You Make the Call…NBC’s TRAUMA

I think it's important to recognize that NBC flushed Trauma at the behest of Industry Leaders, National Organizations, and EMTs and Paramedics who viewed the show as tarnishing. Sure there were things over the top, such as the sex in the ambulance and Captain Versed snowballing the patient on the Freeway… but can we say for certain those things have never happened in a service? I think that would not only be optimistic, but a classic case of denial for anyone working in the field.

What's worse is what we refuse to accept and realize is that the writers of the show wrote it based on both what they felt their audience wanted/could understand AND their own perception of us. Instead of bashing a network for taking a chance on a show, maybe we should be looking at how we are perceived by the public (including Hollywood writers) and look to change that internally first before we criticize a depiction that may have been a little too close for comfort.

Dave, I agree many int the industry failed to recognize the opportunity to shape it into a positive message and portrayal, but it is far easier to join an anti-something group than creatively support something you believe in. We do indeed need to shape the perceptions of EMS in the US. And now we can erase TV from the mediums at our disposal.

thanks for reading.

Honestly can you not name a real life colleague for every character, and yah they pushed the envelope a little but I think that its nice to see something that has the potential to illustrate the job we do as difficult as it is, and suck up the little to close for comfort, and really dive into some of the ugly and often scary issues we face and the reality that we live, instead of the scripted reality dribble on the tv these days.

I totally agree. The show may not portray the real EMS perfectly, but it is just TV, and this show does depict some of the things that EMS Personal have to be able to do. I myself my not be an EMT, but by being a first responder, I know that there are some things that we see out in the field, that people can't truely know about, and this show does have some of that. It is a better betrayal of EMS, than any other show out there right now, and it is way better than the reality shows that they seem to be showing lately.

The problem is that performing shucks on geriatric patients isn't exciting or interesting, even though it's 90% of what we do. It's only when someone does something egregious that it attracts attention. There's even a limit to how many codes you can watch on TV, despite the intensity. After that, they become training videos.

It's not the EMS that draws viewers, it's the titillation of the pornography or sexually-oriented, or the opportunity to watch someone grossly violate all the standards that we are supposed to follow.

Even with our heroes, Johnny and Roy, it was the odd calls that they portrayed, not the daily grind of moving patients who have simple difficulty breathing or chest pains. Rescuing a child from a high-tension power tower was a “daily occurrence” for them.

Until we, as humans, stop looking to TV as a circus performance, will producers stop portraying the aberrations of our profession.

They go for the lowest common denominator, because that draws the largest number of viewers.

EMT_Hawk

Don't kid yourself. NBC flushed it because the ratings generated did not nearly justify the expense of producing it.

Trauma is/was one of NBC's most expensive dramas ever, and like most of their new offerings over the last 5 years it was a ratings black hole comparatively.

There's a REASON they took advantage of Jay Leno's workaholic personality and put him in at 10pm- what used to be the ultimate drama time slot.

Trauma sucks, it is a crappy show. it is nothing like what we do on a daily basis in the EMS field.it shows incompatint sills and how big of whores we are. (when we arent) they have real emts and paramedics guidding them through things. if that is the case they need to have there licences taken away and never be able to practice medicine again. the show is a joke and unprofessional and NBC needs to take it off the air.

I'd be willing to be a large part of the decision has to do with costs – that show looks like it'd be very expensive to cast. Also, NBC is looking for a new ER… and I'm guessing Trauma isn't drawing in the same crowd as the Trauma crowd.

Remember, when ER hit, while everyone knew it wasn't “real”, it didn't have the same comparisons that Trauma's been getting, where even lay people like me can watch it and readily say “hey, that's not real at all!”.

Trauma tried too hard. If it really wanted to work, it shouldn't have been so over the top. You'd have a much better show if it was low-key, with a bit of oddness thrown in.

Also, completely unrelated, but I *love* that Ariel Ambulance T-Shirt thing. It's gonna have to go on my wish list.

Newt, did you click through to the group page? they are doing fun Firefly things over there.

