The International Council of Nurses (ICN) officially
announced the Nurses Day theme for the 2026 Nurses Week (May 6-12) as: “Our
Nurses. Our Future. Empowered Nurses Save Lives.”
As a newly retired nurse educator with 35 years of Emergency
Nursing experience, I was excited to watch the most authentic medical show
ever, the HBO Max hit series “The Pitt”. Not just because they finally featured
Filipino nurses (ahem), but because it captured the intense emotions, challenges,
chaos, and frenzy of busy urban ERs. I watched the medical personnel struggle
as they navigated the complex environment, bless their hearts. But on this
special week, I have to give a shout-out to all nurses, but more especially the
ER nurses. I will explain later why I am
confident that nurses will continue to shine and save lives.
As in the first season, the show did not shy away from the
realities of healthcare in the United States. Contrary to some opinions, the
show’s portrayal of the challenges (insurance issues, immigration, and ICE
agents) was NOT political. Heartily and passionately, I will argue that these
are real issues that plague our country, regardless of political leanings. We
have a broken healthcare system; truth hurts.
“The Pitt” concluded on April 16, 2026. I don’t think I am
the only one with Separation Anxiety. Season 3 is scheduled to air in January
2027. What will I do in this interlude? Re-watch Seasons 1 and 2, binge on ER,
Grey’s Anatomy, and try other medical shows like Amsterdam, Code Black, The
Resident, and the comedies Scrubs and St. Denis Medical. I have a feeling that
none of these shows is as realistic as The Pitt.
In a nutshell, Season 2
The 15-episode Season 2 show delivered as a one-hour session
per episode from 7:00 am, packed with a whole lot of excitement in this July 4
holiday shift. Firework injuries, a waterslide collapsed with multiple victims;
Dr. Abbot came as a SWAT team physician; a new grad nurse was assaulted on her
first day; a rape victim was given GHB by a friend; Baby Jane Doe was found in
a patient’s bathroom, whose mother remained unknown; Dr. Landon’s first day of
work after a drug rehab; a new attending physician with absent seizures; the
bariatric patient needing diagnostic imaging and the compassionate way that the
staff handled the dilemma; several patient deaths; missed diagnoses; and the
Fourth of July fireworks at the end of a very exhausting overtime shift.
The computer downtime was a hoot, causing havoc, especially
among the younger staff who struggled to adapt to analog procedures, did not
know what Fax was, and could not even read the doctors’ cursive chicken-shit
handwriting. Thank goodness for medical student Joy’s photographic memory of
the computer screen census. Otherwise, the whiteboard would be just a blank
board with no information.
It was also fun seeing Nurse Princess win the betting pool
about the cyberattack in a neighboring hospital, then having to share her
winnings with her buddy Perlah, who suspected inside information. I just have
to add how funny Princess was as she got flirty with the handsome radiologist.
Graphic realism
Even after all those years in busy ERs, I still learned a
lot from the show. I was taking notes and would use them in the next
certification exam review class I will be teaching (still doing some per-diem
teaching).
Drug use burns from xylazine; liver failure from turmeric
overdose, resuscitative hysterotomy from the wild birth case;
phytophotodermatitis or margarita burns; Thoravent (portable, one-way valve
device to treat a small pneumothorax); Butterfly iQ3 handheld ultrasound-
POCUS; slash tracheostomy; clamshell Thoracotomy; XStat (a rapid-acting
hemostatic device); and a cowboy-maneuver of a closed, manual reduction of a
unilateral cervical facet dislocation.
As graphic as some procedures were, I was enjoying the
doctors being badass and pushing the boundaries.
Medical insurance
This is a hot button for me. Having worked in a city
hospital for 21 years, I liked to think that, as a safety-net hospital, we were
caring for the most vulnerable and underserved populations. Poverty caused
people to miss their medications and refrain from seeking care until almost too
late.
"Give me your
tired, your poor, / Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free..." was written
by the poet Emma Lazarus for the Statue of Liberty. Safety net hospitals (and
EMTALA) would say, “Come to us, we will take care of you regardless of your
race, gender, religious affiliations, or ability to pay.”
In Season 2, Orlando was underinsured, despite working
several jobs. He was in diabetic ketoacidosis but signed out against medical
advice because he could not afford a hospital admission. This is heartbreaking.
