I’m Not a Doctor, but I Play One on TV

Have you noticed that many advertisers cash in on the gravitas that actors earned while playing a medical professional on screen to then promote a product? The idea is that we will believe that the actor is not just portraying a role, but is an actual, knowledgeable professional that can help guide us to the best pain reliever, etc. 

And it must work, or advertising agencies would not keep hiring these thespians to hawk their pills and procedures. 

Some of these actors even come to believe that they’ve absorbed enough of the material from their years on-screen to actually practice medicine. Such a mishap occurred when Ellen Pompeo — who has portrayed Dr. Meredith Grey on Grey’s Anatomy for more than 20 years — gave incorrect advice on a talk show about using an ultrasound to spot ovarian cancer. Four million viewers heard her incorrect message and doctors everywhere quickly and emphatically Tweeted about how wrong she was.

However, who was ultimately heard and remembered — the true medical professionals or the ever-popular actress who viewers have come to love and trust in their homes each and every week? Ellen Pompeo is an award-winning actor. She is not a doctor, even if she has been exposed to the vernacular, worn the uniform, and sat in many a realistic hospital setting. 

No one expects Ms. Pompeo to teach medicine. In fact, she found herself in some real hot water when she tried to. I often wonder why we then expect experts in their fields to instinctively know how to be a professional educator. Exposure does not equal real training, and expertise can carry some heavy consequences if not recognized.