Writing Rounds is a new feature that will showcase a weekly commentary from the medical community!
This page will be updated regularly each week, with the latest article published directly below. Scroll to the bottom of the page to see all past installments!
If interested in submitting an article, email aibrahim@radiorounds.org
What Kind of Doctor Will I Be?
By Teresa Lee/ MSII, Wright State University Boonshoft SOM
Applicants reference a variety of experiences to explain why they want to attend medical school. Whether it’s due to explorations in clinical research or memories from volunteering, each applicant and matriculated medical student can pinpoint particular incidents that catapulted or promoted their interest in medicine.
While I can’t speak for the rest of my class, I have continually thought of my personal statement since the first official day of school. And although there are still four long years ahead of me, I have already begun to question what type of physician I will be. Most of the varying answers to the former question rely on the types of physicians I have encountered.
The first is the physician who diagnosed my younger sister with systemic lupus erythematosus. After having shadowed a pediatric oncologist and hematologist last year, I now know that my sister’s doctor followed treatment protocol extremely well. However, she never explained to my parents the nature of lupus after her first failed attempt because they don’t understand English. It was a sort of “trust me, I’m a doctor, this is the medicine your daughter needs to take” situation.
The second physician is the gynecologist who discovered a large fibrous tumor and subsequently performed a completely hysterectomy on my mother. She took painstaking steps to explain the blood results, pre-operation routine, and did everything to exhibit genuine empathy, just as our clinical medicine professor has been teaching us. However, the surgery was performed rather poorly, and my mother still has complications today.
The third and final physician is the general surgeon who diagnosed my father with colon cancer. He performed the colon resection via the laproscopic technique to near perfection. My father recovered extremely quickly and was referred to a great oncologist. At the same time, this doctor only asked questions related to my father’s symptoms and his physical state leading up to the surgery. Once those questions were answered, he left the room.
So how much of a physician should be comprised of knowledge and skill? How much empathy should a physician exhibit? The past few weeks which have been filled with Human Structure lectures and the beginning of Introduction to Clinical Medicine have taught us (or attempted to teach us) just that: having the best of both worlds. It’s apparent that as diligent medical school students, we should strive to know everything we’re taught and at the same time develop emotional reception and empathy for our patients. Nevertheless, I find it difficult to grasp the concept of having everything and not sacrificing something. I hope, fingers crossed, that I don’t have to sacrifice anything and find a sense of balance along this long road we have ahead of us.
I know that we like to spend our social time as the one avenue to not talk about medical school. But, as we get to know each other, I think it’s essential for us to not only listen to the professors who teach and guide us but, to also listen to our peers. We all came to medical school for the general reason of wanting to become doctors, but we all have our specific stories. I guarantee that a lot of our stories are powerful enough to have an impact on the type of physician others will become. So, next time you’re gathered with your new medical school friends, and you want to fill any awkward silences, you should ask: “why did you come to medical school?”
Past Installments
Not Like the Movies: My Discovery of “Real World” Medicine and Patient Safety Research – By HeeWon Lee (The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine)
Can I Go Home? – By Avash Kalra (Radio Rounds Director and Host)
(How Much) Healthcare is a Human Right – By Phil Niles (Special to Radio Rounds)
DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed in the “Writing Rounds” articles on the Radio Rounds website do not represent the views and opinions of the Radio Rounds organization as a whole, its partners, or the Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine.