Monday, August 20, 2012

Reflections on My First Day of Medical School


Today was the first day of what I hope will be a very exciting and rewarding medical career. My very first instructors were patients, which I think is really incredible. It made me realize that much of my medical education will come from the patients I see. A group of about 10 patients with diseases such as ovarian cancer, Alzheimer’s, and heart disease came to speak with us. One by one, these patients walked to the front of the lecture hall and told us about their diseases. The whole setting was very dramatic. Then we broke up into smaller groups and got to ask the patients more personal questions.

The first patient I got to talk with had battled depression most of her life. Today she taught me that we should not be afraid to talk to people with mental illness about their condition. There is quite a stigma associated with mental illness, and we often feel like it is inappropriate for us to discuss this with the affected individual. Additionally, sometimes we do not know how to handle it or what to say. Asking the individual about their illness shows that you care. Furthermore, she spoke very highly of her psychiatrist and said that the psychiatrist had confidence in her. I will try to remember to always have confidence in my patients and their ability to improve.

The second patient I talked with had contracted Polio at a young age and had been in a wheelchair nearly her whole life. Today she taught me that we should never shy away from trying to include people with disabilities. Oftentimes we will not invite disabled people to events, gatherings, or parties because we feel that the disabled people might not fit in. It is bad enough that these people have disabilities, and not inviting them only makes it worse. We should always extend the invitation and allow the disabled person to decide whether or not he/she will attend.

Right from day one, I feel I have learned how to be a better doctor, and this knowledge did not come from my professors, but from patients. It was definitely a day I will remember for the rest of my life.

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