Bathed in the blue light of a radiology reading room, Dr. Matthew Hartman and three of his medical students spent Wednesday morning analyzing X-rays, CT scans and ultrasounds at West Penn Hospital.

The images being reviewed by the class were real, but Hartman finds fiction can be just as powerful of a teaching tool.

He paused several times throughout the three-hour session to pull up self-made TikToks in which he imparts radiology lessons using clips of “The Pitt,” the hit medical drama that takes place at a fictionalized version of Allegheny General Hospital. It’s his favorite show, not just because it depicts Pittsburgh, but also for its realism.

@matthewhartman918 When we got these BTS shots we did not know who Ogilvie was. Great comparison of the raw BTS footage from #thepitt and the final edited product. #thepittedit#hbomax#jamesogilvie#mckaythepitt♬ original sound – Dr. Rad Dad Matt

@radiology101.channel Dr Robby does a really good job going over the differential of a widened mediastinum—for a non radiologist—#thepitt#radiology#medtok#learningisfun#lymphoma @Noahwyle @Dr. Rad Dad Matt ♬ original sound – Radiology 101: RadPath Pearls

In the middle of Season Two, student doctor James Ogilvie spots a patient’s swollen kidney using ultrasound but misses what turned out to be a deadly abdominal aortic aneurysm. That’s a lesson in how doctors shouldn’t stop reviewing a scan just because they’ve found an issue, Hartman notes in one of the TikToks he showed Wednesday.

“We’re responsible for everything on here,” Hartman told his students, turning back to the real-life scans.

Hartman has taught medical students since 2002, when he was still a resident, and is closing in on 20 years as an Allegheny Health Network radiologist.

He reluctantly took up TikTok in July at the urging of his students at the time but got hooked once positive feedback started rolling in. Since then, he has uploaded dozens of videos related to “The Pitt” and other medical topics.

Some of the cuts and effects are a little janky, but his enthusiasm has clearly landed with viewers.

The more educational content goes on his Radiology 101 account, which has over 5,000 followers, and the rest is posted under the name Dr. Rad Dad Matt. The personal account has fewer followers but bigger hits, including footage of “The Pitt” cast and crew filming outside Allegheny General Hospital.

His classes tend to have no more than eight people.

On Sunday and Wednesday, he’ll be extolling the benefits of watching “The Pitt” for educational purposes to his biggest audience ever at this year’s American Roentgen Ray Society conference at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Downtown Pittsburgh. His talk to the radiology professional organization is titled “Top 10 Things ‘The Pitt’ Can Teach Medical Students About Radiology.”

There are TikToks attached to each lesson.

Riley Trainor, a graduating medical student at Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine at Seton Hill University who sat in Hartman’s class Wednesday, said the short videos help her remember certain signs or conditions by putting a face to them.

“We’re like, ‘Oh, I saw that on ‘The Pitt,’” Trainor said. “I remember that character.”