ER Lessons

I recently sat down and watched the entire series of the outstanding show, ER.  Oh, how I love the new technology that allows me to binge-watch my favourite shows whenever I want! What a difference from my childhood years when we had to wait patiently for new episodes to come out! All 15 seasons were jam-packed with plot twists, action, character development, and of course, that element that we are all drawn to – drama! Each episode spoke loudly to me and it caused me to easily glean valuable life lessons.  My wish is to share some of these with you.

Teamwork

What I was drawn to most was the action-packed nature of the trauma scenes.  Let me take a minute and thank our real-life healthcare heroes who know exactly what to do in an intense moment of life-threatening chaos! It is amazing how so many people can be working in a tight space as one entity.  The doctors, nurses, and other hospital personnel worked together as an orchestra each with an assigned, respected role. They have a tremendous ability to work as a team and to not get in each other’s way.  They had a purpose that they were all intensely aware of, focusing on the patient in order to save their life.  This is an important lesson for us to absorb.  We, as educators, need to work together with our co-workers and administrators to help foster the best environment to promote harmony and learning for the students.  It is not always easy, but sometimes we need to push our pride and opinions aside and work as one so that we can focus on what is most important for a remarkable outcome.

Be the hero

Many of the scenes that are in this show are life versus death.  Only a thin decision or move separates the patient from entering either side.  Many times, the doctors and nurses had to dig deep and look to themselves to be the ones who went the extra mile with patient care, stayed cool when dealing with an irate patient or an emotionally charged caretaker, and stayed later on a shift to uphold the best quality in patient care.  This inspired me to go the extra mile in my line of work as a classroom teacher.  For me, that may mean checking in on a situation that I feel may have been resolved, emailing a parent about something their child did that made me proud, reaching out to a parent randomly when you know that they are going through a struggle, or taking the time to encourage a fellow teacher or administrator. These small things can make a difference in someone’s life. It also helps to establish an atmosphere of a positive and uplifting community within a workplace. 

Honour the legacy 

I do not want to give away any spoilers-but during the show,  one of the main characters passes away, and the team of ER is devastated. He was a larger-than-life character who was highly respected and showed compassion to all of his patients. However, the hospital staff carries on with their duties as a legacy to him.  One of the characters takes his stethoscope and uses it instead of his own.  It was no shock to me that he ended up becoming the new leader of the hospital. 

Throughout the 15 seasons, many characters come and go.  One of my favourite scenes is the wall of names.  One of the nurses takes the staff members’ name tags as they leave and glues them to the wall.  To see all of the names of the people that have walked in and out of that hospital is compelling, and a reminder that we are all passing through.  However, we are to honour those who have come before us and try our best to inspire those who are going to be here long after us.  

Set the tone

One of the lines that you hear a few times is: “You set the tone.”  It is up to us to influence the atmosphere around us to be positive and uplifting.  It is up to us to be teachable and humble.  It is up to us to set the example that others should follow.  The older I get in life, the more I realise that someone is always watching us. They watch how we react, how we cope, and how we live out our day-to-day duties. Because of this, we need to be the best version of ourselves.  We can work together to make each other better and inspire others along the way. 

I truly hope that you enjoyed the lessons that I have learned from this epic program.  I recall calling my mother in college and her telling me to not call her between 9-10 pm on Thursdays because I couldn’t interrupt her favourite show “Emergency Room.”  Now I understand and know why she said that.

I am on the hunt for the next series, but I do not think that anything can top this one!

The author

Fran Turuta

Fran Turuta is an elementary teacher that loves to work with students. She is a wife and a mother and enjoys a good book and baking. She currently resides on the south shore of Long Island.