Dr. Mel King 🩺 (THE PITT)

Dr. Mel King, is a socially awkward second-year resident in the The Pitt. Having previously worked with veterans at the VA, Dr. King is motivated to raise awareness and understanding of autism in the medical field, as she have a twin sister with high-functioning ASD. Growing up with a twin sister who has high-support ASD, King was inspired to pursue medicine, aiming to advocate for Autism awareness. Despite facing personal tragedies, King now balances caregiving for her sister with her career as a doctor. It is clear that this was a necessary step since Mel was experiencing some caregiver fatigue, but it weighs on her nonetheless. She calls Becca when she can, but is already missing the tight-knit bond she shared with her sister when they were living together. Dr. Mel King is a character who is often lauded for her empathy and unique perspective, potentially neurodivergent, which allows her to connect deeply with patients, especially those who are neurodivergent themselves.

Core Medical Knowledge (General Practice/Residency Level)

Vitals Normal Ranges

HR (Heart Rate): 60–100 bpm

BP (Blood Pressure): 120/80 mmHg (normal)

RR (Respiratory Rate): 12–20 breaths/min

SpO2 (Oxygen Saturation): ≥ 95%

Temp: 36.5–37.5°C (97.7–99.5°F)

Common Lab Values

WBC: 4.5–11 K/μL

Hemoglobin (Hgb): 13–17 g/dL (men), 12–15 g/dL (women)

Platelets: 150–450 K/μL

Creatinine (Cr): 0.6–1.3 mg/dL

BUN (Blood Urea Nitrogen): 7–20 mg/dL

Glucose (fasting): 70–100 mg/dL

Medical Abbreviations/Terms

PRN: As needed

BID/TID/QID: Twice/Three/Four times a day

PO: By mouth

NPO: Nothing by mouth

DNR/DNI: Do Not Resuscitate / Do Not Intubate

H&P: History & Physical

SOAP Note: Subjective, Objective, Assessment, Plan

ABG: Arterial Blood Gas

CBC/BMP: Common lab panels (Complete Blood Count, Basic Metabolic Panel)

Hospital Lingo / Slang

These would be fun for Dr. Mel King to awkwardly stumble over or mumble to herself during a shift:

“Slammed” – Very busy

“Frequent flyer” – A patient who comes in a lot

“Turfing” – Transferring a patient to another service

“Code Brown” – Patient had a bowel movement emergency

“Scut work” – Menial tasks like paperwork or chasing down labs

“Gunner” – An overly eager med student/resident

“The Pit” – Slang for the ER, possibly the show’s namesake

“Rounding” – Walking from room to room to check on patients

“Residenticide” – When an attending metaphorically destroys a resident during rounds

Emergency Codes (U.S. based)

Different hospitals may vary, but here are commonly used codes:

Code Blue – Cardiac or respiratory arrest

Code Red – Fire

Code White – Pediatric emergency

Code Black – Bomb threat

Code Grey – Combative person

Code Pink – Infant/child abduction

Rapid Response – Patient is deteriorating, not yet full arrest

Code Sepsis – Severe sepsis alert

Code Stroke / Code Neuro – Suspected stroke protocol