What Makes for a Good Doctor? Analyzing the Physician-Patient Relationship in Grey’s Anatomy and Scrubs

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This thesis will also explore the nature of what evokes good doctoring in the symbolic environment of two popular and influential medical television shows. It will look at Greys Anatomy and Scrubs, both of which take place in teaching hospitals. This setting makes explicit the act of pedagogy, for many of the plots revolve around the relationship of interns, physicians in training, to their preceptors or clinical mentors. However, this thesis argues that many of the “lessons” about what constitutes good doctoring occurs less implicitly; the serial plotlines encrypt instances of understated pedagogy directed not just at characters but at the audience of these popular forms of entertainment. Both Grey’s and Scrubs offer numerous opportunities to educate by portraying different medical scenarios and outcomes, as well as character traits that are implicitly affirmed or condemned; taken together, these depictions coalesce into a portrait of what constitutes good doctoring. In other words, this thesis will address the following central questions: what are the values, norms, and behaviors that these television shows affirm as essential for the ethical and effective practice of medicine? Do the shows differ in their portrayal of the ideal ethos of a physician, or does a composite figure of the perfect doctor arise from Grey’s and Scrubs taken together?

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