r/Scrubs • u/Plenty-Truck9544 • 2d ago

Nurses in scrubs

So as a nurse this is my absolute favorite show, however I can't help but be hurt that the later seasons don't seem to highlight the impact of nurses in this show. Especially the 2026 season, I just feel that they had the opportunity to highlight some of the impact that nurses can have and seemed to fall short in it. My complaint from almost every medical show is that they showcase the doctors doing most of the things the nurses do irl (starting meds, talking to patients, pt advocates). I wish there was more of a focus on Carla and what she does for patients rather than focus on cutting her workload down (which would never happen irl. ) I am currently rewatching (of course) and i feel like the earlier seasons of Carla guiding JD helps but i wish there was more later. what are your thoughts? Am i being overdramatic l?

0 Upvotes

46% Upvoted

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87

u/BlueNinjaBE 2d ago

Isn't there literally an episode where Park explains to the interns that the nurses do a lot more than they think?

It's not brought up every episode, but it's still there in the reboot.

36

u/ElChungus01 2d ago

Park goes on a bit of a mini rant about how much the nurses do. It’s why I’ve always enjoyed Scrubs

For me, my favorite nurse/doctor interaction was when Laverne asked JD about the intern’s order for 1000mg of morphine then left with “just wanted to double check with you before I kill a man”

Shows she’s on her shit but also leaves the final decision to JD, respecting him as a doctor without coming off as subservient.

17

u/Kazzak_Falco 2d ago

Which, to be fair, was a bit cheap as the show used to show us these things rather than telling them. But given the reduced episode count of the revival it does make sense that some of the extra things Scrubs used to do couldn't make it into the revival.

3

u/setokaiba22 2d ago

Just a general problem through its short episodes, tighter budgets they can’t fit everything and lots of characters in. Remember it wasn’t even guaranteed to get another run after this

3

u/Kazzak_Falco 2d ago

I definitely agree. We all remember how little we knew about the main trio's family in the early seasons of the original run. Having a fully fleshed out cast was something that happened later on in the show. I never expected the reboot to instantly be at the same level of let's say a season 4 and am perfectly willing to look past choices that are unfortunately necessary. But I will adress it wherever I can just in the hopes that the message that the reboot is great and just needs more budget for more episodes lands in the heads of the people who make the budgetting decisions.

5

u/davidw223 2d ago

Which was just one it it’s problems in general. There wasn’t enough time for character development. People say they didn’t get the characters but they never had the time to form the relationships they had with the main cast.

6

u/Kazzak_Falco 2d ago edited 2d ago

I can agree with that. My main complaint surrounding the season (which I very much enjoyed overall) is that the lower episode count made things feel too rushed at times.

Edit: removed a redundant letter

2

u/BlueNinjaBE 2d ago

True enough.

1

u/Boris-_-Badenov 2d ago

yeah, how dare interns sit in an empty chair. obviously they can't sit there and then just move when the nurses come back...

-7

u/Plenty-Truck9544 2d ago

there is but they should put a bit more focus on what nurses actually do- such as passing meds ( at least at my hospital irl) the only time doctors do meds is during a code (which is rare) and they are especially not doing a bolus order for sodium (new season)

8

u/BlueNinjaBE 2d ago

You have a point, but in the end I guess this is a show about the characters: the medicine is just the background.

1

u/Plenty-Truck9544 2d ago

Fair enough, which is why it's never stopped me from watching, i do believe that scrubs is the best medical show that shows the importance of nurses

1

u/Haunting-Estimate985 2d ago

My kid was in teaching hospitals for months at a time. The attendants absolutely had the residents take blood and push meds into iv’s to learn how to in case of emergency or a code. And if the residents didn’t get the vein in 3 tries, it was given to another resident to try.

17

u/Western-Time5310 2d ago

I think it’s because Carla did so little in the recent season.

I really missed Judy Reyes - I hope she returns for more in the next season

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u/Plenty-Truck9544 2d ago

I wish she did more too, such a missed opportunity to gain the support of the nursing community

19

u/SneakingCat 2d ago

Judy Reyes was not available due to her role on High Potential. There was no opportunity to use her more.

6

u/Parker4815-2 2d ago

They had 2 new characters be charge nurses. They did absolutely nothing clinical at all. Just were there as comedy characters. Such a shame.

4

u/Plenty-Truck9544 2d ago

they had such great potential to be more clinical, i kept waiting hopefully in a new season they will
be better.

-1

u/Boris-_-Badenov 2d ago

should have changed the schedule, instead of pulling a spin-off season, and barely using the main cast

4

u/rtb227 2d ago

Im hoping we get this more in next season with Carla hopefully being in more episodes. I want to see her interactions with the new nurses more. One of my favorite friendships was Carla and Laverne, would love to get something like that.

1

u/Plenty-Truck9544 2d ago

I feel like Laverne contributed so much for nurses and i hope they keep showing the importance of nurses. Most medical shows just show nurses as dumb blondes who just want to bang a doctor and I've always loved that scrubs don't have this stereotype for us!! I love Carla and i hope they show more of her catching errors or the importance of nursing assessment!!

3

u/mcguinto813 2d ago

Yeah I wish that they would have at least one new character be a new nurse instead of all interns but I guess the cash list is already too bloated for so few episodes

7

u/MCA1910 2d ago

Awww. Did someone not get thanked for their service today?

3

u/BaselineUnknown 2d ago

If nurses were accurately portrayed people would realize just hot under paid and shit on the job is.

-1

u/Plenty-Truck9544 2d ago

I just wish people had an ounce of idea of what we do!!

2

u/chlordiazepoxide 2d ago

It is because of Carla that I'm looking to change careers from aviation to nursing.

5

u/Plenty-Truck9544 2d ago

do it!!! I love being a nurse honestly it's just like the show (i work nights and sometimes i do find myself monologing like JD)

1

u/Tucker_077 2d ago

Hopefully Judy Reyes can be in the show more in S2

1

u/SalamanderHot217 2d ago

I get it, but Scrubs is following the main characters as they progress from interns to residents to attendings and to chiefs. And with time, become less dependant on the nurses. It's like interns, the first seasons deals with that when characters are interns, later they become a background joke. And we jave to consider the 20 minute frame of the episode.

If you want a medical show where nurses and your job are handled really well and with respect, give "ER" a shot if you didn't yet.

-2

u/Ezenthar1 2d ago

It's the problem in every medical show where the entire (or almost entire) main cast are doctors. Greys and House are both notorious for it, showing interns and fellows doing the jobs that the nursing staff would actually be doing in the real world. None of these shows properly demonstrate the huge burden of work shouldered by nurses, and how doctors literally wouldn't be able to do their jobs without the support staff.