ER was on NBC for fifteen seasons, taking its final bow a little over a decade ago in 2009. Yet, its characters have stayed with fans and within popular culture for all the years since. Some were geniuses, others kind but fumbling, a few just evil to other people.
But, in this time of real medical trepidation, what sort of doctor would you want at your side in an emergency? Who would be the best person from the plethora of ER doctors over the years to have at your side? Here are the five best—and the five worst—doctors to walk the halls of County General.
George Clooney's Dr. Doug Ross was, on the show, a pediatrician, but that doesn't mean he didn't know his stuff. Ross was known to be a bit of a hothead, but he also was probably the most passionate of the doctors on the show, always going to bad for his patience and, very often, breaking the rules for them.
Doug Ross was also particularly helpful in a crisis, even when he didn't have all his tools on hand. In season two of the hit series, Ross rescues two teenage boys who are growing in a storm drain. That's the type of initiative everyone wants to see when it comes to saving lives.
While Dr. Ross's hot head streak worked for his patients, Greg Pratt would sit at the other end of the spectrum. He wasn't a bad doctor, per see, he was just a hothead who liked to yell and get in people's faces. He was rude to Dr. Greene on his first day at County, and that didn't earn him points with his co-workers. He didn't take orders well and was not always a team player. That's a lot of "what ifs" when it comes to healthcare, and that's not something anyone wants to find waiting for them in an emergency room.
Doctors don't have to be best friends with their patients to do their work well. Peter Benton, a surgeon, wasn't known for being particularly polite to those he was working with—sort of like Pratt after him—but he knew how to give direction, get people to listen, and he knew his medicine. Often called to the ER for consultations, Benton was always quick on his feet, taking in information easily, and making diagnoses on the go.
No doctor in ER's fifteen seasons was more hated or crueler than Robert Romano, who began on the show as the surgical attending physician to the Chief of Staff of the whole hospital. Besides having his arm chopped off by a helicopter, Romano is best remembered for being both obnoxious and very ambitious.
He did not work well with others which, no matter your educational background, can cause extra and unneeded problems during a medical emergency. No one wants their doctor distracted by a cruel superior when they are ill or in danger.
Despite his accent, no one ever had any problem understanding what Dr. Kovac needed when working with a patient. He was trained in Croatia, but he also had experience in the Croatian army, meaning that he was particularly good in a crisis, as he had extra experience working on his feet. Having once had two children of his own, he was also able to connect with patients of many different ages, and, with his work being the one steady thing in his life, he took it very seriously.
Malucci was all about breaking rules to get things done but not always working in the best interests of his patients. Where Dr. Ross broke rules to get his patients the best care, Malucci broke rules to keep things moving, which wasn't always a great look. He even discharges a few patients without looking them over himself. He was all about telling jokes, but that's not exactly the most desirable quality in a doctor when a person shows up injured and just wants to healed.
Carol is, of course, a nurse, not a doctor, but sometimes a nurse is still the most experienced medical professional in the room, and a patient will appreciate and live because she is there. She takes time with patients, explaining their injuries, illnesses, and their care. She is able to stand up to the self-important doctors around her and is responsible for getting a clinic added to County General. She cares about her patients, and that's one of the main things anyone can ask for.
Jack Kayson was the head of cardiology on ER and a member of the board. He comes to the ER for consultations and is not great at listening to other doctors—particularly residents—when they question his diagnoses.
He fights with Susan Lewis about patient treatment leading to a patient's death, drags her in front of a review board, and is finally proven wrong. Egos are always present in television medicine, it seems, but it's not what a person wants to find when they go to a hospital.
Mark Greene, the heart and soul of the ER until his death in season eight, was both the type of doctor a patient would want by their side and the mentor a resident would want in their corner. He was cool under pressure, easy to talk to for both residents, nurses, and anyone stuck running the desk, and he knew his stuff. He and Benton went to school together, and all doctors should have wanted to follow in their footsteps.
Archie tries to avoid work, a lot of the time, which doesn't exactly make him the doctor a patient wants when they show up for treatment. He was caught with marijuana while on the job and only avoided getting fired because the doctor who discovered him died before being able to report it. He clashes with those around him when he's made Chief Resident and continues to drink heavily. Suffice it to say that he's not the guy a patient will be looking for in their time of need.
