The entire David Geffen School of Medicine (DGSOM) class of 2021 came together to make a music video that celebrates the joy, humor, and teamwork med students enjoy as they build clinical finesse.
“We hope the video imparts that there is no expectation to be perfect; that to become the clinicians we aspire to be, we will work hard, we will struggle, but we will learn, and we will succeed, and external support is crucial to that process,” said the video’s production team. Hear more about why they made this video below.
There are many ‘med school parody’ videos on Youtube, so as premed students, many of us had explored that internet rabbit hole, envisioning what it would be like when we arrived at medical school. This video is a realization of what many of us had imagined doing for years. It was also an opportunity to show off our school pride and tell the world about the DGSOM community.
Photo Credit: Kristofer Gonzalez-DeWhitt
The video also reminds new and returning students that, despite all the rumors, students can have fun, fulfilling lives during medical school.
"I remember before starting medical school, all of my peers would talk about how medical students have no lives and get no sleep and spend their life in either the library or the hospital. While we certainly do spend a considerable amount of time learning and studying and practicing to be doctors, we have also the time to have a life,” says Kalonji Cole, DGSOM class of 2021.
We came to medical school because we care about people, and want to support individuals through health and sickness. Therefore as clinicians, we will inevitably experience difficult situations; many of us already have. Having a strong community to lean on for support in these cases, as well as creative outlets and a sense of humor to ground ourselves, is important for maintaining our resilience and well-being to continue serving patients throughout a long, fulfilling career. Humor is as much a means of self-preservation as it is a means of communication and connection.
Photo Credit: Kristofer Gonzalez-DeWhitt
Production team member Aubrey Kelly, DGSOM class of 2021, remembers a quote from a 2017 American Medical student association article.
"Medical school is a time when students are learning to take care of others, but many medical students forget to take care of themselves in the process."
This quote rang true with Aubrey. “We can't help others unless we continue to help ourselves,” she says, noting how the video helped everyone have fun, decompress, and celebrate each other’s natural talents. “That encouragement, coupled with making new lifelong friends, is invaluable.”
The film follows a plot line that begins with an over-the-top fantasy of life as a medical student. The actors run in slow motion, flipping their hair and demonstrating stellar clinical skills. This glamorous facade starts to fade as “Fresh Prince” reviews struggles we encounter not too far from Bel Air, as medical students in Westwood, California. The rap ends with the characters expressing that even though it is tough, we’re strengthened and rejuvenated by support from each other.
The final song, Finesse, recognizes that with teamwork, perseverance, caring faculty, staff, classmates, and a touch of the beautiful Los Angeles sunshine, we are working toward that clinical finesse.
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