ABOUT THIS EPISODE
BEWARE: CONTAINS LIGHT, GENERAL SPOILERS What does HBO Max’s The Pitt actually get right about emergency rooms — and what does it completely miss?
In this episode of *Beyond the Bedside*, hosts Betty Long, MHA, RN, Founder and CEO of Guardian Nurses Healthcare Advocates, and Rebecca Rivkin-Czarkowski, MPH, BSN, RN, nurse advocate and healthcare expert, break down the hit medical drama from the perspective of real healthcare professionals with years of ER experience. From nonstop trauma and overcrowded waiting rooms to workplace violence against nurses and the emotional toll of emergency medicine, they discuss the moments that felt painfully accurate — and the ones that felt a little too Hollywood.
They also explore:
• Violence against healthcare workers
• What ER shifts really feel like
• The emotional stress nurses carry home
• Why The Pitt has healthcare workers talking
• Physician vs. nurse representation in medical dramas
• COVID’s lasting impact on healthcare culture
• What television still misunderstands about nursing
Plus, Betty shares insights from her advocacy work surrounding healthcare worker safety and the Protect Our Nurses initiative.
Have you watched *The Pitt*? Tell us what YOU think they got right — or wrong — in the comments.
