauma apparently manifested itself in more than just her personality towards others.
Not everywhere. Helmets are required in most states on both coasts. I actually thought it was about 50% of the states but it looks like it’s in 18 states.
I had to Google that acronym, so to save everyone else the trouble, SANE means “sexual assault nurse examiner.”
And yes, Dana was a calming presence there. I noticed she told the victim everything she was about to do, before she did it. (“We’re going to turn off the lights now, and use this blacklight to look for evidence on your skin.”)
This is a good example of something The Pitt does so well: slipping in exposition and explanations virtually unnoticed. Dana unpacked the acronym twice during the episode, but it sounded like so much medical patter in the moment.
Something else in tonight’s episode made think I missed something in a past episode — Dr Santos singing to the baby in Tagalog. Has Dr Santos been able to understand Perlah and Princess all along but never let on? Have Perlah and Princess ever spoke poorly of Dr Santos in Tagalog and within earshot, assuming they’d not be understood?
She revealed she knew what they were saying in season 1. A few episodes ago she said a few words to one or both of them.
Biased maybe as my state is not on the list. And I suspect there are scofflaws everywhere. Point though is as common as it is, his not wearing a helmet stands out. As tonight his handling something bloody in his bare hands for a while did.
And the helmet thing would likely have been a forgotten detail had the show not continued to point giant blinking arrows at it every episode. I think tonight’s was the first time all season that we have not had head trauma/motorcycle accidents/discussion of helmets.
I actually found it. This was from season 1. I don’t remember which episode.
They looked pretty faded to me. I had to rewind just to see them.
Not always though. A season and a half in and I still don’t know what an E-FAST is. But it seems like just about everyone gets one. (Looked it up, Extended FAST, where FAST is Focused Assessment with Sonography for Trauma.)
But with SANE you would need to explain it to the assault victim, hence the exposition. With E-FAST, the doctors would already know what it is so no point in spelling it out between them.
Agreed though that the SANE scene was very well done.
E-FAST’s meaning was explained by show not say. Really unless you work in an ED you wouldn’t already know what it was, but one time of them saying “I’m doing the E-FAST … lungs sliding, no blood in the belly …” and it is pretty clear that it is a fast imaging assessment.
E-FAST Is the electronic stethoscope thingy hooked up to a monitor right? We picked that up from context like @DSeid said.
When my daughter was little she didn’t know the word stethoscope yet so she called it “thing to be a doctor.”
This is the one medical thing I actually know anything about!
We have SANEs at my agency. I have written many grants for them. In our case we have a 24/7 clinic at our secure facility, we provide transportation, and a first response advocate is there from the beginning (ideally.) It was interesting seeing how this would play out in an ER setting (we do have arrangements with local hospitals and nursing homes so it doesn’t have to be done at our clinic.)
Overall there was nothing in there that made me say, “That’s not how it’s done!” I thought it was well done but there was a lot they skipped. But I guess they would have to or it would get tedious for the viewer.
Generally, in reality - at least at my agency - there is much more handholding, and the victim has complete agency from the beginning. There would be a whole spiel about what a rape kit even is, how it can be used, how long it can be held as evidence before a decision must be made about what to do with it. And then after the exam there would be a whole legal advocacy piece to talk about options and answer questions, and a follow-up scheduled for contraception, HIV NPEP and other medication needs (if she completes the exam next episode, we might get that part.) The show had some good key moments showing victim agency, but I was expecting a little more explanation through every step. It’s necessary in the aftermath of sexual assault for the victim to be able to make as many decisions as possible about what they want to do. So it might seem over the top for a TV show but that agency piece is repeated over and over in reality. (Assuming it’s done right.)
But the service this woman got at the Pitt - pretty damned good, overall. Far above the standards of most hospitals. Most hospitals don’t have SANEs. My agency is the only place in my county that has SANEs. They serve a critically important function, but that kind of work will take its toll. The SANEs are kind of notorious for unintentionally traumatizing the other staff because the kinds of things they see regularly in that clinic are a horror to basically everyone else. Pretty much all the shit that keeps me up at night came from the SANE clinic. And that’s not even getting into PEDS (which is a whole other specialized training.)
It’s funny when Dana said, “I’m the only SANE on shift” I thought she was saying “saint” at first, and I was not far off. My hat’s off to those folks.
Overall I thought it struck a good balance between allowing the viewer to be uncomfortable and being gratuitous. If there is one thing I would like viewers to get from the show it would be how fucking hard it can be to report a rape. I think they did that well.