because americans can not accept that filipinos are more efficient than them.

As desperate housewives showed it, Filipinos do not deserve to be medical practitioner. Really, these desperate housewives deserve a BIG SLAP for every Pinoy.

More Filipino doctors can diagnose diseases by history and physical examination alone, because the expensive technology and apparatus of the West to which many American doctors have become dependent upon, are not available here in RP. I still believe in the Filipino medical education system, even if mis-informed and insensitive Americans think they have the best in the universe. I don’t know how many American doctors could manage with confidence tuberculosis or dengue. Or manage diseases with very meager resources!

[...] “WHY are there no Filipino characters in hospital shows?” Ruben Nepales asks in The Nepales Report. [...]

Many Americans still cannot seem to accept that Filipinos are as good as they are. In the medical professions, in information technology, in the arts, and in sports we have shown this. If Filipinos in the Philippines had the same opportunities as Americans have in the U.S., the Philippines would be a superpower by now. Despite overpopulation, yearly calamities (earthquakes, typhoons, floods), and limited resources (no oil, no natural gas, no precious minerals), Filipinos manage to churn out doctors, nurses, computer professionals, accountants, seamen, etc for the world economy. If you put a Filipino side-by-side with anyone in a difficult situation, you can bet that the Filipino will not run away, will survive, and will thrive. The “Desperate Housewives” boo-boo is symptomatic of a fear of immigrants who work harder and appreciate and are more thankful for what America has to offer than its own citizens.

There are no Filipino characters in American hospital shows because Filipino actors speak better English and this would cause serious embarassment for a lot of American actors who cannot speak straight, grammatically-correct English! Also, American television is embarassed to show how American hospitals are now well-populated by immigrant Filipinos because this would challenge the old stereotypes of the Asian being just a dumb character.

There are no Filipinos in American hospital shows because at the fast pace Filipinos work, the scenes would need to be shortened because most of the hospital work would over within the first 5 minutes of the show.

There are no Filipinos in American hospital shows because a Filipino would be able to do everything: be a doctor, nurse, med rep, patient, or hospital aid. You would not need multiple actors/actresses as long as you pay the Filipino overtime for his/her multiple roles. This would put a lot of American actors/actresses out of business.

*sir! taas kamay* Ako! Ako! Ako!

Ahhh….

BECAUSE PINOYS ARE NOT DYSFUNCTIONAL???

I don’t know what the problem of the Desperate Housewives’ writer(s) with medical schools in the Philippines was. In any case, it is unfair to insult our ability to mold doctors like that, especially since a number of our home-grown doctors have been saving American lives for quite a time now.

Just check out this video clip featured in the website of a hospital in Pennsylvania where Dr. Ma. Cristina Javier, a Filipina Doctor who’s had her early medical training here in the Philippines (she’s my officemate’s sister), saves an American baby–something she does probably more than just on a daily basis.

Oh, here’s the site: http://media1.hmc.psu.edu/mediasite/Viewer/Viewers/ViewerVideoOnly.aspx?mode=Default&peid=4fbbd7dc-dfc7-4e8e-8b07-a45ef353d36c&pid=9f2b7e35-3aec-4d36-8656-94abf469f2b9&playerType=WM7#

I am a health care worker and there are times I’ve been discriminated. However, in my part, I just do my job and shrug off their comments. In this way, I can show them what a Filipino health care worker really is.

LOL, this is too funny.

You have a show making a offhanded joke about Filipinos in the medical field, which they publically apologized for, yet still not satisfied people here have to resort to degrading their American counterparts as well. Hypocrite much? Its a show, people. They sincerely apologized. Time to lick the wounds and move on.

Also Fred… stating that American doctors can’t handle dengue and tuberculosis because they are not trained to handle those situations with meager resources… well what about Filipino doctors… could they handle cancer, heart transplants, etc. if their medical school could not afford the expensive equipment to properly train them with?

Love it or hate it, the only thing lacking in Philippine medical and nursing schools is technology. Filipinos don’t have access to the high tech equipment that is essential to advancing in the medical field. You have Filipina nurses coming to the US who are computer illiterate and have never seen technology readily available in the US in operation.

Anyway, to answer the question why there are no Filipino/a nurses on medical TV shows. I guess you can answer that by asking why are there no Filipino/a actors to play these roles.

