I wrote an opinion piece, as a graduating medical student, in KevinMD a little over six years ago, expressing the importance of supporting medical students through confidence and encouragement. As a pediatric attending now, with my own trainees, I continue to support this “ask,” but I would love to add to it and give it a different perspective.
I recently realized that I have been feeling quite far removed from my medical school days, though it has only been six years since I graduated. I was rounding on the wards with my trainees (pediatric residents and medical students on their pediatric clerkship), and as I was teaching them about febrile seizures, I realized I had no idea what kind of content was high-yield for my students. I know what to tell my residents they may encounter on boards and what concepts are high-yield, but I couldn’t even remember my pediatric shelf exam. And so, I embarked on taking a practice pediatric shelf exam.
I’m a little embarrassed to say that while I did pass it (and my colleague and clerkship director told me I would have met “honors” criteria), I did not get the 100 percent I was expecting! This truly gave me pause. Not just because I fully expected to get a perfect score and didn’t, but also because it’s a wonderful reminder that even early-career physicians can get lost in the busyness of life and career and forget what it is like to be in the depths of medical school.
So, yes, we absolutely need to support medical students through how we offer advice and encouragement, but we also need to make sure that we are constantly reflecting. If you are in a setting where you have trainees, remind yourself (even if you don’t choose to take a practice shelf exam) what it was like to be in that situation.
In pediatrics, we recommend parents try and think from the perspective of their children, and from there, it can help them understand certain actions or behaviors and how to best approach them. I recommend we do the same in medicine. What was it like to be a medical student, and how can I best support them? What was it like to be a resident, and how can I best support them? I also suggest we do this for the rest of our careers, with continued mentorship and support from our senior colleagues and onward.
I let my students know that I took a practice exam and did not receive the 100 percent I expected, and honestly, they weren’t super surprised. Not because they have such little faith in me or my knowledge, but because they recognize the disconnect that attendings have sometimes. Re-establish those connections through perspective-taking, listening, and reflecting.
Gurbaksh Esch is a pediatric hospitalist.
