Takeaway
Mr. Rogers modeled great conversational habits for clinicians talking with patients and colleagues—make eye contact, ask thoughtful questions, and wait for a response. His daily habits of exercise and playing the piano to relieve stress also show how caring for oneself helps sustain empathy and compassion for others.
Lifelong learning in clinical excellence | August 18, 2026 | 2 min read
By Richard Schaefer, MD, MPH, Johns Hopkins Medicine
I recently watched the film “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” (2019) starring Tom Hanks as Fred Rogers of “Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood,” the well-known award-winning children’s television show. This movie is based on a 1998 Esquire magazine article, “Can you say…Hero?” by Tom Junod. In the film, Lloyd Vogel, a fictional journalist, is assigned to write a piece about Mr. Rogers. While the movie isn’t about medical care per se, it does portray a number of examples of human behavior that can be useful for healthcare professionals to reflect on.
Empathy
Lloyd observes the filming of an episode of “Mr. Rogers Neighborhood” where Mr. Rogers is the warm and caring person that a generation of children watched on television. When Lloyd later interviews Rogers, he’s surprised that empathy isn’t just part of his TV character. Fred Rogers is gentle and caring in real life as well! That authenticity shown by Mr. Rogers can apply to clinicians interacting with patients as well.
Mr. Rogers says that adults can help children by remembering their own childhood and thinking about what that experience was like. He noted that adults often forget what it felt like to be small, but that reconnecting with our own childhood experiences allows us to understand what children go through and increase our capacity for empathy. This gives me pause for reflection as it relates to my role as a medical student educator. I too was once a medical student (albeit it without a cell phone, laptop, or even an email address!).
There are several scenes in the movie where Mr. Rogers is very present and focused on the person in front of him, whether talking with a child visiting the set or when asking Lloyd questions about his family. He’s genuinely curious, maintains eye contact, and waits for an answer. The example shown by Fred Rogers is a good reminder for healthcare professionals to try to stay focused on the patient right in front of them, despite what may be a very busy schedule.
Stress management
I did note that Mr. Rogers was reluctant to answer Lloyd when asked about the potential burden of trying to help and respond to so many people. In medicine we may call this compassion fatigue.
How did Mr. Rogers deal with the stress of his job? Perhaps his daily practice of swimming, the support of his family, and his spiritual life helped him stay grounded. But, of course, Mr. Rogers was human. He too likely felt frustrated at times, and he demonstrated in the movie a way of dealing with that feeling. He played the piano, but instead of playing a piece perfectly, he substituted some hard and loud extra notes to release stress.
The benefit of routines
And finally, maybe there’s a message in Mr. Rogers’ famous daily practice of changing out of his dress shoes and coat into sneakers and sweater while singing “Won’t you be my neighbor?” when he came into his television neighborhood. Routines can help clinicians focus as well, whether it be while performing a procedure or interviewing a patient.
This piece expresses the views solely of the author. It does not necessarily represent the views of any organization, including Johns Hopkins Medicine.