Uncovering Cynicism in Premed 101 Forums and SDN

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https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/8/10/e022883

 

Interesting article, thoughts?

[indefatigable]

I'm happy if it promotes greater advocacy in dealing with complex issues which are associated with cynicism on behalf of med students, residents,...   OTOH as a user of the forum, the idea that threads are now being considered and read for research purposes, including possible publication, does make me a little more wary as there's only limited degree of anonymity.  The authors did seem to have asked for consent for publication for the direct quotes and explored sources of potential bias of the users, so hopefully that will be the standard if other issues are considered.  

[GH0ST]

I agree with @tere that hopefully there will be greater advocacy re: medical training and cynicism. It's so saddening watching some of my colleagues descend into madness and contempt when otherwise they are great people. 

On another note, I also can't help but feel that the cynicism also incorporates envy as well. Seeing how others (even fellow residents in other specialties) have it "easier" or having a societal perception that our suffering is justified for the future salary compounds the problem that already exists in clinical training. 

I hope to do more work advocating for resident wellness when I begin my residency. If it's the last public health intervention I ever do in life I should at least try to accomplish something to make my future colleagues feel better. We can't immediately make changes to this system but we can at least do our part (or more) to make a difference in our colleague's lives for the better. 

- G