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Documentary Suggestions?


callmeswags

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Hi everyone :)

So I'm scheduled for a minor surgery next week and will likely be bedridden for a few days. I'm trying to come up with some ways to entertain myself and avoid going crazy. Does anyone have any suggestions for good documentaries? Particularly interested in anything with a healthcare and/or social justice emphasis.

 

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Yeah along with Boston Med is NY Med 1 and 2, Hopkins, and a Canadian one is Emergency Room Life and Death at VGH season 1 was a couple years ago and season 2 is on now I believe.

 

The CBC one I think you're referring to is a Keeping Canada Alive. Earlier this year you used to be able to buy all the episodes of this one on YouTube with a credit card. The concept of this show is cool too and looked pretty good though I haven't seen it yet.

 

For non medicine related documentary but a very important discussion of the social and economic structure of North America is Michael Moore's Capitalism: A Love Story. I watched it a few weeks ago and I thought it was a worthwhile movie to watch. There is also Michael Moore's other documentaries of bowling for columbine and sicko. I'd say these 3 are the best documentaries I've personally ever seen (though I haven't seen watched all of the healthcare shows I mentioned earlier yet, so those might beat moore's docs out once I get to them, particularly NY Med as apparently it was critically acclaimed). But Michael Moore is famous because he is an effective filmmaker. Check them out if you haven't seen them already.

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Yeah along with Boston Med is NY Med 1 and 2, Hopkins, and a Canadian one is Emergency Room Life and Death at VGH season 1 was a couple years ago and season 2 is on now I believe.

The CBC one I think you're referring to is a Keeping Canada Alive. Earlier this year you used to be able to buy all the episodes of this one on YouTube with a credit card. The concept of this show is cool too and looked pretty good though I haven't seen it yet.

For non medicine related documentary but a very important discussion of the social and economic structure of North America is Michael Moore's Capitalism: A Love Story. I watched it a few weeks ago and I thought it was a worthwhile movie to watch. There is also Michael Moore's other documentaries of bowling for columbine and sicko. I'd say these 3 are the best documentaries I've personally ever seen (though I haven't seen watched all of the healthcare shows I mentioned earlier yet, so those might beat moore's docs out once I get to them, particularly NY Med as apparently it was critically acclaimed). But Michael Moore is famous because he is an effective filmmaker. Check them out if you haven't seen them already.

Ooooooo good suggestions for my post-OMSAS life haha.
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Ooooooo good suggestions for my post-OMSAS life haha.

Yeah exactly! I'm actually "saving" Boston, NY Med and Hopkins for sometime after I apply to med schools and before the interview. Haha I'm looking forward to watching them so much that I want to watch it at the optimal time haha but I have Life and Death at VGH and Keeping Canada Alive to tide me over until then.

 

Ooh there's also one I just found out about a couple weeks ago I forgot to mention. It's called Boston EMS and it's on ABC but I think it's mostly based on the first responders.

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Every Canadian should watch We Were Children - it's a documentary about the residential school system, and I think it's important for everyone to see - particularly if you're in healthcare, it will give you a new perspective on Indigenous health issues. Used to be on Netflix, but if not I think you can stream it from the NFB website. 

 

Other health-related documentaries that were excellent regardless of your beliefs one way or another are How to Die in Oregon and After Tiller. Both available on Netflix as far as I know. 

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Oh geez fellas. I know that medicine is a major life interest for us, but do we have to recommend only medical documentaries? 

 

Most of my recommendations are about social justice, in some way. Do I sound Gay is, ironically, probably the only one on the list that really doesn't have much to do with social justice. Here are my recommendations, in any order:

 

Citizen four

Inequality for all

Requiem for the American Dream

The Kill Team

Taxi to the Dark side (good luck finding this one)

The devil came on horseback

Do I sound Gay is pretty entertaining, if not really achieving much

The central park five

Vice HBO series, all 3 seasons

Evolution of a criminal

 

 

If you have to watch just 1 documentary, watch "the overnighters". and then come back here so we can discuss it

I also really liked "the drop box". This film rekindled my love for documentaries.  

 

As a 27 year old adult I was of the belief that, outside of earth shattering personal loss, heartbreak wasn't something the world could have done to me anymore.  Then I watched those last two documentaries. I know that I might be causing you to be biased, but watch those two.

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Requiem for the American Dream - It discusses the fall of the middle class and growing economic strain of today. All told by Norm Chromsky a philosopher, scientist and historian and one of the founders of the field of cognitive science at MIT.

I saw that on Netflix but haven't seen it yet! Thanks for letting me know it's good.

 

That guy sounds impressive to say the least. Definitely gonna watch this!

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Hi everyone :)

 

So I'm scheduled for a minor surgery next week and will likely be bedridden for a few days. I'm trying to come up with some ways to entertain myself and avoid going crazy. Does anyone have any suggestions for good documentaries? Particularly interested in anything with a healthcare and/or social justice emphasis.

 

 

I watched Boston med before entering medical school. 

 

Other documentary: 

- junior doctors; your life in their hands ( currently watching this one as I am just entering my clinical year! it has been pretty exciting so far!)

- the english surgeon (a very good one if youre interested in neurosurgery. It features mr Henry Marsh, one of the best neurosurgeon in UK and also the writer of the best-selling book 'Do No Harm')

- Doctors' diaries are quite good but it did not really leave an impression

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