 Grey 's Anatomy follows the lives of surgical interns and residents at the fictional Grey @-@ Sloan Memorial Hospital ( formerly Seattle Grace Hospital , Season 1 – 6 , Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital , Season 6 – 9 , and then Grey @-@ Sloan Memorial Hospital , Season 9 – present ) , as they gradually evolve into seasoned doctors , with the help of their competent mentors . Every installment , typically , commences with a voice @-@ over narrative from Meredith Grey or a season regular , foreshadowing the theme of the episode . Each season tends to represent the physicians ' academic year , with each completed year qualifying the residents at a level higher in the surgical field . The season will always end with a finale , typically involving a tragic event such as a death or character departure . Most installments revolve around the doctors ' everyday lives as surgeons , but the show puts an emphasis on their personal , rather than professional , lives . The series sets aside medical ethic concerns to focus on character development and relationships . Although the physicians treat the illnesses of their patients , often through complex surgeries , their primary motivation is customarily praise and competition . 
