Nova: The Making Of A Doctor

Are the doctors on shows like Chicago Hope and ER like their real world counterparts? This seven-year documentary study follows a group of students from their start at Harvard Medical School through their final residencies across the country. We watch as the students' initial youthful enthusiasm runs into the realities of dissections, long hours of study and labs, awkward interactions with patients, dealing with death, and eventually the ferocious grind of internship. Along the way marriages take place, flower, wither and end in divorce, due to the demanding nature of the physician's calling. A warning to the weak of stomach: graphic footage brings the pathology lab and cut-up cadavers into the living room. The only weakness in the video lies in the somewhat weighted attention given the fair-haired doctor's son/student, as opposed to his more interesting and egalitarian classmates. Otherwise, this title is an excellent choice for most libraries. (R. Reagan)