In-House Medical Education: Redefining Tele-Education

Abstract

Background: Hip and tech-savvy medical students and junior doctors are likely to find lecture-based professionalism and ethics modules boring. Medical-based television dramas and films, on the other hand, are exciting and topical, and often feature real-life situations, albeit presented with artistic license. Current “hot” television series, such as House, ER, and Grey's Anatomy, feature scenarios which are thought-provoking, not only for the fascinating cases featured, but also for the ethical dilemmas and professionalism issues which present themselves. Summary: We discuss the educational merits of the genre of the medical drama and propose to develop an “In-House” Medical Education Initiative, in which an episode of House is shown, and participants encouraged, at the end of the screening, to discuss the following: ethics, professionalism (communications skills, confidentiality, sensitivity, and empathy), history taking and clinical examination, diagnostic steps and mis-steps, and finally learning points (or take-home messages). Conclusion: Television programs, purported to “rot the mind,” can actually be put to good use in the teaching of “soft skills” in medicine.