As Grey’s fans prepare to say goodbye to the two talented Grey’s doctors, we can’t help but notice a fascinating trend throughout the show’s impressive run.
Pediatric surgeons frequently leave Gray Sloan, which provides the perfect exit for many actors to leave the show with open-ended storylines if they want to return. Should we assume that all of Grey Sloan’s pediatric surgeons will only be on Grey’s Anatomy briefly?
Levi Schmidt is the latest actor to exit Gray Sloan after a long rotation. After a rocky start, Schmidt found his groove and became an outstanding doctor.
Although he got along well with patients and colleagues, he struggled to find his surgical niche. Then a new pediatric surgeon arrived and turned things around.
Monica Beltran first appeared in Season 20 of Grey’s Anatomy, playing the head doctor.
She inspired Schmidt to consider pediatrics, although it took some time to convince her that it was his passion and not just a career opportunity.
When Levy first approached Beltran for a recommendation for a medical fellowship, she turned him down. This is the right thing to do. While the PEDs are where Levi belongs, he’s trying to transfer for the wrong reasons.
Levi Beltran’s direction brings resonance to old-school Rollins-Karev.
From “rizz” to “snark” this pair is a perfect match. But fans know that there’s no way to make a connection now that Levi is leaving. His move to pediatrics was his excuse for leaving.
Bailey and Richard heard about Levy’s offer in Texas and tried to lure him to stay at Gray Sloan Hospital as a general surgeon. But after working one shift—which he was shocked at—Schmidt chose a career in pediatric research instead.
As his best friend Jo Wilson said in Levi’s final episode, he’s distanced himself from the intern who dropped his glasses on a patient during surgery.
Schmidt is just one of a number of pediatric surgeons rotating through the halls of Gray Sloan Hospital. For the cast of “Grey’s Anatomy,” the movie floor can be a revolving door of people ready to jump ship.
It’s hard not to fall in love with a compassionate, talented doctor who is great with children. This combination may be why fans are so obsessed with Dr. Alex Karev, who spent 16 seasons on Grey’s Anatomy.
Like Levi, Alex didn’t jump straight into The Walking Dead . A powerful mentor inspired a career change.
For Karev, several notable mentors led him to become chief of pediatric surgery. His interest began during an obstetrics and gynecology rotation with Dr. Addison Montgomery, where he experienced neonatal surgery.
After Addison left Gray Sloan, Karev worked under the mentorship of Dr. Arizona Robbins, the distinguished chief of pediatric surgery, during his residency and fellowship.
From her first appearance in Season 5, fans have fallen in love with Robbins as he navigates the pain of life and love. She received her fellowship training in fetal surgery under the mentorship of Dr. Nicole Herman.
Dr. Herman eventually developed a brain tumor that outlasted Robbins’ training and promotion as she took over the position left by the former fetal surgeon.
Hermann’s career ended when he lost his sight after a tumor was removed. Rollins left Gray Sloan in season fourteen and moved across the country to be with her daughter, who lives with her mother, Carly Torres (Mark Sloan’s baby mama).
During the more than two decades that “Grey’s Anatomy” has been on television, several other pediatric surgeons have come and gone, often on a single-season basis.
We’ve also seen first-hand other foot surgeons, Dr. Jordan Kenley on Grey’s Anatomy Season 5, Dr. Robert Stark on Grey’s Anatomy Season 7, Dr. Dr. Mel Barnett on “Grey’s Anatomy” season 9, and Dr. Cormac Hayes, who deals with foot problems on “Grey’s Anatomy.”
Although we have dealt with countless pediatricians over the years, at least most of them are happy after discharge.
For non-podiatrists, this is beyond what we can say.
One of the most painful character exits of all time was that of Carly Torres’ late husband George O’Malley. As O’Malley was preparing to leave the military, he died heroically saving a pedestrian outside a hospital.
Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey) is another death that has impacted us for years. The same goes for several other doctors close to Meredith Gray and her colleagues.
The second character to exit Grey’s Anatomy Season 21 has Grey’s Anatomy revisiting the trauma of their own fight for their lives.
Fans knew this would be Mika Yasuda’s (Francis Midori) final season, so no one was surprised when she got into a horrific car accident after falling asleep at the wheel.
Despite an emotional moment as she fights for her life, during which we hear loving testimonies from her friends, she survives the accident.
Fans are excited, but our joy is temporary. Because while Mika was still alive, her sister Chloe, who was undergoing cancer treatment, passed away. This is all Yasuda’s fault.
So instead of quitting the show due to death, Yasuda resigned amid a wave of grief that could have permanently changed the course of her life.
In terms of character departures, it’s a new kind of emotional farewell, and after more than two decades and dozens of character exits, it’s impressive.
So, midway through a season, Grey’s Anatomy fans are saying goodbye to two of the show’s current favorites. While Yasuda’s exit will bring a wave of sadness, Schmidt’s final cheer was enough to bring tears.
The show did a great job of having our favorite surgeon perform life-saving surgery on a baby in his crib while bidding Wilson a fond farewell.
Before Wilson set out on the road to car pollution with Reverend James, he gave Levy the greatest honor of her life – the title of godfather to her twins.
We’re hoping this announcement foreshadows Schmidt’s later cameo appearance after the baby’s birth. He insisted on frequent visits and many phone calls.
But we know life can get busy and things can fall by the wayside.
Most characters don’t come back once they leave, although they may be mentioned from time to time. Especially forefoot surgeons.
However, Grey’s Anatomy fans were delighted to have a guest appearance from Arizona (Jessica Capshaw) in Grey’s Anatomy Season 20 Episode 4, so there’s always hope!
Given that the foot surgeon we know didn’t last long on Grey’s Anatomy , should we be worried about Beltran’s future? Especially if something was brewing between her and Amelia. Or Ndugu?
Maybe Shondaland will use a card from Ryan Murphy’s recent approach to alternating romantic entanglements and try a threesome between the three, a la Dr. Odyssey.
They’ve developed an open relationship with the show’s newest cast member, Dr. Cass Beckman (Chicago PD’s Sofia Busch).
Over to you, fanatic.
Do you think there is a correlation between doctors becoming doctors and leaving the show? Who is your favorite podiatric surgeon so far? What do you think about Schmidt leaving Grey’s Anatomy under the guise of going to Texas to do foot research?
Watch Grey’s Anatomy online
