Nick is doing a transplant surgery at Grey Sloan, so he’s in Seattle for the time being. He’s going to be transplanting a pig’s kidney into a brain-dead patient. This has never been done successfully before and could change the game in the medical world.
Taryn goes to see Schmidt and tells him that there’s a residency review happening today. The residency program is on the line, and she pleads with him to come back to work. Schmidt soon discovers that his own mother has been posting negative things about the hospital, so this instigates a fight. As his mother is walking up the stairs, she strips and falls backward.
Schmidt’s mom is knocked unconscious. Schmidt ends up calling Richard for help and has to perform minor surgery in the basement to keep his mom alive. When she begins bleeding, Schmidt starts to freak out. Thankfully, the paramedics show up just in time.
Bailey Goes Off On Meredith
The medical accreditation council members are coming to Grey Sloan. All of the doctors are going to be under surveillance for the day. Bailey is staying positive about the whole thing, despite the residency program being on the line. Richard is doing his physician assessment on the same day, so he can’t be interviewed by the council. The council members interrogate all the doctors to get a good sense of what’s going on at the hospital.
Richard’s physician assessment is done by Kai and Richard. In the middle of the assessment, Richard calls out Hamilton for trying to poach Meredith. He storms off and later explains to Bailey what’s happening with Schmidt. It’s clear Bailey has no idea that Hamilton and Nick are working hard to get Meredith to come to Minnesota.
Once she does find out, Bailey confronts Meredith about Minnesota. “This program raised you. I raised you,” she says. Bailey begins to get fired up and then goes completely off on Meredith. Bailey calls Meredith selfish and brings up Meredith’s past. It’s a total low-blow. Meredith claps back at Bailey and says she can’t speak to her or Nick that way. Suddenly, it’s clear that something’s wrong with Bailey.
Meredith initially thinks Bailey had a heart attack. Despite Bailey’s harsh words, Meredith still loves her. Bailey didn’t have a heart attack, but Maggie stresses that she needs to slow down before she does have a cardiac event.
Meredith’s Leaving
Link runs into Kai and Amelia. Kai politely introduces themselves to Link. Their introduction is cut short by the ambulance with Schmidt and his mom showing up. Richard is eventually interviewed by the council members, and there are incredible flashbacks to the first season. He says he’s willing to step down if he has to in order to ensure future generations are able to train at Grey Sloan. Meanwhile, Schmidt gives a statement to Hamilton about the residency program and Richard. Later, Richard learns he passed his assessment with flying colors.
While the council members say that the residents at Grey Sloan seem excited about their work, the hospital does not have enough surgeons to maintain an effective teaching program. Grey Sloan is put on probation, and Bailey has a few weeks to turn things around before another review. As Bailey is learning all of this, Meredith tells Nick that she’s ready to “start over.” She’s decided to leave Grey Sloan and take the job offer in Minnesota.