I agree totally HM. I've seen all the episodes so far and have noticed much improvement. It looks as if the producers did listen to our complaints and have attempted to make a change. Unfourtunatly, we the EMS community has bashed it from the beginning so much that they're worried about what they have invested and now were doubling back on our moans and groans. This is the first I've heared about it's cancellation and it makes me a little sad. I was just starting to like Rabitt's character but, we can't make complaints like we all did and say cancel it and expect it to stick around.

Sara Ziesman
EMT-I in Southern Illinois

Jerrod, of course the show is unprofessional, it's a TV show. I did however love your use of “incompatint” when describing the technical directors who, clearly over-ridden by the Producers, made relatively few technical errors.
The show was a drama, not a joke. Wife Swap is a joke. Dancing with the Stars is a joke.
We never even gave it a chance.

Yeah, I've just spent the last 20 minutes searching it. It's a very cool page, dedicated to a very cool show. I've already added a link to the stuff page, and e-mailing it to my mom (who's looking for something to get me for Christmas… I'm apparently hard to shop for!).

The helicopter fuel and all the CGI to put it in the show should have tipped them off that maybe the helicopter should be scrapped. groan, so close.

Show how it really is out there. Isn't that exciting enough? It is for me. The calls out to an island at 2 AM after you just got to sleep for a cardiac arrest. It wasn't a save, but it was a cold and wet boat ride! A jet ski hitting a wall with 3 injured, that was exciting, 2 sent to a trauma center by air (1 1/2 hours away) and the 3rd with minor injuries that they could take care of at the local ER.

What is wrong with the real calls handled by PROTOCOLS, not flying by the seat of his pants doing what he wants?

I hated it.

Because it showed EMS inaccurately, or was technically inaccurate?

Nope.

I hated it because it was a night-time soap opera. I don't care for any shows of that genre.

ER fell into that trap. As did Third Watch, Rescue Me, and countless other shows that don't fall into the EMS/Fire category.
It's just a personal preference thing for me. Maybe now they'll bring “Chuck” back sooner. I mean, cause that's what it's like for every fella on the Geek Squad…

Trauma was doomed from the start. It's on Monday night. It's up against Monday night football. Secondly, it is a 10 pm program and whom ever at NBC thought everybody would buy into a 10 pm every weekday night Jay Leno show is nuts.

I was just getting to like Trauma and like you I think they could have fixed it, but now I guess we will never know.

It had a rough start, but I liked the direction it was heading. I found myself cringing less and less.

I seem to have a different perspective on the show than most of my friends and co-workers You see. they're all bio and exercise science majors who are EMTs hoping to get into Med School or Nursing school, and I am a Theatre major who discovered EMS too late in a college career to change majors, and will be headed to Paramedic school after I finish my undergrad this year to pursue what I've found that I truly love. My entire college career has focused on critiquing performance and media; so let me share a few unorganised thoughts.

I like Trauma.

I was starting to see parts of my different partners in each of the characters. They also saw me in some of the characters.

The humour was getting better. A lot better. I remember the first time I thought they nailed “on-scene humour”, that the show might succeed or that as a community we might warm up to it.

I think most EMS types were critical of it because it was different from what they were expecting. Just because it's not what you wanted doesn't make it “bad.” We readily recognise that foreign films may be good, just not our bag of crisps. Why can't we be so accepting of TV? Because it's not “high art” like film? The intent of the series was to entertain. A *byproduct* of that is to create awareness and raise questions. Most of us wanted a documentary. But guess what? The public doesn't want a documentary – that's already been done in the late 90s on TLC (and yes I still watch those re-runs). Docs have been done – and they're good but they're short running and don't make much money.

The show does, however, have elements of a Doc. It's putting focus on a marginalised group. Luckily it wasn't shot like a doc or a news reel. People might have thought this actually 100% real to what we do. But guess what? TV viewers suspend their disbelief because they know it's a TV show. I doubt most people will be watching us code a family member, demanding to know why we aren't shocking the patient in asystole. Their memory of the events probably will resemble the way it's portrayed on Trauma.

