LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — There's a huge physician shortage in southern Nevada. To attract potential medical students, a Henderson school is teaming up with Amazon.
I paid a visit to the campus for a behind-the-scenes look at a show shooting its latest episode at Touro University.
Alex Boylan is the executive producer and host of the series College Tour on Amazon Prime Video. It was created to give students and their parents a real look at campus life at colleges and universities, without having to travel across the country.
"It started off as a very simple mission. Tell the story through the lens of real students," Boylan said.
Touro University officials said they jumped at the chance to participate when they were approached by the show.
"It takes out students' experiences and, in their own words, the students write the script," Campus President and Provost Dr. Andrew Priest told me. "They talk about what they do, why they do it, and why Touro Nevada is so important to them."
Priest said the show is a helpful tool in attracting future medical students to the valley.
"And that's so critical because we really are looking at a future that is very concerning when it comes to medical care and doctors," I said.
"Yeah," Priest replied. "Having enough of them here and that's one of the reasons we exist is to help populate the medical profession in the valley."
Priest says 10 different students will share their personal stories in the half-hour program, which premieres later this fall.
First-year student Julienne Zhou, from New York, is among the participants.
"I wanted to be on this show to tell other people 'Hey, it's okay to move far away from home.'"
Zhou told me she is sharing her experience outside the classroom, talking about clubs and other social activities.
"It's the extracurriculars that keep you balanced as a person," Zhou said. "You have your fun. You also have your study time."
Zhou explained that it's important to share student life experiences because you can't truly grasp that aspect from just looking at a school website.
"You can't piece together the culture, the environment."
Second-year student Vineet Sadarangani is also in the program and says he wants potential students to know about the medical school's amazing resources.
"We have these simulated patients that are right behind me. They're real-life mannequins. Some of them even show the birthing process," Sadarangani said. "The mannequins respond back to you like real-life patients. They also have pulses, heartbeats. They even sweat."
Overall, Sadarangani says he's loved his time at Touro and wants others to experience the same.
"If you're a book learner, there's lectures and there's great faculty here that walk you through it. If you're someone that likes hands-on experiences, there's hands-on experience," Sadarangani said. "I'm so lucky to be here at Touro Nevada."
That's a message Boylan said this program aims to deliver to potential students, parents and more.
"The feedback you must get from parents must be great," I said.
"We get emails every single day from parents, principals, high school counselors of what this show is actually doing to tangibly help young people," Boylan replied.
He added it's also encouraging to meet such brilliant students at Touro and other schools across the country.
"When you look at this next generation, how they want to change the world for the better, their knowledge about things and it is at a different level, the world is in great hands with the next generation."
