Top 5 TV Doctors (and What They Teach Us)

By: Kirsten S., who is working towards becoming a forensic scientist by taking online courses within the field.
Practically every time you turn the television on, you are greeted by some sort of medical drama. All these shows are entertaining and some show some truths and insights to the medical world.
Here are the top 5 TV doctors that have graced our small screens:
5. Dr. Addison Montgomery - Dr. Addison was first featured on Grey's Anatomy as the scorned wife of Dr. Derek "McDreamy" Shephard. Dr. Montgomery may have made some interesting personal life choices (affairs with her husband's best friend!) but she has always been an advocate for woman and babies. As a neonatal surgeon with board certifications in Obstetrics and Gynecology, watching her both on Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice is a refreshing course in woman's reproductive health.
4. Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce - M*A*S*H has been off the air for a long time, but its episodes are timeless. While this television show is mostly comedic and ridiculous, it displays some of the hardships of being a medical team during a war. Hawkeye works hard to get supplies that the team needs, makes his patients feel comfortable and eases the tension in the most uncomfortable, war torn circumstances. At the root of his antics, the patients are always his priority and making them comfortable and safe is his number one concern.
3. Dr. Leo Spaceman - 30 Rock's celebrity resident doctor is nothing but a joke. His tagline is "Fertility | Meth Addiction | Child Psychology - A Fine Doctor, and a Pretty Good Dentist!” If you ever come across a doctor like this, run - don't walk, the other direction. All too often horror stories are told about bogus medical advice a friend or family member received, Dr. Spaceman rolls all those stereotypes into one hilarious (and completely inappropriate) celebrity doctor.
2. Dr. House - If I ever had something mysteriously wrong with me, I would want Dr. House to be my diagnostician. He picks up on small details, like simple conversation and subtle insights in the way the patient moves, to make a correct diagnosis. Despite the fact he is always breaking hospital policy and that he is generally disagreeable - it's hard to argue that he's not a good doctor. Dr. House is indifferent to his patients, which makes people uneasy, but it's what allows him to diagnose so well. By making the patients seem unimportant, he can focus on their symptoms and save their lives.
1. Nurse Jackie - Ok, she's not a doctor. But, she's essential to the hospital staff. She makes herself more valuable than the doctors at her New York City hospital by being an expert diagnostician and having a superior bedside manner. Nurse Jackie does play fast and loose with some ethical rules, she herself is addicted to painkillers and has an affair with the hospital pharmacist to obtain her dose of pills. But even with her questionable morals and her drug addiction, Nurse Jackie proves over and over again that she knows what she is doing. Having a biting sarcastic wit with the doctors and administrators on staff, but a calm, kind and soothing tone with patients and worried loved ones, she immediately is a favorite among patients and their family members. Doctors are unable to do what they do without nurses, Nurse Jackie hits that point home every single episode.