911? I Need A Doctor!

by Badass Bunny, April 15, 2025

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“Oftentimes, between ethics and reality, what is right and what the solution is, is hard to balance. It’s just better for us to do our best as doctors.” – Master Kim

I am sure that many of us visited the hospital at least once in our lives. Whether it was for a regular check-up, surgery, or the visit of someone close to us, we do have some kind of experience with the place full of healthcare professionals.

Sometimes we have positive interactions with the medical staff, and sometimes we have negative interactions, which is normal since, in the end, each one of us is a human being, full of complex emotions.
In this article, we will look at doctors in Dramaland who, in my opinion, could save your or someone else's life.

Just like with nurses, I am going to include many specialized fields of medicine and try to represent as many wards as possible, since GS (general surgery) or ER (emergency medicine) are not the only ones who help the hospitals and clinics run.

Master Kim of General Surgery
Let’s start with the triple-board certified doctor, who is specialized in general surgery, cardiology, and neurosurgery. Many people describe this man as the best doctor ever, and I honestly have to agree. Being the head of the ward, he not only possesses extensive medical knowledge, but most importantly, he knows how to work perfectly under pressure, and his whole geniality stands out when he works under pressure. Sometimes, no matter how much you study and prepare for the career of a doctor or a nurse, you later fail when dealing with patients in critical conditions. For that same reason, a lot of doctors decide to pursue “peaceful” specializations that do not require being constantly on standby. Other than amazing technical and decisive skills, Master Kim is also a great leader and a teacher who always helps others around him—not only doctors. He calls out bad behavior and is truly hard on correct work ethics. If you want to know more about this doctor, do check out the South Korean medical series Dr. Romantic, which already has three completed seasons!

Irie Naoki of Paediatrics
Let’s move on to Japan, and this time we are going to look at Irie Naoki, who is a character from a very popular manga and TV series, Itazura na Kiss! Previously, we talked about the geniality of Master Kim, but now we are going to talk about the geniality of Irie Naoki, who was described by the author as a genius with an IQ of 200! He has looks, fame, and brains, but his EQ is quite low. You might be asking why I included this doctor on the list, and the reason is simple: I think the story perfectly shows that even when you are immensely smart, you can still fear the outcome of your actions, which perfectly happened with this doctor. Having an amazingly high IQ doesn’t automatically mean that life is easy and there are no worries. The Taiwanese version of this story perfectly showed that even when you study hard, you can still be afraid and question your abilities in saving your patients. While people call Naoki cold, I have to shine a light on the humane side of his character, which was quite surprising to see. If you want to get to know this doctor more, you can check out multiple versions of this story, either from Japan, South Korea, Thailand, or Taiwan!

Heo Im of Traditional Medicine
Traditional medicine isn’t quite popular, and in some countries, it is even frowned upon, with many doctors claiming that traditional medicine isn’t overly helpful, but Dr. Heo Im from the Joseon dynasty is here to prove you all wrong. Of course, traditional medicine can’t treat everything, but many times it can lessen the symptoms or even help with pain management. For this reason, I have included this lovely and skilled doctor, who works magic with his acupuncture skills and sometimes does look freaky! To get to know this doctor more, check out the medical comedy Live Up To Your Name, which describes a clash between modern medicine and traditional medicine. Fun fact: in many Asian countries, you can actually study this branch of medicine!

Yoo Hye Jung of Neurosurgery
Medicine overall is very hard, but I bet some of you are curious what is objectively the hardest specialization, and I might have the answer: neurosurgery. As I said, medicine is overall very hard, but neurosurgery is even among medical professionals a very “rare” specialization to have because it is studied the longest and is widely known as the most difficult one. Basically, this is my saying hi to upcoming doctors and begging them to pick this hard specialization because there is a worldwide shortage of them! Since I want to promote this very difficult specialization, which intensely focuses on human neurology, I have picked a doctor from the South Korean TV series “Doctors” who is not only smart but a fierce and strong woman who actively fights for patients, but sometimes she does literally fight with them—for their own good! I know that the TV series has many amazing doctors, but let’s give female doctors some representation as well, please. Many times, there is a stigma against female doctors choosing “manly” specializations, and I am here to say “no” to that because, from my experience, female doctors are often times more patient and careful than male doctors. If you want to get to know the “fighter” doctor, do check out the 2016 medical TV series!