We all complain that EMS is under-recognised and does not have a unified voice for change. Where do you expect that recognition to come from? Trauma generally put us in a good light – shocking asystole and HEMS abuse aside. That raises awareness and creates the *opportunity* for dialogue. I think cancelling the show has closed a door for the EMS community. People could have started asking a lot of questions about us – questions we could have answered. Instead of actualyl educating we said “that's a dumb question.” There's no faster way to turn off a student to a subject than communicating that. We were quick to judge, and rather than reach out a hand to lift up, we wished it to fail.

I completely agree with the first comment here. Where do you think the writers and producers got these notions? Who else do we have to blame for misconceptions about our industry? If we want to create a positive imagine and change things for the better (EMS 2.0?) then we need to support exposure opportunities like Trauma.

Working for a college EMS agency, I'm acutely aware that things aren't always that action packed. And my maybe my “young pup” nature gets me excited for these intense traumas, MCIs, and other insanity on a weekly basis. Maybe the older guys are jaded enough to just think that it's stupid. I'm with HM though – somewhere someone watched this and decided to take that EMT-B class at their community college. Someone remembered that “cool calls” happen once in a while. Someone remembered when the Paramedics came and helped their [family member] with their [nature of illness or mechanism of injury] and how brave and skilled they were. And you know what? They probably remember is being just as intense as Trauma shows it – even if it was “just another diabetic.”

To *us* it's a 9-5, and we stay calm because “it's not my emergency.” Well guess what? It's theirs. Every episode of Trauma was the most intense call ever, because that's the public's interaction with us – and that's who the show was written for.

The bottom line is that I think a valuable opportunity is leaving us, and that as a jaded community we blew it. A lot of good could have come from it. We only have ourselves to blame for the perception the media and the public have of us. When we want to communicate with the public we need to remember that they're different from us – they aren't in “the know.”

Goodbye, Paramedic Nancy Carnahan. I'll see you in my dreams.

I am not sure if NBC did the right thing. I am 99% sure that letters from NAEMT, IAFC EMS Section, and other industry groups and publications had no impact on the decision to cancel the show. Make that 99.999%.

I am also 99.9999% sure that these same groups that were opposed to the show are not in pre-production of a replacement show or doing much differently to address the real problems of EMS than they were before Trauma went on the air.

Finally everyone should be helping spread the word about Ted Setla's project, a web TV series about EMS called the System (can't find the url). Ted is a paramedic and filmmaker in the Bay Area. His previous work was Level Zero the Alameda County EMS documentary.

[...] To be honest, I have to side with the Happy Medics take. Although he actaully has a commenter who really laid it out great. Check out the post and read the 17+ comments on there. [...]

I am not sure if NBC did the right thing. I am 99% sure that letters from NAEMT, IAFC EMS Section, and other industry groups and publications had no impact on the decision to cancel the show. Make that 99.999%.

I am also 99.9999% sure that these same groups that were opposed to the show are not in pre-production of a replacement show or doing much differently to address the real problems of EMS than they were before Trauma went on the air.

Finally everyone should be helping spread the word about Ted Setla's project, a web TV series about EMS called the System (can't find the url). Ted is a paramedic and filmmaker in the Bay Area. His previous work was Level Zero the Alameda County EMS documentary.

Is this a Trauma discussion or a Rescue Me discussion? I never even saw Trauma but these comments sound strikingly familiar.

Rescue Me realistic? Rarely.
Entertaining? Debatably.

Trauma?

So, great show if you just completely rewrite it?

I am an EMT/FF and I love the show…it puts some humor into things we may see on duty. Yes some things are far fetched, yet humorous at the same time. And as others above have said, the show is getting better and better with each episode….in truth it is a TV series and as with all other TV shows…nothing will be completely accurate…hence it being a series on TV….we see enough negative in our line of work so being able to watch something similar with humor added to it is nice…takes the edge off of things.

