NBC'S ER?

[TCOM-2005]

Is the new resident on ER a D.O.?

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[AthensfromCols]

Not probable. The exchange last week between Carter and his student was upsetting. The student offered to perform a muscle energy treatment on Carter's back and then proceeded to say he learned the technique while STUDYING ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE IN HONG KONG. The show took a great opportunity to showcase Osteopathic Medicine and crapped all over it!

 

[jean]

I don't know he was doing accupunture on Carter, did you know one of the technical advisors on ER is a D.O.

 

[DOC-2005]

That truly was an excellent opportunity that was missed. When I saw that, I got upset not only because the opportunity was not used, but that Carter made it seem a ridiculous suggestion.

TCOM-2005:
I too initially thought thought that it could have been a D.O. student until the whole Hong Kong alternative medicine line came up.

Jean:
Did the accupuncture stuff you're talking about happen tonight? I taped it and haven't had a chance to watch.

 

[pushinepi2]

My thoughts are pretty mixed on that whole exchange on NBC's ER. While we may have "missed" an opportunity for professional advocacy, I think we may have also retained credibility. Remember that the oriental "medical student" practices other "alternative" techniques like acupuncture. I bet some DOs would be upset at the association of muscle energy technique with alternative medicine. A sound bite on ER is probably not the best forum for increasing public awareness about osteopathic manipulative therapy... It is rare for the show's "doctors" to talk about themselves as "allopaths" or discuss their medical education. Just as in real life, the MD/DO distinction is not an issue until you come down to specific treatment modalities like muscle energy. I can't imagine where ER's producers are going with this alternative medicine theme, but perhaps the mythical DO adviser will manage to slip some more debate-worthy osteopathic dialogue into the script. On next week's episode, perhaps the asian medical student will perform a heroic HVLA technique on Carter's lumbar spine and elicit a virtual orgasm of relief!!!

Ben