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Medical dramas on television: a brief guide for educators
1Faculty of Medicine, University of Alberta, Canada. chirt@ualberta.ca
Medical Teacher
|December 12, 2012
Summary
Medical television dramas offer valuable educational content for medical professionals. This study analyzed popular shows, finding specific dramas suitable for teaching clinical skills, ethics, and teamwork in medical education.
Area of Science:
- Medical Education
- Media Studies
- Television Analysis
Background:
- Medical television dramas are increasingly popular.
- Medical educators are exploring media's educational potential.
- This study investigates the utility of medical dramas in education.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze popular medical television dramas for their educational value.
- To identify specific uses for different medical dramas in medical education.
- To develop a guide for integrating medical dramas into teaching.
Main Methods:
- Systematic viewing and analysis of 177 episodes from eight popular medical dramas (1990-2009).
- Development of a brief guide for each analyzed drama.
- Categorization of dramas based on suitability for different educational purposes.
Main Results:
- Analyzed dramas contain substantial material applicable to medical education.
- "ER" and "Scrubs" provide examples of teaching and learning.
- "House" and "Grey's Anatomy" are suitable for ethics and teamwork discussions.
Conclusions:
- Medical dramas can be effectively integrated into medical education.
- Different dramas serve distinct educational purposes.
- Further exploration of television drama in medical teaching is encouraged.
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