My Doctor-Style

Being a fourth year med student is exciting because you know that in just a few short months you're going to graduate and finally be a doctor practicing medicine. At the same time it's pretty scary because you're going to soon be a doctor practicing medicine. I think I've said before that as a med student you  feel like you'll never be capable enough to take care of patients on your own, but the good part is you have all these great physicians teaching you and guiding you. And as a fourth year med student you really start building confidence and figuring out you're own style of how you want to practice.

It's interesting working with so many different docs during your years of training. Each physician does things their own way and has varying approaches to treating patients. On one hand, it's difficult adjusting to each doctor's style and how they want things done. But it's also neat because you get to pick up little tips and tricks from each doctor you work with and create a style of practicing medicine that's all your own.

For instance, some doctors can be sticklers for running on time and keep track of each visit down to the minute. If your needs require further attention, then they simply schedule you for another visit. Other doctors are more liberal with their time, which means they may let their patients chat a little longer or do a more involved exam. Unfortunately that may make them late for their other patients. My aim is to be more in the middle. I'm definitely a chatter box and love getting to know my patients beyond their diagnoses and if I have to stay a half hour later or so then that's ok by me. But I also want to be respectful of my patients time, since it's just as precious as mine.

Another huge difference I've noticed with the doctors I've worked with is how they diagnose and treat patients. Some doctors are very conservative and have more of a "watch and wait" kind of attitude, while others go the "rule out the worse possible diagnosis" route. Not that either way is really wrong or right, but I've found that being somewhere in the middle will make your job a little easier and keep your patients happy too. But in reality it all comes down to a case-by-case basis. A common cold, is just a common cold, but abdominal pain could be 50 different things.

The thing I'm probably the most excited about as a future doctor is getting to practice a style that's all my own. For now I have to conform to how each doctor I work with practices, but in less than eight months I'm on my own! And I'm so thankful to all the physicians who've taught me along the way and given me advice. I think I've learned something valuable from every single person I've worked with (including nurses, medical assistants, and secretaries) and each one has helped mold me into the doctor I am today. Now I know I still have a couple more months of learning and molding, but I can confidently tell you I won't be like this guy:

"Hi Everybody!"

 *In case you've been off the planet for the past two decades, this is Dr. Nick from The Simpsons.