GED2MD wrote in another post:
"The same blind stubborness and ambition which allowed me to plow past people seeking to pidgeon-hole me with their predjudices, also cause me to be at times inflexible and hotly opinionated - traits which conform poorly with the structured heirarchical system of surgery training, for example. But truth be told, I wouldn’t be here today without those very qualities;…"
This really interests me. Often, while I’m sitting in lecture trying to focus on whatever language our pathology prof is speaking, I think about the personality types of my fellow students. This really becomes obvious right before an exam when stress levels get high. I don’t know if I can think of a better example of selection-bias. We are all a bunch of seriously type A people. And this is from a pretty laid-back school with lots of laid-back people. Even on this end of the extreme, we are a highly focused lot.
In our small group discussions (PBL, etc), we sometimes see the downside to our focused personalities. When taking group quizzes, it is far to easy for us to just roll right over someone who isn’t as assertive as we are. The danger in this, of course, is that frequently the rollee is the one with the right answer. The same characteristics that got us here prevent us from seeing all of the possiblities in front of us.
Interesting stuff. I’m off to go apply that bull-headedness to an ethics paper. Yuck.
Take care,
Jeff
good take jeff. you taught me sumpin’. I’ll need to see that more this semester.
biochem…ick
| QUOTE (jeffjarvis @ Aug 11 2002, 05:04 PM) |
| GED2MD wrote in another post: "The same blind stubborness and ambition which allowed me to plow past people seeking to pidgeon-hole me with their predjudices, also cause me to be at times inflexible and hotly opinionated - traits which conform poorly with the structured heirarchical system of surgery training, for example. But truth be told, I wouldn't be here today without those very qualities;..." This really interests me. Often, while I'm sitting in lecture trying to focus on whatever language our pathology prof is speaking, I think about the personality types of my fellow students. This really becomes obvious right before an exam when stress levels get high. I don't know if I can think of a better example of selection-bias. We are all a bunch of seriously type A people. And this is from a pretty laid-back school with lots of laid-back people. Even on this end of the extreme, we are a highly focused lot. In our small group discussions (PBL, etc), we sometimes see the downside to our focused personalities. When taking group quizzes, it is far to easy for us to just roll right over someone who isn't as assertive as we are. The danger in this, of course, is that frequently the rollee is the one with the right answer. The same characteristics that got us here prevent us from seeing all of the possiblities in front of us. Interesting stuff. I'm off to go apply that bull-headedness to an ethics paper. Yuck. Take care, Jeff |
Hey Jeff,
If I have learned anything in the past 14 weeks of Surgery Residency, it is that everyone who is involved in the care of your patient can provide valuable information that will help you get the patient home. I seek almost everyone's input and I appreciate everyone's input. Often the third-year medical student will provide something or do something that will profoundly aid in the patient's care bacause they have time to know almost everything about the patient.
One of the third-year students on our team, took about 30 minutes and walked a little homeless guy in the hall way. He just got the patient out of bed and held his arm while they strolled down to the nurses station and back. This guy's oxygenation improved, his bowel function improved, his outlook improved and his mental state improved. The nurse that day was overburdened and the physical therapist allowed the patient to refuse. Josh, our medical student, just ignored his refusals gently and got him out of bed. Josh is so soft-spoken that you could almost miss him if you didn't take the time to listen to what he says. Sometimes we have to just put the patient in a wheelchair and roll them into the sunroom or out onto the sundeck. It has to be pretty depressing to just look at 4 walls when you have been used to being outdoors.
I try very hard to seperate my opinions from the facts. Practicing evidence-based medicine keeps me on my toes here. My chief resident demands that we back up our clinical decisions with what is out in the literature. It makes my day longer but I am a better physician for doing this. I strive everyday not to become a Type A surgeon but I am hardest on myself where my opening and closings are concerned.
I sure miss Pathology class and looking at those slides!
Natalie
