The Pitt and other medical shows finally acknowledge 'backbone' of health care: Filipino nurses

Read this story in Tagalog. / Basahin ang artikulo na ito sa Tagalog.

As a registered nurse, Charlee Flores has always taken an interest in how her profession is portrayed on television.

But when she started watching the HBO Max medical drama The Pitt and the NBC comedy series St. Denis Medical, she was heartened to see the shows mirror her experience as a Filipina nurse.

"I love finally that they've incorporated Filipinos in medical shows. It is reality," said Flores, who works at Toronto General Hospital.

The Pitt, which debuted in January and is nominated for 13 Emmy awards (winning two ahead of Sunday's live ceremony, including outstanding casting for a drama series), highlights Filipino nurses in the opening scene of its first episode.

It shows the main character, Dr. Michael Robinavitch, known as Dr. Robby (portrayed by Noah Wyle), flanked by nurses Perlah Alawi (Amielynn Abellera) and Princess Dela Cruz (Kristin Villanueva), who have a conversation in Tagalog.

This particular scene rings true for Flores.

"You can't go into a nursing unit and not see at least one or two Filipinos," she said, noting there's a significant cohort in her unit — on the night shift, all seven nurses are Filipino.

According to Statistics Canada, Filipinos make up 2.6 per cent of the total population, yet 32.5 per cent of adult immigrants from the Philippines are employed as nurses or health-care support workers. They make up the second-largest racialized group working in Canadian health care.

It's a similar picture in the U.S., where Filipinos account for about four per cent of registered nurses, despite making up only one per cent of the total population, according to National Nurses United. The U.S. Census Bureau identifies the Philippines as the largest supplier of foreign-born RNs in the U.S.

Yet the popular medical series ER, which ended in 2009, did not feature a single Filipino nurse throughout its 15-year run, while Grey's Anatomy only introduced a Filipina nurse in its 17th season.

Shows like The Pitt and St. Denis Medical are beginning to shift this narrative, bringing wider attention to a long-overlooked community.

Jennifer Beganovic, a registered nurse in Yellowknife "felt so proud" of the Filipino representation in St. Denis Medical.

"We are seen, they can see us now, they recognize us," she said. "It's a long time coming."

Clips from St. Denis Medical recently went viral thanks to a storyline focused on the "Filipino Mafia." It's not a gang of mobsters but rather a group of nurses who gossip and strut through the hospital with confidence, drawing parallels to the clique of popular girls from the 2004 film Mean Girls known as "The Plastics."

"Hearing the language on screen, seeing a bit of our culture sprinkled in, like them being in the break room and sharing food — I thought that was really nice," said Ashley Briones, a registered nurse in Toronto with experience in various health-care settings, including urgent care and community health.

Briones acknowledged the comedic exaggeration but emphasized that the show clearly respects Filipino nurses, portraying them as hardworking and skilled.

"Filipinos really work their ass off when they are in their job, and … they're very resilient," said Joanne Villariza, a registered nurse in St. John's. She said the "Filipino Mafia" idea represents the comfort and solidarity among Filipino nurses. "We came from the same country, the same culture, the same practices back home. That's why we also want to work with the same people."

Beganovic says she especially loves seeing the culture of sharing food on the show. She said that when Filipino nurses get together, they feed everyone, and that eating together provides a sense of belonging and community.

Charlee Flores loved the fact that the nurses engage in tsismis, which means gossip in Tagalog.

"That's exactly what happens! We talk to each other, not even just making jokes necessarily, but like talking to each other about, like, diagnoses," she said. "It's easier for a lot of people to talk to each other in their native tongue and just work together in that sort of way."

Ronna Miller, a registered nurse in Winnipeg, said the reason many Filipinos pursue health-care careers in North America is because there are limited opportunities back home, and working here allows them to support their extended families.

Miller estimates that "seven or eight nurses" in her family have immigrated to Canada since 2011, through the provincial nominee program, all sponsored by her uncle. "I'm proud to say that yeah, we're a family of nurses and we're just … happy to serve … and care for other people."

Meriel Gasco, a registered nurse in Toronto, has a group chat with fellow nurses called "Filipino Mafia." She said that senior Filipino nurses nurtured her when she was still a grad nurse.

"That sense of community ... really helped me grow into my profession," she said.

The actors on these shows understand the significance of representing this profession accurately and the responsibility that comes with it. Filipino American actor Amielynn Abellera says playing Perlah on The Pitt is an honour.

"It's an incredible thing of what my generation will pave for the rest," she told CBC News.

She is optimistic about the growth of representation in the industry.

"What a gift for my daughter to be able to see a nurse on screen and be like, 'Oh, that's like Lola [Grandma]!' Because my mom's a nurse. I'm like, 'Yes, it is like Lola!'"

What makes Abellera's character especially notable is that she is Muslim. In the Philippines, Muslims only represent about six per cent of the population, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority.

Raised Catholic, Abellera researched the experiences of Filipino Muslims and worked with writers to adjust lines to better reflect the faith.

"Writers would change it on the spot and be very, very happy for the feedback," she said, highlighting the inclusive and collaborative atmosphere on set.

Filipino American actor Kristin Villanueva, who plays Princess on The Pitt, hopes characters like Princess and Perlah can contribute to meaningful change, emphasizing "this is not a one-off, this is not special anymore, this is just what it is. It's a requisite, it's an exact mirror of what is real life."

Elaine Chang, an associate professor at the University of Guelph specializing in Asian North American cultural studies, says the representation of Asian characters in medical shows is "long overdue."

She noted that historically, these shows have depicted a hierarchy dominated by white doctors, sidelining Asian actors and discouraging them from pursuing careers in the entertainment industry.

"There is this sort of fallback where we can get our score, our diversity points, by putting people of colour in roles that don't really matter. But to have [their inclusion] driven by story is crucial," Chang said. "So as long as there are writers, producers, directors who drive that content, you know, we'll be better off."

Emman Sadorra, a Filipino American writer on St. Denis Medical, said that growing up, he noticed the disparity between the Filipinos in real-life hospitals and their absence on screen.

"Filipinos are everywhere in the health-care industry," he said. Sadorra pitched and co-wrote the St. Denis Medical episode "Salamat You Too" ("salamat" means thank you in Tagalog), which features the "Filipino Mafia."

"This is me wanting to lean into my real life, and knowing that I have so many Filipino family members and friends who work in the health-care field that should have a story on TV."

Sadorra expressed hope that younger generations from all backgrounds will see themselves in well-rounded roles on screen.

"I think it's so important now to highlight the sort of beauty of diversity, versus being afraid of it."

Chang appreciates that Filipino nurses are finally being recognized on screen, but points out that they are still often absent from leadership roles.

Cynthia Hortelano, an anesthesiology assistant in New Westminster, B.C., has been in the health-care profession for nearly 40 years. She said Filipinos are the "backbone" of hospitals, and would like to see them portrayed in positions of authority.

"What I like about The Pitt is that it shows one [Filipina] character who is not a nurse, but actually a doctor, the character played by Isa Briones, because I think that is very underrepresented in Western [media]," Hortelano said.

Miller also emphasized the need for mainstream media to showcase the backstories of Filipino health-care workers, acknowledging their sacrifices in leaving the Philippines to support their families from abroad.

It would reflect the complexity of Filipino characters, she says, allowing community members to see themselves as multifaceted individuals.

"We can be more than what we are, and it might encourage younger generations [to say], 'You know what, I'm not just going to be a nurse, I'm going to be higher up, and I can probably dream big.'"