Imagine this: You're with friends who are eager to play a new game, but you're the only one familiar with the rules. Your options? You could spend time explaining or simply dive in and demonstrate.
The latter was our approach with the video, 'On Rotation with Icahn Mount Sinai Medical Students.’
For aspiring doctors, the pinnacle of their journey is being on rotation: a time when students are introduced to diverse patient interactions and clinical experiences—from Emergency Medicine to Pediatrics.
In consideration of recent insights provided by our Admissions team, we knew that a segment of our prospective students, not only wanted to have a better understanding of Mount Sinai's unique clinical environments, but also what a well-balanced med school life is like in bustling New York City.
We accepted the challenge of giving them a glimpse into our world.
Bringing this project to life was no small feat. With shifting priorities at the start, we found oursleves facing a tight deadline: we began our work mid-March, while intendeding to debut the final video by early April. We had to cast, organize, script, and produce the entire project within three weeks.
Our first step involved collaborating with the curricular office to identify third-year medical students suitable for the video. From there, we navigated through the whirlwind of production at lightning speed: conducting a general assembly kick-off meeting, arranging individual sessions to explore the students’ lives and what to capture, scripting and storyboarding, scouting and securing locations, and completing all rotations within just two days of filming.
On Rotation debuted during the School’s Revisit Weekend to an audience of nearly 200 visiting students—on-time and within budget. This project was a success for us because it met it’s intended purpose: we highlighted the vast clinical encounters available at the Mount Sinai Health System alongside the rich tapestry of neighborhoods, cultural experiences, and patient interactions accessible to prospective students.
And while initially intended for specific communications, the overwhelmingly positive reception has sparked discussions about extending the project into a series. Notably, our leadership's enthusiastic endorsement further underscores its impact:
"This is such an amazing video. It is fun and inspiring and just the right tone for who are students are and how they experience clinical medicine. Thank you for creating this phenomenal piece! "
