For immediate release
Chicago, IL - March 25, 2015
With America’s healthcare system rapidly changing, how shall we train the doctors of the future? The new 30-minute public television documentary Rx: Doctors of Tomorrow profiles Hofstra North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine and its innovative approach to medical education. Rx: Doctors of Tomorrow, a presentation of WTTW Chicago, premieres on PTV stations nationwide on Thursday, April 2, 2015 from 10:30-11:00 pm ET (check local listings). The program is distributed nationally by the National Educational Telecommunications Association (NETA).
Award-winning director, writer, producer, and cinematographer David Grubin (the son of a general practitioner) focuses his cameras on the Hofstra North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine in New York – an institution that takes the standard medical curriculum and stands it on its head. “My father spent his first years of medical school in the classroom,” David Grubin says. “But at Hofstra North Shore-LIJ, they send the students into the field right away.” First year medical students train as emergency medical technicians and respond to emergencies, confront simulated disasters alongside New York City firemen, and learn from experienced doctors in both private practices and hospitals. Students master the medical science as well, but the focus is always on the patient, emphasizing the human dimension – trust and empathy – in medical care. They learn to work in teams to practice patient-centered medicine.
“Medical students certainly need to be in command of the marvelous technologies and powerful drugs available today,” David says, “but they can also learn something from doctors from another era like my father who had an intimate relationship with his patients. I was amazed to see that they are actually teaching “bedside manner” at Hofstra North Shore-LIJ.”
Rx: Doctors of Tomorrow is made possible by The Susan and Leonard Feinstein Foundation, The William and Phyllis Mack Family Foundation, Roy J. Zuckerberg Family Foundation, Primary Care Progress, and Harvard Medical School Center for Primary Care. Visit the website and watch the show at: wttw.com/doctorsoftomorrow.
For downloadable images, visit netaonline.org/pressroom.
