Why would a doctor need acting classes?

"I'm sorry, Dr. Smith isn't available right now. He's in theater class."

What???

Seriously. Doctors across the country, in growing numbers, are turning to acting classes to help them improve their bedside manners.

It's really not as bad as it sounds. The goal is not to teach doctors to "act" like they care more, but instead to give them some formal training on just how big of an impact body language, attentiveness, eye contact, and verbal cues can have on a person's perception.

Considering 'bedside manner' is such an important part of what makes a good doctor good, I think this is a great idea.