Need support during your medical training journey? Β Check out these resources for free, confidential support:
peer support for physicians and medical students:Β Physician Support Line
Email Tune Rx founder J.C. Sue at:tunerx97531@gmail.com
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βKeep reading and learning, for it is a lifelong process,β my general surgery preceptor wrote on my medical school rotation evaluation.Β Β His words have stuck with me to this day.Β Β As much as medical training teaches you, it will never you everything youβll ever need to know to practice good medicine.Β Β Thatβs why part of medical training is learning how to learn.
Many clinicians, myself included, decide what topics to study based on actual patient cases.Β Β Sometimes I come across a medical condition I havenβt thought about for a while and need to refresh my memory.Β Β Other times I come across a rarer medical condition Iβve never heard of and need to learn about it to take care of a patient.Β Β Before I went to medical school, my primary care doctor told me that the stuff I would really need to know I would see again and again, and my experience practicing medicine has reflected that idea. Β As you complete training in the clinical setting, I encourage you to ask your preceptors questions about patient cases and to read up on conditions you see that you aren’t familiar to you. Β These practices can help you stay engaged in learning opportunities and become better prepared for your future career.
Practicing medicine has also shown me how quickly changes in the standard of care can occur.Β Β Scientific discoveries are frequently being made, and medicine can change as a result.Β Β Just within my 4 years of medical school and 3 years of residency I saw the anti-inflammatory gel Voltaren go from being a fairly new, prescription only medication to being easily available over the counter.Β Β Within my first 2 years of practice after residency I also saw the recommendation for Pneumococcal vaccination starting age go from 65 to 50 based on research showing an increase in pneumonia related deaths after age 50.Β Β This rapid change is another reason why I value continuous learning in my medical practice.Β Β As much of a challenge keeping up with the current information can be, I find that it helps keep medicine intellectually stimulating.
I encourage you to approach medicine with simultaneous confidence in what youβve learned and humility in recognizing what you havenβt learned yet.Β Β Whether youβre consulting an attending physician or colleague about a case or simply studying on your own, remember that everyone in medicine is learning each day they practice medicine.Β Β Those of us in medicine are all on the same team, and we can all help each other keep learning and become better clinicians each day we work together.