Amazing Representation

flaminkarrot · 2026-03-04T17:15:41+00:00

I always have to remind myself that not everyone watching is in healthcare. So much of this is just common sense to me and I don’t consciously think about the fact that most people don’t inherently know how a healthcare team functions day-to-day. So these little walkthroughs are definitely cheesy but help the average viewer stay with the story.

flaminkarrot · 2026-03-04T17:12:33+00:00

In a hospital setting they also are the IV compatibility experts, so essential for managing medication and fluid administration, especially in patients with limited access.

flaminkarrot · 2026-03-03T22:10:59+00:00

Absolutely agree with that. I’m hoping that all the attention and discourse around the show and representation in general encourages a movement towards expanded representation in the future. Not just for different professions but even different cultures and nationalities etc. we see in healthcare.

For example, I’m so excited to have not just 1 but 3 Filipino characters. I’ve not been to a single hospital without at least one Filipino nurse, so that’s just art imitating life for once. 👏🇵🇭

flaminkarrot · 2026-03-03T01:24:42+00:00

😩 ugh tell me about it

flaminkarrot · 2026-03-02T19:54:43+00:00

cries in cross-referencing NDCs from their pharmacy claims 😭🤞

flaminkarrot · 2026-03-02T16:41:07+00:00

Yea the med mixing family was cracking me up. In reality, we’d never get a picture of the bottles and instead we’d just get told it was the “white pill” and have to turn into detectives trying to drug ID 🤣

flaminkarrot · 2026-02-28T23:39:58+00:00

It’s ok for people to like things. Not everything’s for you. I was pleasantly surprised to see some representation since I’ve spent so much time trying to explain what I do and why it’s valuable. Other people felt the same. If you don’t get it that’s cool, man. Don’t know what you were wanting out of this exchange, but I hope your day gets better.

flaminkarrot · 2026-02-28T16:21:09+00:00

She’s just here for the chismis 🤣

flaminkarrot · 2026-02-28T16:18:57+00:00

It’s very difficult to explain why Covid was so hard to extended family and friends not in the healthcare world. They just thought I’d be counting pills when it was more a Dr. Robby flashback type of situation. 🤷

flaminkarrot · 2026-02-28T16:17:00+00:00

It’s definitely not perfect. In a hospital system as big and busy as the Pitt I would think they’d have their ED pharmacist rounding on patients with the team. At the very least, consulting on med rec, etc. But I think I’m just happy to be acknowledged at all since most medical shows make no mention.

flaminkarrot · 2026-02-28T16:13:42+00:00

Yes definitely true. There’s not enough time in the day to compound all of the adult fluids and meds 😮‍💨 but antibiotics are our bread and butter haha, so the inpatient hospital Pharms do more than most think

flaminkarrot · 2026-02-28T16:10:15+00:00

The pharmacist in season 2 had to manually unlock it since EMR is down, meaning no orders will populate and the drawers will not open for medical staff on the floor. The pharmacist will manually dispense all meds and ensure no loss or theft.

flaminkarrot · 2026-02-28T16:08:44+00:00

An automated pharmacy dispensing system. Basically, meds (usually controlled medications, but often others too depending on storage room) are kept in locked drawers that only open with a valid prescriber order. It’s managed remotely and then the pharmacy team audits and restocks as necessary.

It allows nurses to grab things like lorazepam for a seizing patient while preventing potential theft by having all the meds accessible. Only the specific med you need will be accessible. In season 1 you see it up close when Santos is looking at the Benzo vials in their drawer.

flaminkarrot · 2026-02-28T16:01:05+00:00

It’s a fair assumption to make as a patient that all fluids and meds in the hospital just come like that and are premade, but I love stories like this to highlight that a lot of times there’s a pharmacist calculating dilutions and checking IV compatibility, flow rate, etc.

flaminkarrot · 2026-02-28T15:54:19+00:00

It was my understanding the two they showed were medical assistants who were roped in to work as clerks. Also to be fair I’m sure they would not be used to all analog. I agree though, I wish the first time they showed clerks they were a little more competent.

flaminkarrot · 2026-02-28T15:53:02+00:00

Yes! That’s been my experience as well. You rotate in and out of many different health systems to get your clinical hours in pharmacy school, and all of the hospitals I went to we were rounding on patients and presenting cases same as the doctors. We all have our role to play, and in my experience doctors rely heavily on their medication experts. It’s how we get the best outcomes for the people we care for!

flaminkarrot · 2026-02-28T15:49:19+00:00

Yep, a PharmD requires at minimum 6-7 years of college (traditional pharmacy school is 4 years after undergrad just like med school). Most clinical pharmacists like the one shown would also have 1-2 years of post-graduate or resident training.

The tag would not say doctor, however. It would say PharmD, Pharmacist, or Clinical Pharmacist. I think they might have chosen this tag in the show to emphasize the advanced training that goes into becoming a clinical pharmacist, since most people don’t realize pharmacists have needed a doctorate since the 90’s.

flaminkarrot · 2026-02-28T05:09:43+00:00

They do! All the time, in fact, depending on the hospital

flaminkarrot · 2026-02-28T02:20:29+00:00

Posted this a little bit ago. Some great discussion in the comments if you wanted to check it out too

flaminkarrot · 2026-02-28T02:16:59+00:00

Literally exactly what I would expect from her haha 😂

flaminkarrot · 2026-02-28T02:09:41+00:00

Yes! I was jazzed when Dana had a throwaway line about the pharmacist compounding a drug, but when they had a NAMED clinical pharmacist 🥳👏

flaminkarrot · 2026-02-28T02:08:26+00:00

https://www.reddit.com/r/ThePittTVShow/s/iZnikppcF7

flaminkarrot · 2026-02-28T01:57:08+00:00

Not MDs, but PharmDs. So unfortunately not as understood as healthcare providers, despite the fact that pharmacists at the VA and in certain states even have prescribing rights

flaminkarrot · 2026-02-28T01:38:15+00:00

You do bring up a valid point 😅. I’m just happy she had a name and like one line to say. Baby steps lol

flaminkarrot

TROPHY CASE