I Really dont think they did. I Love the Show and Feel if it was too real. Then it wouldnt be good. Tv isnt supposed to be realistic. Its supposed to be good. and It bugs me when something good like trauma comes one and then they cancel it. like why even air the show in the first place if your gonna take it away. Its heart breaking. Im doing firefighting this summer and emt the next so i get it. but i still feel that the show is freaking awesome and hope that there is someway to get the point across that they should reinstate the show.

I was initially critical of this series for many of the reasons that have been repeated all throughout the blogosphere so I won't go over that. I will say that I agree with HM in that I was probably too quick to judgment and never gave the show an opportunity to evolve. I was probably more concerned with how EMS was portrayed in terms of accuracy without realizing that just being portrayed at all is kinda a big frakkin deal in and of itself!!

The show certainly has evolved into a very palatable experience both in terms of entertainment and portrayal. Obviously they cannot be too accurate or it would be a very boring show so I appreciate the producers' need to liven things up. I also think the character development was really starting to gel. It seemed to me that a lot of the characters were very cliche or one dimensional for the first several episodes, but have since become almost close to many people I know from the job.

In terms of exposure, I like to think of it like this. I have friends who are NYPD officer's. They go to work, go to roll call, get their radios and fall out. They ride around for the most part and for lack of a better word, 'babysitting' their sector and precinct til their tour ends. On a very rare occasion they interrupt a serious crime, have a shootout with perps, or go racing after people trying to flee. This is not to diminish what police offiicers on patrol do, but it is to say that shows like NYPD Blue, CSI, Law & Order, and [insert cop show name here] are NOT accurate portrayals of careers in law enforcement, more specifically Patrol division. Yet lots and lots of people want to be police officer's based on what they see on those same shows. Obviously some may be a little disappointed at first, but they learn the job and move on. The point is to get them interested, since that's usually the hardest part. In the end it doesn't take away from the entertainment value of those shows AND it allows for a new crop of individuals whom previously may not have cared or fully understood what it is we do, to get a fresh look and perhaps join the club.

In the end I wish I had given the show a chance, as I would have liked to have seen it flesh out over at least 2 seasons. Alas, I doubt the community reaction was the reason it was canceled as most shows go by ratings which is why horrid shows like Desperate Housewives and Wifeswap survive.

Stay safe out there
Bailey — NYC

I was initially critical of this series for many of the reasons that have been repeated all throughout the blogosphere so I won't go over that. I will say that I agree with HM in that I was probably too quick to judgment and never gave the show an opportunity to evolve. I was probably more concerned with how EMS was portrayed in terms of accuracy without realizing that just being portrayed at all is kinda a big frakkin deal in and of itself!!

The show certainly has evolved into a very palatable experience both in terms of entertainment and portrayal. Obviously they cannot be too accurate or it would be a very boring show so I appreciate the producers' need to liven things up. I also think the character development was really starting to gel. It seemed to me that a lot of the characters were very cliche or one dimensional for the first several episodes, but have since become almost close to many people I know from the job.

In terms of exposure, I like to think of it like this. I have friends who are NYPD officer's. They go to work, go to roll call, get their radios and fall out. They ride around for the most part and for lack of a better word, 'babysitting' their sector and precinct til their tour ends. On a very rare occasion they interrupt a serious crime, have a shootout with perps, or go racing after people trying to flee. This is not to diminish what police offiicers on patrol do, but it is to say that shows like NYPD Blue, CSI, Law & Order, and [insert cop show name here] are NOT accurate portrayals of careers in law enforcement, more specifically Patrol division. Yet lots and lots of people want to be police officer's based on what they see on those same shows. Obviously some may be a little disappointed at first, but they learn the job and move on. The point is to get them interested, since that's usually the hardest part. In the end it doesn't take away from the entertainment value of those shows AND it allows for a new crop of individuals whom previously may not have cared or fully understood what it is we do, to get a fresh look and perhaps join the club.

