Year One: Making an MD

In our final episode of Year One: Making an MD, we take a look back at highlights and lessons learned with first years Sam, Nate, Dillon, Shruti, and second year Bryce, and get the big picture from Associate Dean of Student Affairs Jodi Langsfeld.

We know medical school is a huge undertaking for the students. But what’s it like for the people closest to them - the "supporting cast"? In this episode, we hear from Sam's parents, Nate's dad, Shruti's BFF, and Dillon's boyfriend about what Year One has been like from their perspective.

In their first year of medical school, Zucker School of Medicine students are introduced to subject areas as diverse as patient communication, pulmonology, histology, and medical imaging. How do they learn to put it all together - to see the big picture? We find out from two of their professors, Dr. Janice John and Dr. William Rennie.

Practicing medicine requires not only scientific knowledge, but also the ability to apply ethical reasoning to medical dilemmas. In this episode, we talk medical ethics with Dr. Sam Packer, chief of the Division of Medical Ethics in the Department of Medicine at the Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, along with second- and third-year students Cyrus, Danielle, Derek and Katherine (KP).

Our first years - Nate, Shruti, Sam and Dillon - geek out over the marvels of the human body, and Dr. Robert Hill, who directs the Anatomical Gift Program at the Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, talks about bringing both gratitude and curiosity to the lab when working with donor bodies.

Dr. Lawrence Smith is the founding dean of the Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell. We talk to him about how his own experiences in med school informed his thinking about how best to train our future doctors.

First year medical students are under extreme pressure, especially during exam time. Jodi Langsfeld, Associate Dean for Student Affairs at the Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, and first years Sam and Nate, offer tips on how to handle the stress.

Second year student Nate on taking blood, and other encounters with real patients.

Dr. Joseph Weiner on how to introduce yourself to patients in twelve easy steps.

"It feels like we're playing doctor. It doesn't even feel real." Meet our first years, Nate, Shruti, Sam and Dillon.