Comments(2) 
My editor on Medscape just surprised me with the absolute COOLEST entry, ever. I was so excited by this post, that it caused me to have goosebumps, and it brought the hugest grin to my face. How. Very. Awesome!
Comments(0) Check out my LAST post on Medscape (for med school, that is!) to read my reflections on the past four years.
Comments(0) Check out my post on Medscape to read about how med school requires understanding the art of time management.
Comments(1) Comments(1) Check out my post on Medscape to learn about how much I enjoy being a part of my community.
Comments(0) Check out my post on Medscape to read how happy I am to have a taste of permanence in my life.
Comments(2) Clinical medical students are always discussing which clerkships are “the best.” Which hospital has the best surgery clerkship? Which nephrology elective has attendings who teach well? For us fourth-year students, we’ve been focusing on which residency programs are “the best.” Where will I learn the most and be fully prepared to be a competent doctor upon graduation?
Now that I’m only four weeks away from graduation, I believe that I can say with some confidence that my knowledge and skill base is partially attributable to all the wonderful professors, attendings, and residents who have taught me over the past four years. My medical school has prepared me well, as have the hospitals at which I’ve rotated.
However, there is one important fact that I’ve gleaned from paying attention to all the other med students around me over the past four years:
Your medical education is what you make of it.
This simple fact is frequently ignored by many. It’s equally applicable to just about anything else in life: you get out what you put in.
To provide two extreme examples, a very motivated and hard-working student could become a very talented doctor, even in a less-than-perfect learning environment. Similarly, a very unmotivated student who attempts to get by with the least amount of effort in a “perfect” learning environment will likely turn out a mediocre doctor at best.
(Obviously, there are a million shades of gray in between these two examples.)
I believe that I’ve received a very good medical education, and I’m lucky to have learned from and worked with some amazing doctors, who have taught me well.
But I also believe that my motivation to learn has had a huge impact on the “almost-doctor” that I’ve become.
One example that stands out in my mind is my surgery core clerkship. It was an incredibly intense, unforgettable 12-week experience. I volunteered to stay late on many occasions. I volunteered to scrub in when no one else wanted to. And I tried to go out of my way to learn. Not surprisingly, I learned a lot.
There were other students who put in minimal effort, literally “hid” at times, and tried to just “get by.” Not surprisingly, they learned very little.
So, when I hear these same people complain that the clerkship was horrible and they learned nothing, it understandably makes me what to throw my hands into the air in exasperation!
Sir Wiliam Osler really summed it up for me when he said, “The best preparation for tomorrow is to do today’s work superbly well.”
Comments(0) Check out my post on Medscape to read about a patient experience involving a vision of an angel. I hope you’ll find this post thought provoking. Also, there is a fun poll that you can take!
Comments(0) Check out my post on Medscape to read my message to all you students who are matching this year!
Comments(1) Check out my post on Medscape to learn about my feelings about matching (I forgot to post this last week).
My name is Kendra and I am a newly minted doctor about to begin my residency in Psychiatry at The State University of New York Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York. I attended Ross University School of Medicine, and went through my basic science training on the Nature Island of Dominica, hence the name of this blog. I am a life enthusiast. I talk to strangers, cut the tags off of my pillows, and I don’t carry an umbrella with me because I prefer to get wet.
more about me »
