“The Pitt” is proving to viewers that nursing is still a professional degree. This two-season medical drama on Hulu accurately depicts health care workers’ shifts through pacing, heartbreaking stories and professionalism in a demanding emergency department in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In a time when President Donald Trump’s administration has defined nursing as “not professional,” the show is more important now than ever.
In 2025, a nursing degree was reclassified from the list of professional degrees. This stemmed from the president’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” and now the United States Department of Education will apply federal loan caps for students in graduate programs. For students seeking professional degrees, the cap is higher, but now that nursing is a degreeconsidered non-professional, this hurts a lot of students seeking this degree.
The cast and crew of “The Pitt” made sure to portray the reality of health care today by ensuring the writer’s room was full of real professionals. Lead actor Noah Wyle has advocated for health care workers while starring in “The Pitt” and previously in the 1994 drama “ER.”
Wyle has been vocal about his years in acting and portraying the health care industry. His mother, Marjorie Wyle-Katz, is a professional in the health care field. Her life and story impacted Wyle’s advocacy. Wyle is using his platform to advocate for legislative change to improve the lives of health care workers, just like his mom.
Wyle and his mother went with a group organized by FIGS, a company known for their health care apparel that Wyle himself also wore as a tuxedo at the 77th Emmys, to advocate for three bills. These bills would pass to fund the Lorna Breen Actgive tax credit to frontline workers and relieve the administrative burden on health care workers.
“The Pitt” is more than just an accurate show; it pushes for advocacy and depictions of emergency health care since the first season aired in 2025. Rather than leaving his experience at playing doctor, Wyle knows the reality of living as a health care worker, depicting his character’s mental health challenges on the show.
In Wyle and Wyle-Katz’s interview with CBS Mornings, they said how important it is to advocate for health care workers. Wyle said it’s “Not just a workforce problem, this is a patient care problem,” and that it will affect everyone eventually.
Nursing news often changes because there always seems to be a debate on which programs to cut in health care. Currently, access to Medicare is banned for private equity-owned nursing homes. Moves like this, and private equity takeovers, mean services are slimmed down. Fewer supplies and staff mean the quality of care goes down. This directly affects us and our family members.
About 40% of Americans use Medicare. An episode of “The Pitt” showcases the battle of insurance when it comes to health care. In the episode, a highly educated third-year medical resident realizes that her patients might not receive the care they need because they don’t make enough money, but also make too much money to be eligible for Medicaid.
All over the country, nurses have been on strike. We will all be healthier if we advocate for those who do the same for us. Standing with health care workers as patients will allow everyone to experience a better system.
If the star of “The Pitt” is advocating for health care, viewers will watch the show, see the actor as an advocate against the horrors of the industry and be inspired to advocate for health care for themselves. “The Pitt” shows how real-world events can affect the people of America and how trauma affects workers.
Professionalism is in health care, as it is filled with crisis management, customer service and going above and beyond for patients. Nurses and doctors have a hard, dirty job. It’s more than bandages, and “The Pitt.”
Cassidy McClurg is a freshman student studying journalism at Ohio University. Please note the opinions expressed in this column do not represent those of The Post. Want to talk to Cassidy about their column? Email cm303824@ohio.edu