Lee Shi Joon of Psychiatry
While neurosurgery is known as the most difficult specialization, psychiatry is known as the most unpopular specialization and has a big stigma around it. Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of deleterious mental conditions. These include various matters related to mood, behavior, cognition, perceptions, and emotions (1). While other specializations work with the human body as a whole, psychiatry focuses on the human mind. How shall we get to know the human mind other than through observation and conversation? Lee Shi Joon is a psychiatrist from the medical melodrama Soul Mechanic who is one of the popular doctors who treats his patients with care and, most importantly, respect. He tries to find deeper reasons for the patient’s troubles and switches that could bother them in the long run. But it is good to remind everyone that doctors are people just like everyone else, so they have their own share of suffering and troubles. If you want a slice-of-life and healing TV series that focuses on psychiatry, do check out the 2020 medical TV series with a stellar cast.

Dr. Bunnakit of Pathology
Many might say “ew” at this section and make various displeased faces, but we all have to admit that pathology is a very needed specialization that also immensely helps people out—mostly the police force, which many times relies on medical examiners. For ages, there has been a clash between the “standard” doctors and pathologists, because even now some “standard” doctors do not consider pathologists as doctors, which is simply wrong. For this specialization, I have picked Dr. Bunnakit, who is a young medical examiner who is very precise at his work. One day he stumbles on a case that he has a hard time dealing with, but he remains professional and does his work as best as he can. While the TV series isn’t overly graphic, it is good to remind people that medical examiners work with dead bodies and their tissues. While they are not saving anyone’s life, they are still important and very needed when the cause of death is uncertain. If you want to look closer at this specialization, you can check out the Thai medical romance series “Manner of Death.”

Tendo Kairi of Cardiology
Tendo Kairi is the devil of the cardiology ward and is feared by almost everyone, even his peers. While this doctor is handsome, do not be too mistaken by his face, because once he is at the hospital, he is a strict dictator who doesn’t take “no” or “failure” as an answer. He is highly professional at work, but in his personal life, he is always ready to help people around him. Even though his cold attitude might intimidate people around him, in his heart he is very kind and soft, like a mochi! This Japanese medical romantic comedy doesn’t only tell moving stories of patients but also of the medical staff that is trying their best to save every patient. It is important to mention that we differentiate between two specializations: basic cardiology and pediatric cardiology. Since Tendo sensei is skilled, he is shown to have both specializations under his belt; thus, he is also around kids, which he is very popular with! Special Note: As a nurse, even years into my profession, I still get the cables to EKG mixed sometimes! Special Note 2: While chest compressions and defibrillators save lives, it is important to learn when to use them! If you want to check out the devil, do tune in the Japanese TV series, "Koi wa Tsuzuku yo Doko Made mo".

Dong Go Yoon of Proctology
We are moving to the last specialization, which is proctology! This is not a very well-known specialization, but it is very needed when seeking help with lower digestive track diseases. Some people think that proctologists are only interested in prostates, but that isn’t the case. Usually, prostates are the “work field” of urologists. Not only have I picked this specialization because it isn’t very well known, but also because I couldn’t resist the goofiness of doctor Dong Go Yoon, who is a funny proctologist from the South Korean TV series Daily Dose of Sunshine. Many people think that medical professionals are very stoic and not funny people, but that simply isn’t true. Many times, the medical field is filled with funny people who apply their fun personalities to their work as well! Just look at me fainting when the needle gets near me! I hope that with this TV series, the work of proctologists will be recognized more and only in a positive light. Trust me, butts and guts aren’t embarrassing, so if you find yourself having some problems, puff out your chest and proudly walk into the proctologist's office!

We have reached the end of this quite long article, and I hope you have enjoyed it just as much as my previous articles. Since this is a "series,” we are going to meet again in a similar article, but this time talking about…Well, I can’t spoil you that much!

Even though the list has eight overall doctors, Dramaland has far more doctors, and it is a pity that I couldn’t name more, but this is the time where you come into action and where you can talk about your favorite Dramaland doctors! Don’t be shy, and do drop the names in the comment section, because I simply cannot have enough doctors in my real and dramatic life!