House M.D.

, A TV Series Wonder for Nurses

I have been watching the medical drama series House M.D. for 5 years in a row now. For those who
haven’t watched the series, this TV program offers a great deal of information that nurses can infer on.
The teledrama is led by the witty and maverick actor Hugh Laurie who already has won an Emmy and
Golden Globe award for an outstanding actor in a drama series.

It is the lead character Dr. Gregory House that leads his group of cunning diagnosticians that
help diagnose almost-impossible diseases. The series also offers a few laughs from the toddler-ish antics
of Dr. House. He plays with his PlayStation Portable (PSP) while attending to patients, spits on the sterile
field in the operating room, mocks patients with self-curable diseases, plays pranks with other doctors
and every other immature and childish thing you can think of. Even though House is loathed by his
workmates and is also a Vicodin addict I do love his portrayal of an antisocial yet childish doctor.

The real catch for nurses is that, they can unswervingly watch every sign and symptom of each
rare disease presented in every episode. The sign or symptom may be in eye-catching computer-
generated form or an actual simulated sequence by the patient themselves. The doctors will describe in
full detail the progress of the disease and show how to treat it. But in the end it will still, almost always,
be Dr. House to diagnose the enigmatic disease presented by the patient.

In a nutshell, the series has offered me loads of information I haven’t read from nursing books.
In a way it helped me be a better nurse by asking the health history of the patient meticulously, by being
empathetic to them, and achieving a main goal of both nurses and doctors, the betterment of the
patient.