Student Doctor Transition

Professionalism is an adherence to a set of values comprising both a formally agreed-upon code of conduct and the informal expectations of colleagues, clients and society. The key values include acting in a patient's interest, responsiveness to the health needs of society, maintaining the highest standards of excellence in the practice of medicine and in the generation and dissemination of knowledge. In addition to medical knowledge and skills, medical professionals should present psychosocial and humanistic qualities such as caring, empathy, humility and compassion, as well as social responsibility and sensitivity to people's culture and beliefs. All these qualities are expected of members of highly trained professions.

Professionalism and the ability to gain respect in the community in which you live is of utmost importance as you embark upon a career as a physician. What three professional qualities do you feel a Student Doctor must be able to demonstrate as he/or she makes the transition into the study and practice of medicine. How will you demonstrate those qualities as a medical student at VCOM?

This role does not only allow me to shadow doctors while they engage with patients, providing an opportunity to gain invaluable information and advises. This role requires most of my attention towards patients’ needs, which helps to establish a professional relationship and understand what they expect a doctor to be: caring and sensitive but decisive. As English is not my first language, my bilingual skills give me a chance to help some patients through being a translator. It is not the dream job anyone imagines, hours of sleepless shifts, tremendous responsibility with no room for errors as dealing with fragile lives and not products. This only further strengthens my decision to pursue medicine. What I most admire is how empathetic a doctor can be yet unaffected during a critical situation. It is more than just a skill; it is a talent.

This article looks into the profession and personal relationship expectations professionals are expected to have with their living patiences and the deceased, as students. Before the 1960 to the 1970 's the expectations are set that the doctors are to know more, have good bedside manner, be personal but not to cross the line of developing relationships. This eventually changed to the expectations of having "an 'affective neutrality ' or a 'detached concern ' for clients". Due to the social norms of the time of persons in authority situations having a more colder demeanor to gain that power over others. There seems to be a fine line of expectations of the physicians to show sympathy, but not to care to much in worry that it would effect the decision and care of the health care being provided. Along with having control over the way a physician cares for the individuals other basic human emotions, such as disgust and attraction need to be in check at all times as well. Unity in caring for all patients is key , not only as

Going into any profession in the medical field, compassion would be the attribute that would be very essential. Compassion connects people not just in your work life but also in your personal life. As incoming freshmen in college, you will see that your attitude and social connections in college will help you tremendously with everything that you do, whether it is studying together, or having dinner with your roommates to destress after midterms. Journal of Compassionate healthcare also understands the uplifting power of compassion which is why their purpose is to find ways to promote compassionate behavior in the medical field. I would be reviewing Volume 2, Issue 1 of this journal. This journal is electronically published and there is no

To do this job you will need to have a high level of clinical skill. You will have to be an excellent decision maker. And you’ll need a sympathetic and professional manner with patients.

They also recommend developing a rapport with the patient, an approach that requires a friendly but professional attitude, avoidance of medical jargon, and both verbal and nonverbal communication skills.

The Masters of Biomedical Sciences at Duke University School of Medicine will help me enhance my professional and scientific knowledge toward my preparation into medical school. This program will allow me to immerse myself in a patient-centered service learning to further prepare me to tackle future rigorous medical obstacles in medical school and as a future physician. I’m looking forward to working with a diverse group of individuals who also have the same aspirations and values. Taking an oath to help the health of a patient you encounter in need, is a selfless act I aspire to obtain. I have the love and empathy to care for another human being which has provided me with the passion and tenacity to have empiricism this far in my medical journey

Medical education has recently started to accept innovative methods of teaching. Clinical skills training in medical schools is one area of interest where if not taught properly can deprive students of proper social skills. The focus in the medical community; however, now has shifted from producing competent physicians to competent medical professionals who also posses proper bedside ettiquite.

For the last two years, I have been helping both patients and family members every week. For every shift, I always tried to visit all the patient’s rooms in my unit and see how they were doing. And during that time, I was able to meet and become friend with a lot of patients. This experience has also allowed me get a glimpse at some of the challenges and obstacles that I might have to face in my quest of becoming a physician, from not having enough time with family and friends to the lack of sleep. However, one of the biggest challenges in becoming a physician for me would be not get too attached to my patients and trying to create an emotional barrier.

A physician’s commitment to compassion needs to start before they ever enter the examination room. Burnout experienced throughout a physician’s career can easily undermine what good work they do inside the examination room. For this reason, it is important to approach every patient interaction unhindered. Doing so ensures that no patient feels rushed by the next patient, or feels as if their physician is unapproachable due to an inevitable bad day. Once a physician successfully minimizes burnout, it is important they then follow through with expressions of genuine compassion inside the examination room.

As an aspiring physician, I place an emphasis on the importance of patient care along with medical knowledge. It is crucial for physicians to understand and respect their patients. Before I can practice this as a physician, I’ve been working on instilling the value of respect and open-mindedness within myself. Since high school, it has been important for me to be a diverse individual who is able to understand and connect with people of various backgrounds. My experiences during college really helped to polish and refine my personality.

During the clinical weeks, I truly demonstrate caring behaviors and advocate for my patients. For example, during my assessments, I noticed that my patient complained pain in his abdominal and his back by using numerical pain scale I asked him to evaluate his pain. I immediately notified to the patient’s nurse, and she gave him pain medication. Thus, this and other care I provided to my patients can show how caring nursing student I was.

Although Charon and Garden both believe that medical students and doctors lose their empathy they both give different possible reasons for this lost. Charon explains how the competitive environment of teaching hospitals, the threat of malpractice litigation, and time and money pressures, all lead to the erosion of doctors’ empathy leaving them to practice a “rigid, suspicious medicine”. Similar stressors erode at the empathy of medical students. Conversely, Garden seems to attribute the lack of empathy due to medical students embodying a false image of themselves. Garden echoes Physician Howar Spiro “that medical students begin their training with a ‘cargo of empathy’ that is then displaced when ‘we teach them to see themselves as experts, to fix what is damaged, and to ‘rule out’ disease in their field’” (552). Garden attributes the lost of empathy to the social-dynamics, and power-struggle that emerges between medical students and their superiors which pans out into their relationships with their patients

I have taken stock of myself, considering my skills, experiences, and goals. I have looked to family and friends, some of whom are doctors, for advice. Because of this self-examination, I have decided to pursue a career in health care. The process has been difficult at times but always illuminating. Throughout it all, I have never lost confidence - the confidence that I will actively absorb all available medical knowledge, forge friendships with fellow students, and emerge from my training as a skilful and caring physician.