Also maybe those Filipino/a nurse are probably in the background taking care of their patients rather than causing all that drama that you see in those TV shows. The Filipino/a nurse is probably doing their job low-key, working overtime to send money home, so they have no life, and the minute they are off from work… they are at home watching TFC lol.

Seriously, Hollywood likes to play it safe and it takes years for minorities to emerge in high profile roles. Example: In the past, you would not see a black actor play a professional role like a doctor. You don’t see Indians/Arabians playing doctors as well because even though its the norm in the real world, people tend to live in a bubble and expect things that are familiar to them. Hollywood has come a long way in breaking stereotypes, hoping they learn from their lesson and build on it.

You are comparing Hollywood and the health industry which is like apples and oranges.

If all doctors looks like George Clooney then I pray I get sick everyday.

obviously these americans can choose the doctor they want to treat them;sige nga,can they choose “white nurses only”
e di nanigas sila in pain;kasi anywhere you go in america,me pinay na nurse;in ANY healthcare setting;eh di nag close lahat ng big hospitals in the east, west coast and the big state of texas where more than 50% of RNs are pinays;and these are the RNs with compassions,who do more that what is required;tingnan ko ang galing ng mga taga ABC pag they are on their death bed and lo and behold,its the pinay nurse and pinoy Doctor and nasa bedside nila;sino ba ang me tyaga sa cancer and comfort care patients? e di mga pinoy po.

The Thrid Watch features a half Filipino, half Mexican (I think). It’s not exactly a hospital show but the story delves around the medical profession.

oops!!! apologies accepted, damage already done.

The “script writer” is probably over 60 y.o. , WASP-This reflects on the ignorance and bigotry, inherent of his generation.

Holywood should hire younger “script writers”, WASP, or whatever, they will probably not have the same social sickness” .

I am a pinoy living in the sates for a long time, deeply rooted here. blame holywood for hiring “old pogies”.

Because you have so perfected the art of marketing yourselves as supermaids… it would be hard to convince the viewing public that you can actually work in hospitals (regardless of the incredible presence of Filipinos/as in US hospitals in real life). Remember, perception and image in the entertainment world is everything.

I think this is an opportune time for all to stop marketing the Filipinos/as maids and hailing the dysfunctional strategy of exporting cheap Filipino labor. About time there should be enough work for everybody, not just for those oh, so corrupt politicians, their families and cronies.

mga chaka silang lahat

Probably for the same reason that very few people of color were ever seen on “Friends,” despite its New York City setting. Or, for that matter, most other TV shows set in major metropolitan cities that, in reality, have a significant non-white population. It’s just the nature of the American entertainment system, where the vast majority of decisionmakers are white and think everyone else in America must be as well (or want to be one).

Having said that, I do think that it helps our cause not one bit by engaging in equally racist and offensive remarks about American medical doctors being less “efficient” or capable than Filipino doctors. Filipino doctors are well-trained in TB and dengue fever cases because we see plenty of those cases back home. American doctors, on the other hand, have world-class expertise on cancer research and treatment that on the whole is unmatched by any other medical system in Asia, much less the Philippines. Ditto for cardiovascular, pulmonary, and a host of other medical conditions.

It’s great that Filipino doctors can perform superhuman medical feats in the face of such overwhelming scarcity, but the flip side of this is that there are fewer and fewer of them, as most Philippine medical school graduates (themselves a dying breed) are leaving the country in droves for greener pastures elsewhere. Bitching about fictional characters in an overhyped TV show 10,000 miles away does nothing but distract everyone from the really difficult problems that must be confronted in order to shore up a rapidly deteriorating healthcare system.

This is not true. I have seen some Asian/Filipino-looking characters on these hospital shows albeit mostly nurses. Change comes about slowly. Why do we expect more Asians on TV/ movies when very few blacks get to be on these shows and they have been around a lot longer than us. Just give it time.

[...] The Nepales Report : Why are there no Filipino characters in hospital shows? [...]

Just like we have 3G cell networks and its a future thing for the US.

It is a sad fact that many of us Pilipinos in the the US have remained behind the “scene”, so to speak, because we choose to work longer hours for a little bit more money only to spend on fancier cars, designer bags, and others insignifant material things to show off rather than invest in furthering our formal education,for example, so we can assert or position ourselves for higher, more visible positions in the workplace. Don’t get me wrong; being a domestic help is a decent job, but we Pilipinos as a whole should aspire for somethng bigger if we want other people to take notice of us. And while we are pursuing that “something” we should always show other people around us that we are proud of being Pilipino, proud of Pilipino heritage. Don’t blame Hollywood this time, not yet. Get ourselves better!

filipino doctors,nurses and those involved in the medical field are the most competent. they do their jobs without funfare.

