When I was in high school, I remember being fascinated by the television series House the medical mystery show whose title character was the doctor version of Sherlock Holmes (only with non-existent ethics and a drug problem). Back then, of course, I didn’t have much understanding of the medicine behind the show, but I was impressed by the show’s apparently realistic use of medical terminology and the way it made the diagnostic process exciting.
After losing track of the show when I was in college, I recently decided to go back and pick up a few of the old episodes just for fun — to see how the show would be different now that I was actually in medical school. Amazingly, House felt like a completely different production. With a few exceptions, when the doctors on the show ordered numerous (often unnecessary) tests, threw out the names of obscure diagnoses, and started treatment for a patient, I knew what they were talking about. My fascination for House was still alive, but with a major difference: Whereas before the excitement came from never knowing exactly what was going on, now I was excited because I did know what was going on.
In this way, returning to the show after many years was more than just cheap entertainment; it was also an unexpected landmark of my time in medical school. Having recently finished all of my medical school classroom learning, I have theoretically acquired enough basic knowledge to work on a team to take care of real patients. However, in medicine, there is always more to learn, and it becomes very easy to feel as though you know very little. In fact, I hear it from my colleagues all the time: “I’m just a second-year medical student; I don’t know anything.”
Your patients are rating you online: How to respond. Manage your online reputation: A social media guide. Find out how.
No comments:
Post a Comment