University of California, Los Angeles, David Geffen School of Medicine
Electronic Communications: Audio and Video
Bronze
“The Med School Project” is the first documentary of its kind for the University of California, Los Angeles, David Geffen School of Medicine. For the film, five first-year students were interviewed on their first day of school and again during their last year of medical school in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. In their first interviews, the students share their excitement, aspirations, fears, and some of the challenges they anticipated as they embarked on this challenging and rewarding path. Fast forward to their fourth year, they share their nerves before Match Day and their reactions when they find out where they matched, they reflect on their time here, and they celebrate with commencement. It’s an emotional journey, as one student, for example, shares her path to becoming a mother while in medical school. The main channel for this short documentary was YouTube. A teaser video was shared on social media and the full documentary also aired on University of California Television.
What was the most impactful part of your entry?
The medical school journey is often known as a tough, demanding experience, but not much is known about the individual thoughts of exceptional, compassionate medical students. This video provides a window into the key experiences of medical school, encouraging people to learn more about what it means to be a medical student navigating many challenges, sometimes unexpected, in their journey to becoming doctors.
What is one thing you learned from your entry/experience?
No one student is the same. In the interviews, they share that “life happens” with their loved ones and their personal goals, but their determination and strength fuel their desire to become the best doctor they can be. This short documentary inspired future projects to dig deeper into individual student stories.
Contact: Regina Ip
rip@mednet.ucla.edu