26.8 What The Pitt Gets Wrong and Right About Emergency Nursing | Beyond the Bedside w/Guardian Nurses
BEWARE: CONTAINS LIGHT, GENERAL SPOILERS What does HBO Max’s The Pitt actually get right about emergency rooms — and what does it completely miss?
In this episode of *Beyond the Bedside*, hosts Betty Long, MHA, RN, Founder and CEO of Guardian Nurses Healthcare Advocates, and Rebecca Rivkin-Czarkowski, MPH, BSN, RN, nurse advocate and healthcare expert, break down the hit medical drama from the perspective of real healthcare professionals with years of ER experience. From nonstop trauma and overcrowded waiting rooms to workplace violence against nurses and the emotional toll of emergency medicine, they discuss the moments that felt painfully accurate — and the ones that felt a little too Hollywood.
They also explore:
• Violence against healthcare workers
• What ER shifts really feel like
• The emotional stress nurses carry home
• Why The Pitt has healthcare workers talking
• Physician vs. nurse representation in medical dramas
• COVID’s lasting impact on healthcare culture
• What television still misunderstands about nursing
Plus, Betty shares insights from her advocacy work surrounding healthcare worker safety and the Protect Our Nurses initiative.
Have you watched *The Pitt*? Tell us what YOU think they got right — or wrong — in the comments.
23 Apr 2026TRANSCRIPT
26.7 The Hidden Dangers of AI in Healthcare Discharges | What Patients Need to Know | Beyond the Bedside w/Guardian Nurses
Guardian Nurses Founder Betty Long and nurse advocate Rebecca Rivkin-Czarkowski discuss the hidden dangers of AI in healthcare discharges and what patients need to know.
27 Mar 2026TRANSCRIPT
26.5 Positive Healthcare Updates with Guardian Nurses | Beyond the Bedside w/Guardian Nurses
In this encouraging episode of Beyond the Bedside, hosts Betty Long, MHA, RN — Founder and CEO of Guardian Nurses Healthcare Advocates — and Rebecca Rivkin-Czarkowski, MPH, BSN, RN — nurse advocate — focus on positive developments shaping healthcare today.
From declining smoking rates and promising early detection tools for pancreatic cancer to an inspiring organ donation story and new research on teen screen time, this conversation highlights meaningful progress in public health, prevention, and medical innovation. Betty and Rebecca also discuss the evolving conversation around vaping, the importance of science funding, and why patient education remains critical in navigating modern healthcare challenges.
If you’re looking for hopeful healthcare news, practical insights, and real-world perspective from experienced nurse advocates, this episode delivers both encouragement and actionable awareness. Subscribe for more honest conversations about patient advocacy, healthcare systems, and how individuals and families can make informed decisions.
Inside a recent episode
26.8 What The Pitt Gets Wrong and Right About Emergency Nursing | Beyond the Bedside w/Guardian Nurses
Published 7 May 2026 · Transcript excerpt
[…] Two unit clerks. But she remembered that there was only two doctors. Now we weren't a teaching hospital. We had residents throughout the hospital, but not in the ED doing. Okay. And how many beds was the ER? It went from when I started there, the ER had 23 and there were six, I think, fast -track. And then they expanded there after to close to 40. And when they expanded, did they expand, did they bring on other physicians? Yes, they had to, because it was a trauma. And they went trauma so they're required to have a certain amount of. Okay. Well, the pit has a lot of doctors, a lot of student doctors. […]
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