TV and Medicine (Again)
Apparently the CW, famous for such teen dramas as Gossip Girl and One Tree Hill, is ready to tackle medical education with a series called "HMS."
If this is actually produced, I predict the show will be a new favorite amusement of HMS students poking at inaccuracies. This place looks nothing like our school! They don't have enough bags under their eyes! We don't sleep around that much! (as far as I know)
This may be indicative of an oversaturation of medical shows - ER, House, Gray's Anatomy, Private Practice, Scrubs - such that the process of becoming a doctor would actually be appealing. Who wouldn't want to see a version of the venerable Dr. House nervously botch his first patient interview?
I'm interested in seeing how they dramatize what issues they think medical students cope with. I also wonder how much of the medical education they will be able to show - dissection of a human cadaver in anatomy is one of the hallmarks of medical education, but is this even palatable to audiences?
As I've mentioned before, these shows have a responsibility to portray the field accurately as they mold public opinion. Portraying medical students as callous and jaded would almost certainly be detrimental to the patient-doctor relationship.
Some potential plot points:
-Student overwhelmed by the deluge of medical education resorts to Attention Deficit Disorder medications to catch up.
-Student brings emotions into the clinic (e.g. just had a bad breakup) and makes poor decisions.
-Leading to the grand finale when a medical student makes a mistake that costs a patient - or another cast member - his or her life.
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