Because of Globalization, Filipinos too are now doing articles in the internet. Check out those tips that you are reading young Pinoy whiz kids are doing that these days. AMericans are a lazy lot!

Out of topic, but maybe the Desperate writer was intentionally asked to cause its show to be made controversial for desperation to maintain ratings. These are taped shows, so there would have been an editor in place (knowing ABC) checking for these things (they wouldnt touch a Black, Jewish or Irish one with a ten-foot pole)

no pinoys? kasi marami pa rin ang naniniwala sa old stereotypes na magaling at palaging tama ang mga puti which is a big lie. pag linagyan mo ng isang medical pinoy sa TV or movie, baka hidi kapanipaniwala ang story at hindi bilhin ng american public. remember, maraming TV soaps ang ginagawa para sa mga puting audience (not even sa colored).

finally, maraming medical pinoys ang working sa napakaraming hospitals and clinics sa US. They are there for real and not for humor. Yung mga puti, palamuti lang. Marami ang tamad at bobo. Ni common sense wala! Hindi ibig sabihin puti ka, ikaw na ang diyos. Hindi nila alam hindi naman puti ang kulay ng balat ng Diyos. Kaya pag sinasabi natin na “pumunta ka sa liwanag” na-o-offend ang mga blacks. Hay, buhay…

the only logic i can think of is there are no filipinos who can qualify for an acting career. in the philippines, all you need is a beautiful face or a powerful last name and you can be an actor. thaty’s all to it. no talent necessary. in hollywood, the competition is in tha art of acting (or talent). there. name any filipino who lasted in holywwod or made it big. nobody! if you’re thinking of tia carerra or lou philipps, they’re not filipinos in the legal sense. no such thing as fil-ams.

[...] The Nepales Report : Why are there no Filipino characters in hospital shows? [...]

Its pretty obvious (snark)

Imagine watching an episode of “House” and Dr. House has a Filipino on staff. Imagine them diagnosing a patient and the Filipino doctor goes “He has a peeber of 104 degreees.”

That is why.

It’s probably because they cannot think of a story line fit for Filipino healthcare professionals…. As you all know most Filipinos are keeping their heads down to their work only second to their family life which is our very best attitude in life. That’s why they all want us to be part of their workforce not their entertainment.

almost everyone who left comments here are hypocrites. first of all, why are you all deluding yourselves that filipinos are “better” health care workers than others? isn’t THAT racist? and another thing: why are people so pissed off about a simple insensitive comment? i’m not at all saying that it’s ok but shouldn’t we be more concerned about other important matters like OUR own health care system here in our own country? we should be angry about matters like pinoy kids starving on the streets rather than waste our thoughts on a tv show.

Unlike in the Philippines where you can just look for a pretty face in the mall and then make them a celebrity the next day with no acting or singing talent at all, in the US everyone has to go to acting classes and workshops even to get in a bit role. The huge Hollywood actors and actresses started out by playing bitroles in TV shows or movies before landing that co-starring role and eventually be the star of their own show. Perhaps not many Filipinos enroll to such classes because our parents would say, “Ano? Bakit ka mag-a-artista? Walang kinabukasan yan! Mag accounting ka o mag nurse ka, malaki bayad dun!”

“I SECOND THE MOTION” TO EVERYTHING.
HEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE…………………..

There are no Filipinos in American hospital drama shows because its not our show, let start in our own backyard first. Prove first that we’re giving what is due to own race….

Denshi, the Indian guy in Heroes portrays a doctor. And I agree with you, these people who keep complaining can never be satisified. They’ve already apologized, what more do we want? Maybe all of these people are just grandstanding and will run in the 2010 elections. Thats always the case, isn’t it? Ride a popular issue as long as you can to become more popular.

gaylordfocker, Third Watch is about emergency teams, not the medical field in particular. The Filipino guy there is part of the paramedic team, but the other teams are police and firemen

The real culprits are the greedy commercial review centers and corrupt govt regulators who caused that nursing exam leak scandal. Filipino Americans are only now paying for that damage to reputation that has surfaced in a throw away line in a sitcom. There is more to come from that, as this may cement the impression even harder. And the wish for more Filipino characters in tv shows could be answered…with a vengeance!