Imagine Family Doctor

ER, the long-running TV drama that raised the profile of emergency physicians, aired its final episode last night. Its introduction in 1994 made many family physicians long for the return of Marcus Welby, MD, the show that popularized family medicine during its prime-time run from 1969 to 1976. As far as we know, there’s no family medicine TV drama in the making, but we do want to point out a new release that you might have missed this week -- Imagine Family Doctor, the video game.

Developed for the Nintendo DS gaming system, Imagine Family Doctor invites young gamers (despite the “Mild Blood” warning, it’s rated E for Everyone) to play as Abbie, a young doctor opening her first medical office in a new city. According to the game site, here’s what they’re up against as they try to “Become the favorite doctor in town!”:

• Be the Town’s Doctor – Meet and care for patients as you learn about their symptoms and medical history. Diagnose patients, and give healing advice and prescriptions.
• Learn New Medical Skills – Learn new techniques from other doctors and receive advice that will help you practice. (Use your stylus to apply casts!)
• Solve the Mystery – Discover and defeat a mysterious virus that is plaguing the town.
• Create and Customize Your Office – Design a welcoming office for your patients to feel comfortable in. Choose the color palette and furniture layout that fit your style.
• Make Friends in This New Town – Interact with a number of different characters like the funny shopkeeper, the clumsy actor, and the Zen Doctor.

If only being a real family doc were this easy. (Where’s the “Get Paid” portion of the game, anyway?) Then again, given the recent match numbers, maybe this is just what the the specialty needs.

Posted at 10:19AM Apr 03, 2009 by Leigh Ann Backer  |  Comments[0]