With an emphasis on the personal lives of the surgical interns, residents, and attending physicians, the ABC medical drama Grey’s Anatomy has generated a flurry of interest in how these medical professionals really make it through one of the most rigorous educational programs around.
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How much of the medical drama seen in Grey’s Anatomy is pure entertainment, and how much is an accurate reflection of life both in and out of the OR? Here, a well-known medical journalist provides some answers. He examines a group of new surgical residents at a major teaching hospital in the Pacific Northwest as they tackle the roller-coaster ride of long hours, fascinating procedures, mundane office tasks, and emotional ups and downs that comprise the life of a student of surgery.