Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

Embrace the storm in medical school

Michael Moore
Education
July 19, 2012
Share
Tweet
Share

There are some things you learn best in calm, and some in storm.
– Willa Cather, The Song of the Lark

Over the past year I have been blogging for The Lancet Student. As luck would have it, I ended up writing during my 3rd year of medical school, American Style. This is my “clinical clerkship” year. In a way, my posts have been a record of my journey during that year.

As a new academic year begins, it seems right to reflect on how to get the most out of that year of clinical learning. One of the great gifts I have been given with my work with The Lancet is the ability to interact with medical students literally around the world, from the established medical schools on the East coast of the United States, to younger students in older medical schools in Europe, and finally medical students from the Middle East and Far East.

However, one of the disadvantages of this is that I often have to translate what American medical education means in the context of world medical education. I now realize one of the gifts of translation is not seeing our differences, but instead the large number of things we have in common. Translating medical education is no different.

Despite the differences in the structure of medical education around the world, one thing that all medical education has in common is that point in time when you move out of the classroom equipped with some basic medical knowledge, and venture out into the clinical world. It may be called an externship, practical experience, clerkship or just a rotation … but the experience is the same. You head in slightly unprepared, despite all your previous work, and start to learn how to be a physician. Sometimes you get hints or guidance on what to do, but most of the time the learning is through observation and osmosis. It is tedious and at times frustrating, and you begin to realize that it sometimes called a “clerkship” for good reason.

After hours, days, weeks, and then months, you will begin to see the pattern and purpose behind your work. Regardless of the amount of the time you spend in the classroom, and all the learning you will do, it will not give you one bit of information about how to be a physician. You can learn how to think like a physician, but without observation, practice and mentorship, you will not learn how to be one. This is harder for some than others.

Although many students see this as an extension of the competition for grades that pervades the basic science components of the medical curriculum, it is not a continuation of that race. It is a whole new race. It is, in the end, a personal struggle to understand what medicine means to you, the student, and the place you see for yourself in it. Some will get better marks, but so much is dependent on the situation you find yourself in with a particular supervisor, how busy the placement is, or even the time of year that you perform the rotation. Do not focus on grades, focus on your footing in medicine, where you will make your mark, and the grades will come, because you will be following your heart, and when your heart is in full engagement with your path in life, your hands will follow beautifully.

Just like in a storm, your footing is best learned during the trials you will experience during your clinical years. In particular, a universal I have found among medical students is the storm you will experience during your surgery and critical care experiences. Even if you do not intend to find your place in medicine within those specialties, they are places you will find and test your footing. Embrace the storm, and learn all you can about yourself there. Good luck.

Michael Moore is a medical student who blogs at The Lancet Student. 

Prev

What surfing can teach doctors about patient recovery

July 19, 2012 Kevin 0
…
Next

DSM-5 will capture the dynamic nature of mental illness

July 20, 2012 Kevin 1
…

Tagged as: Medical school

Post navigation

< Previous Post
What surfing can teach doctors about patient recovery
Next Post >
DSM-5 will capture the dynamic nature of mental illness

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

More by Michael Moore

  • TEDMED 2013 recap: Day 1

    Michael Moore
  • a desk with keyboard and ipad with the kevinmd logo

    Incremental improvement in medical education is not enough

    Michael Moore
  • a desk with keyboard and ipad with the kevinmd logo

    Health comes from community

    Michael Moore

More in Education

  • The hidden cost of becoming a doctor: a South Asian perspective

    Momeina Aslam
  • From burnout to balance: a lesson in self-care for future doctors

    Seetha Aribindi
  • Why young doctors in South Korea feel broken before they even begin

    Anonymous
  • Why medical students are trading empathy for publications

    Vijay Rajput, MD
  • Why a fourth year will not fix emergency medicine’s real problems

    Anna Heffron, MD, PhD & Polly Wiltz, DO
  • Do Jewish students face rising bias in holistic admissions?

    Anonymous
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Physician patriots: the forgotten founders who lit the torch of liberty

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Physician
    • Why medical students are trading empathy for publications

      Vijay Rajput, MD | Education
    • The hidden cost of becoming a doctor: a South Asian perspective

      Momeina Aslam | Education
    • Why fixing health care’s data quality is crucial for AI success [PODCAST]

      Jay Anders, MD | Podcast
    • Why innovation in health care starts with bold thinking

      Miguel Villagra, MD | Tech
    • When errors of nature are treated as medical negligence

      Howard Smith, MD | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

    • What’s driving medical students away from primary care?

      ​​Vineeth Amba, MPH, Archita Goyal, and Wayne Altman, MD | Education
    • A faster path to becoming a doctor is possible—here’s how

      Ankit Jain | Education
    • How dismantling DEI endangers the future of medical care

      Shashank Madhu and Christian Tallo | Education
    • Make cognitive testing as routine as a blood pressure check

      Joshua Baker and James Jackson, PsyD | Conditions
    • How scales of justice saved a doctor-patient relationship

      Neil Baum, MD | Physician
    • The broken health care system doesn’t have to break you

      Jessie Mahoney, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • Why innovation in health care starts with bold thinking

      Miguel Villagra, MD | Tech
    • Navigating fair market value as an independent or locum tenens physician [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Gaslighting and professional licensing: a call for reform

      Donald J. Murphy, MD | Physician
    • How self-improving AI systems are redefining intelligence and what it means for health care

      Harvey Castro, MD, MBA | Tech
    • How blockchain could rescue nursing home patients from deadly miscommunication

      Adwait Chafale | Tech
    • When service doesn’t mean another certification

      Maureen Gibbons, MD | Physician

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

Leave a Comment

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Physician patriots: the forgotten founders who lit the torch of liberty

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Physician
    • Why medical students are trading empathy for publications

      Vijay Rajput, MD | Education
    • The hidden cost of becoming a doctor: a South Asian perspective

      Momeina Aslam | Education
    • Why fixing health care’s data quality is crucial for AI success [PODCAST]

      Jay Anders, MD | Podcast
    • Why innovation in health care starts with bold thinking

      Miguel Villagra, MD | Tech
    • When errors of nature are treated as medical negligence

      Howard Smith, MD | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

    • What’s driving medical students away from primary care?

      ​​Vineeth Amba, MPH, Archita Goyal, and Wayne Altman, MD | Education
    • A faster path to becoming a doctor is possible—here’s how

      Ankit Jain | Education
    • How dismantling DEI endangers the future of medical care

      Shashank Madhu and Christian Tallo | Education
    • Make cognitive testing as routine as a blood pressure check

      Joshua Baker and James Jackson, PsyD | Conditions
    • How scales of justice saved a doctor-patient relationship

      Neil Baum, MD | Physician
    • The broken health care system doesn’t have to break you

      Jessie Mahoney, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • Why innovation in health care starts with bold thinking

      Miguel Villagra, MD | Tech
    • Navigating fair market value as an independent or locum tenens physician [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Gaslighting and professional licensing: a call for reform

      Donald J. Murphy, MD | Physician
    • How self-improving AI systems are redefining intelligence and what it means for health care

      Harvey Castro, MD, MBA | Tech
    • How blockchain could rescue nursing home patients from deadly miscommunication

      Adwait Chafale | Tech
    • When service doesn’t mean another certification

      Maureen Gibbons, MD | Physician

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Leave a Comment

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...