Watched this yesterday. I work in a hospital, and the issues this movie raises are still relevant today. It was interesting that a character in the movie discusses having a shortage of nurses. That continues to happen in today's hospitals.
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FWIW, my uncle, who had been the General Director of two large urban hospitals, told me after seeing this movie that he recognized every single character--as types, not individuals--from his own hospitals.
(BTW, a nice companion piece is Samuel Shem's novel _The House of God_. There was a movie, seemingly well-recommended here on IMDB, but I haven't seen it.)
The monologue near the end that The Angel gives looking around the Emergency Room could be filmed in any fairly large city ER today. I'm a doctor and this has always been one of my favorite movies. GC Scott gave a perfect performance as the burnt-out, alcoholic "former boy-genius," as he describes himself as he briefly unloaded to his psychiatric friend, essentially admitting he is suicidal, which his colleague just ignored as he puffed on his pipe. Scott HAD to have watched a lot of "grand rounds" at teaching hospitals to get that role of grand old man down.
shareAs a former hospital volunteer, I'm behind you. But as a person who has worked in many industries, I have to say that the bureaucracy, smarminess, incompetence, and out-and-out fakery depicted in The Hospital shows up in any large, corporate-style organizations. It's like that in any organization with more than 3 levels on their org chart.
I saw this movie too soon after having a breakdown of my own. The average IQ of my patient group (about 30 people) was probably around 145 (S-B scale). Even the high-school dropouts. Heck, maybe especially them.
But those of us who had "employment issues" agreed -- everyone from the Ivy League multi-degreed attorney to the high-school dropout waitress -- that a large factor in our various conflicts was how our society rewards mediocrity and squelches innovation. And how the highly productive but less politically adroit employees can be victimized, sidetracked, and ostracized. It really is high school, except with paychecks. It's frightening. Bullies stealing your homework, the whole schmutz.
Ah, well. The Hospital certainly got me in contact with some long-buried anger! But I'm feeling much better now. (anyone like Night Court?)
Funny, my co workers and I have been talking about the state of hospitals these days for the last year or so - I had a horrendous experience last year myself. Was in once before in '70 - the comparison seemed (memory) "no contest". Maybe
my memory is a little clouded - we often remember the best and forget the worst,
Glenn Beck has been raising some hell on his radio show after his recent experience. My only recommendation(s) is:
1. Avoid a hospital stay at all costs BUT if you HAVE to:
2. Make sure you have a good, trusted advocate to check in on you FREQUENTLY !
Preferably some one with some health care experience but at the least, someone who is not afraid to run their mouth and not back down !
Yet one more co worker has a family member that now has a staph. infection from a brief hospital stay last week.
Scary.