The Willow Glen resident is a medical consultant for the drama, a mid-season addition to the ABC lineup, that revolves around five clueless surgery interns at a hospital in Seattle, Wash.

Pike, a doctor at Community Hospital of Los Gatos and Good Samaritan Hospital in San Jose, reviews each episode. Her job is to ensure the technical accuracy of medical emergencies and reflect honest doctor-patient dialogue.

"Think about the 10 worst medical cases you've experienced in your life and they all happen in one night. That's television," Pike said.

Pike admits the show does stretch the limits of what happens in an emergency room, but it also tries hard to be realistic.

"The stories are actual cases that happened or are pulled from medical literature," she said. "They don't make up things."

The show also has a medical doctor on set to give advice.

"I have to think about what I can do that's medically reasonable within the constraints of what the creator and network want," Pike said.

In one episode she had to devise a plot that included a seizure, a medical case that was difficult to diagnose, and a scene involving medical procedures in the lab.

She also recalls an incident where a network executive consulted a cardiac surgeon on whether "they can shock a heart to revive it," to which the doctor replied, "It's Hollywood. You can do anything you want."

The opportunity "fell into her lap" about 1 ¹/2 years ago when her husband, P.H. Mullen, an author, introduced her to the show's creator and writer, Shonda Rhimes. A phone call later, Pike was brainstorming medical plots and poring over scripts. She refers the producers to other physicians when she is unfamiliar with the subject matter.

Her added responsibilities require some juggling with two hospital positions and looking after her daughters, 4-year-old Audrey and 2-year-old Elise.

"My husband's very supportive. It gives me a lot of flexibility when I know he's at home, taking great care of the children," she said. "I like being busy."

The job has also had its perks. In February, Pike toured the set and rubbed shoulders with the cast of friendly stars, including Ellen Pompeo, who has appeared in such films as Old School, Catch Me if You Can and Moonlight Mile, as well as Patrick Dempsey, who starred opposite Reese Witherspoon in the romantic comedy Sweet Home Alabama. Pike was impressed with how "down-to-earth" the cast was, as they "joked around" and quizzed her about her work and life. "They didn't seem all full of themselves," she said.

Viewers also liked what they saw, with Grey's Anatomy scoring the second-largest drama series premiere audience of the season when it debuted March 27. The show was recently renewed for another season.

While Pike is looking forward to reviewing more medical plots, she's not trading in her scrubs for glitzy Hollywood anytime soon. "I still love the real thing," she said.