ken asks the audience: how have your perceptions of medicine changed?

This past week's question was: How have your perceptions of med school/medicine changed since August? I asked classmate Mallory Roberts this question, here's her answer:

How have my perceptions of medicine and medical school changed over the past 8 months?  For starters, it’s a lot less scary.  I forget who said “We fear what we don’t know”, but I’ve found this to be very true.  I remember shadowing at Emory University Hospital last year and thinking “Wow…these third year med students seem to know a lot and they don’t seem to be struggling at all…how the hell am I ever going to pull that off?”  It seemed that there was some sort of chasm between the superhuman “I-know-everything-and-I-never-sleep” doctor (or med student) and the rest of us.  But I only thought that because I didn’t know what it was like to be a med student or a doctor.  I didn’t know that you have roughly 150 comrades to commiserate with and an army of faculty to support you.  I didn’t know that there were schools where the students were not self-obsessed and competitive.  The more I interviewed the more I got the idea that I might be wrong, but I didn’t truly believe it until becoming a med student myself.

Because we have a tendency to fear the unknown, the first time you do something is always the worst.  I remember being really stressed at our first “small group” meeting, because I didn’t understand what they were.  I was apprehensive of my first “hospital visit”, because I didn’t know how involved students were supposed to be.  Looking back now, I can see that what scared me was simply not knowing what people wanted from me.  I’m learning as I go, and trying to get rid of the stress by finding out what is expected and then working towards that.  As I get a more behind-the-scenes view of medicine, the reality of life as a doctor, and a med student, is becoming way less ominous.  Before medical school I saw academic medicine as being a grueling lifestyle in a world run by intimidating men.  I’ve been happily surprised by the realization that medicine can give you whatever type of life you choose.  There is no stereotypical doctor, and there is room for women to have significant influence and voice.  There are doctors who have families, hobbies, and friends that they dedicate time to.  There are men who are smart but humble, and women who are strong but nurturing.  There are also a whole lot of doctors, nurses, etc., who are not perfect at their jobs.  The more I see of doctors the more I realize they never get that “I-know-everything” feeling that intimidated me so much.  They are walking the same trail we are, they just happen to be far ahead of us.  Medicine is far less perfect than I imagined it would be, but thank God, because now I know that it’s human.  I’ve peeked in to the world of the unknown enough to say that, despite my worries, I can totally pull this off.

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Thanks Mallory!

Next week's question: Who has the best summer lined up? I have a guess.. but if you think you know someone who has the best summer lined up, let me know. People need to know if you're doing something awesome. 

see you on the other side,

from ken

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