In the end I wish I had given the show a chance, as I would have liked to have seen it flesh out over at least 2 seasons. Alas, I doubt the community reaction was the reason it was canceled as most shows go by ratings which is why horrid shows like Desperate Housewives and Wifeswap survive.

Stay safe out there
Bailey — NYC

I was initially critical of this series for many of the reasons that have been repeated all throughout the blogosphere so I won't go over that. I will say that I agree with HM in that I was probably too quick to judgment and never gave the show an opportunity to evolve. I was probably more concerned with how EMS was portrayed in terms of accuracy without realizing that just being portrayed at all is kinda a big frakkin deal in and of itself!!

The show certainly has evolved into a very palatable experience both in terms of entertainment and portrayal. Obviously they cannot be too accurate or it would be a very boring show so I appreciate the producers' need to liven things up. I also think the character development was really starting to gel. It seemed to me that a lot of the characters were very cliche or one dimensional for the first several episodes, but have since become almost close to many people I know from the job.

In terms of exposure, I like to think of it like this. I have friends who are NYPD officer's. They go to work, go to roll call, get their radios and fall out. They ride around for the most part and for lack of a better word, 'babysitting' their sector and precinct til their tour ends. On a very rare occasion they interrupt a serious crime, have a shootout with perps, or go racing after people trying to flee. This is not to diminish what police offiicers on patrol do, but it is to say that shows like NYPD Blue, CSI, Law & Order, and [insert cop show name here] are NOT accurate portrayals of careers in law enforcement, more specifically Patrol division. Yet lots and lots of people want to be police officer's based on what they see on those same shows. Obviously some may be a little disappointed at first, but they learn the job and move on. The point is to get them interested, since that's usually the hardest part. In the end it doesn't take away from the entertainment value of those shows AND it allows for a new crop of individuals whom previously may not have cared or fully understood what it is we do, to get a fresh look and perhaps join the club.

In the end I wish I had given the show a chance, as I would have liked to have seen it flesh out over at least 2 seasons. Alas, I doubt the community reaction was the reason it was canceled as most shows go by ratings which is why horrid shows like Desperate Housewives and Wifeswap survive.

Stay safe out there
Bailey — NYC

I was initially critical of this series for many of the reasons that have been repeated all throughout the blogosphere so I won't go over that. I will say that I agree with HM in that I was probably too quick to judgment and never gave the show an opportunity to evolve. I was probably more concerned with how EMS was portrayed in terms of accuracy without realizing that just being portrayed at all is kinda a big frakkin deal in and of itself!!

The show certainly has evolved into a very palatable experience both in terms of entertainment and portrayal. Obviously they cannot be too accurate or it would be a very boring show so I appreciate the producers' need to liven things up. I also think the character development was really starting to gel. It seemed to me that a lot of the characters were very cliche or one dimensional for the first several episodes, but have since become almost close to many people I know from the job.

In terms of exposure, I like to think of it like this. I have friends who are NYPD officer's. They go to work, go to roll call, get their radios and fall out. They ride around for the most part and for lack of a better word, 'babysitting' their sector and precinct til their tour ends. On a very rare occasion they interrupt a serious crime, have a shootout with perps, or go racing after people trying to flee. This is not to diminish what police offiicers on patrol do, but it is to say that shows like NYPD Blue, CSI, Law & Order, and [insert cop show name here] are NOT accurate portrayals of careers in law enforcement, more specifically Patrol division. Yet lots and lots of people want to be police officer's based on what they see on those same shows. Obviously some may be a little disappointed at first, but they learn the job and move on. The point is to get them interested, since that's usually the hardest part. In the end it doesn't take away from the entertainment value of those shows AND it allows for a new crop of individuals whom previously may not have cared or fully understood what it is we do, to get a fresh look and perhaps join the club.

In the end I wish I had given the show a chance, as I would have liked to have seen it flesh out over at least 2 seasons. Alas, I doubt the community reaction was the reason it was canceled as most shows go by ratings which is why horrid shows like Desperate Housewives and Wifeswap survive.

Stay safe out there
Bailey — NYC