Kara Dennison
January 29, 2024 
Doctor Elise: The Royal Lady with the Lamp is an unusual series, even by isekai standards. Blending reincarnation with the new wave of “second chance” stories like Tearmoon Empire and 7th Time Loop, it’s an inventive twist on both concepts. More than that, though, it’s actually good at being a medical drama. And that’s because, even a few episodes in, Elise is exhibiting everything a student needs to get into medical school.
This isn’t surprising, of course — she’s lived as Dr. Aoi Takamoto, so she’s matriculated once before. But even though the people of her current life lack that knowledge, her aptitude for this career path shines through. Here’s how:
Knows Her Stuff (and Protocol)
Let’s get the obvious out of the way first: every patient wants a doctor who knows how to diagnose a problem. Even before Doctor Elise moves to a hospital setting, Elise is showing her medical knowledge. In one conversation with the king, she’s easily able to diagnose what’s wrong with him. And that diagnosis could be the first of many positive changes made during her redo of her first life.
That said, Elise doesn’t simply force her diagnosis forward and insist she’s right. Rather, she mentions the potential diagnosis to the king so his medical staff can follow it up. It’s a small but key bit of protocol, and one that shows that she’s staying on the right side of ethics, even in her unusual situation.
Works Well in a Team
In episode 3 of Doctor Elise, Elise notably takes the lead at Teresa Hospital, cleaning the whole place top to bottom and taking over treatment of patients. While self-motivation and a willingness to do seemingly menial tasks are both great, she also shows amazing teamwork. Sure, she’s the one who initiated the deep clean of the ward. And she could totally have taken credit for that. But she made sure to give credit to the attendants who pitched in.
During her spur-of-the-moment surgery, she led these two ladies with clarity and skill. And despite the fact that she could easily have taken credit for (and pride in) all she did when Graham doubted her, she led by example with humility and respect. A huge deal — especially since we know there are many doctors in this setting more concerned about money than caring for their patients.
Bedside Manner
When Graham steps up to scold Elise for treating the hospital’s patients on her own, it’s those same patients who defend her. We only see one of these treatments take place, but we can assume that the others are much the same. That one patient vouches for her kindness, saying she made him feel comfortable and cared for at all times — which, if you’ve ever been sick yourself, you know is a big part of the healing process.
As Doctor Elise continues, we’ll get to see how she carries her second-life skills back into her first-life redo. Already, though, she’s shown enough skill and kindness to show that she’s more than ready to take up the mantle of doctor once again.
Speaking of healing, here’s the coziest series we’ve seen in months!
