The Learning Channel's new "Resident Life" reality documentary series will premiere Monday, September 8 at 8 PM ET. The program, described by USA Today as a "gritty medical series," takes viewers into the world of young doctors and shows the reality of life inside one of the nation's best hospitals.
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Senior producer Wendy Greene told The Reporter that the goal, besides generating compelling educational entertainment, was to examine a part of medical training few people, unless they're a part of it, realize. "People sort of know about medical school, it's a big grind," Greene said. "But we wanted to explain residency. It's an incredibly intense part of these people's lives that hasn't been focused on in this way. They're responsible for taking care of a lot of people, and they do it well."
From the preview tapes that have been made available for review, it's clear that patients will also be part of the program's storylines. In fact, according to The Reporter, the fact that the project began filming before the new federal HIPPA patient privacy laws went into effect on April 14 allowed producers to take a "film first and get patient consent later" approach that might make portions of the program impossible to produce under post-HIPPA regulations.
Another apparent change since the time of filming is resident work hours. In the program, many of the residents worked 110 hours and more, but on July 1 a new 80-hour work week cap was federally imposed.
"Resident Life" premieres Monday, September 8 at 8 PM ET and will continue for thirteen consecutive weeks. The hour-long program will air each week at 11 PM on Mondays and repeat at 3 PM on Saturdays.
