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Is Chicago Med Based on Real Life? A Look at The Drama of Gaffney Medical Center
Chicago Med fans have watched over a decade of medical chills and thrills — but are any cases real?
As a staple within the One Chicago franchise, Chicago Med captivates viewers with its high-stakes medical drama. But between the bloody injuries and emotional diagnoses, some fans may be curious — is Chicago Med based on any true stories?
Chicago Med follows the staff of Gaffney Medical Center, and much of the drama is rooted in the actual complexities faced by medical professionals. As with any hospital drama, the day-to-day operations, patient cases, and medical challenges seen on Med are inspired by real-world medical practices. One Chicago creator Dick Wolf has an affinity for ripped-from-headlines storylines on Law & Order, so it's only natural to wonder if any true stories inspired Chicago Med episodes. The Gaffney physicians deal with some seriously intense medical cases, but how many are dramatized for television? Which are based on believable medical scenarios?
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Check out which aspects of Chicago Med stick true to reality and which details veer into television territory below.
Is Chicago Med based on real life?
Technically speaking, no.
Like many other medical dramas abiding by HIPAA protections, Chicago Med is not based on a true story. The series takes strong inspiration from the Windy City doctors and nurses who help Chicagoans each day. While some patient scenarios are rooted in realistic medical case details, Chicago Med takes creative liberties with what goes on inside Gaffney Medical Center.
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Let's face it — a patient coming in with an internal decapitation is much rarer than, say, a doctor providing stitches due to a poorly sliced avocado. But those mind-boggling medical cases help make Chicago Med such a thrilling watch — it's a high-octane spectacle of some of the most intense cases that come through a hospital. That said, Chicago Med boasts several behind-the-scenes details that help cement the series in believability, such as the setting and medical training.
The Chicago Med cast goes through annual medical training
Chicago Med seems like it could be based on a true story partly because of the endless rotation of patients the doctors treat. It's impossible to guess what medical condition a patient will come in with next, and amid the chaotic nature of Gaffney's E.D., the Med stars who bring these medical cases to life receive rigorous training on realistically navigating an emergency department. From proper medical pronunciations to correctly holding utensils, Med gets a lot of backup from real-life doctors to help suspend disbelief.
"We have actual advisors, first of all," Sarah Ramos told NBC Insider while chatting about what shocked her about joining the medical drama in Season 10. "So I'm always being corrected on now I'm holding my utensils. I didn't expect, you know, the nurses to be handing me utensils so much. It's such a finely choreographed dance that is actually replicating what happens in operating rooms and in hospitals."
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In a 2022 interview with NBC, former Med star Kristen Hager and One Chicago fan favorite Marlyne Barrett spoke about the medical training the cast undergoes each year upon returning to film Chicago Med.
"Medical training was integral," Hager explained. "I came out to Chicago a full week early to just do full days with two of our fantastic active trauma surgeons who work down the street from the studio. It was like a boot camp of how to get your P.h.D over the span of a week, and it was incredible."
Barrett added, "I don't go a season without coming back and at least catching up with... our medical consultants, and make sure we get a chance to at least visit the hospital and remind ourselves what the atmosphere is in an E.D. — the rhythm in which life is really lived."
The Chicago Med set is inspired by a real hospital
Sure, some medical cases the Gaffney doctors face veer into television drama, but the pathology behind patient treatment is often realistic. Aside from the medical training playing a massive role in what Med audiences see each episode, the show's production design is also heavily inspired by a real-life hospital: Chicago's Rush University Medical Center.
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"We shoot exteriors at Rush [University Medical Center] occasionally, so we have been there," Med producer Niki Delone shared with NBC Insider. "Our exterior hospital set is actually McCormick Place."
The bulk of Chicago Med's filming takes place at Chicago's Cinespace Studios, where they've brought the Rush University-inspired Gaffney Medical Center to life.
"We have three separate permanent medical sets on three stages," Delone explained. "One is the ICU set, another is the Surgical Floor, which includes the OR/CT Scan Room, Post Op, and the Nurses' Station. And the third is the one the audience sees most often — our Emergency Room set."
Watch Chicago Med on NBC.