He returned as a trauma victim after falling twenty feet at his construction
work site. I couldn’t help but think that he purposefully jumped to unburden
his family from the costs of his disease.
"You Can't Save Everyone"
However much we try,
sometimes, we cannot save everyone. Some deaths are inevitable, may come as a
surprise, and sometimes even a relief for those who have suffered with pain.
The guilt or grief may linger in the provider’s heart long
after the incident. We need to come to terms with it, or the heartache may come
to haunt us.
Louie was a favorite among the ER staff, the chronic
alcoholic who spiraled into depression after his wife and unborn child died.
Roxie came to the ER to die; it is a final reckoning on how
cancer is pulling her away from her family. She accepted her fate and did not
want her sons to be forever traumatized by seeing her die at home. Her older
son was able to say his final goodbye after his talk with Dr. McKay. It was
heartwarming how they eased Roxie’s pain so that she could leave with dignity.
A kidney stone turned out to be an abdominal aortic
aneurysm. The med student, Ogilvie, was heartbroken after assisting in the
failed surgery.
The guilt or grief may linger in the provider’s heart long
after the incident. We need to come to terms with it, or the heartache may come
to haunt us.
Mental Health
Most of the ER staff is battling their own demons.
Dr. Robby’s 3-month sabbatical,
suicide mission or not?
Self-harm scars on Dr. Santos'
thigh?
Dana with her PTSD from the
workplace violence in Season 1?
Dr. Al-Hashimi’s concern about her
focal impaired awareness seizures (FIAS) due to a childhood meningitis?
Dr. Mohan's dilemma about her
future in emergency medicine and her family issues?
Dr. Langdon’s insecurities after
his drug rehab?
Javadi feeling overwhelmed by her
overbearing surgeon mother?
Dr. McKay’s ongoing journey to
maintain her sobriety?
Dr. Abbott’s involvement in the
SWAT team due to continuing grief over the loss of his wife?
Dr. Mel King’s preoccupation with
her legal disposition and her shock at her autistic sister’s sexual activity?
I am glad that some of the staff appeared to be coping well
with the rigors of ER life. Perlah and Princess are each other’s support system
and buddies at work, often speaking Tagalog to each other. Princess also
disclosed that she de-stresses by watching a raunchy TV show. Dr. Whitaker
seemed to have found romance with the farmer’s widow. At least, Joy knew that
her mental health took priority, and she chose to leave after her shift.
The surprise karaoke session at the end of the show’s credits
was the ultimate primal scream therapy. Both Dr. Santos and Dr. King were letting
steam, temporarily forgetting the trauma.
Proud of being an ER nurse
ER is always hectic. Nurses and doctors go from patient to
patient. Nursing understaffing has been mentioned many times on the show. So,
it is rewarding when you have time to connect with patients, to know them as
human beings, not as people encumbered by their medical frailties. Time to offer a shoulder to cry on or to take
time to shave their beard and cut their hair.
Digby was an unhoused patient waiting for an admission bed
for IV antibiotics for his forearm cellulitis. Dana and Emma gave him a bath,
then a shave and a haircut. The charge nurse told the new nurse to always
respect the patients' dignity. When Digby saw himself in the mirror, he was
teary-eyed and asked if his daughter would still remember him. And sometimes, some
patients continue on their merry ways and return to the streets, just like
Digby who absconded with Whitaker’s hospital ID and the resuscitation dummy.
Katherine LaNasa’s nuanced performance as a SANE (Sexual
Assault Nurse Examiner) deserves another EMMY award. She was gentle and
supportive as she performed the Rape kit evidence collection process. Compassion
does take a toll. When the new nurse, Emma, accompanied the patient on a
much-needed break, Dana finally allowed herself to cry.
The day shift employees made their way to the roof to watch
the 4th of July fireworks in the Pittsburgh sky. They were reflecting on the
shift that was. Perlah was emotional, perhaps remembering Louie’s fascination
with fireworks. Dana shared that touching moment, perhaps remembering her own
troubles.
ER nursing is not easy. It is not the place for the faint-hearted.
I remain proud of the many nurses I worked with throughout the years, those
nurses who questioned wrong orders, who advocated for their patients, who collaborated
well with their doctor partners, those empowered nurses who stood their ground.
When Emma held Louie’s hand during the debrief and persevered, continuing to
work despite being choked by an agitated patient, I knew she would remain
standing and learn from the best nurses ever.
