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Is being keen a bad thing?


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I keep getting the feedback that I'm very keen. I'm worried that this is tacitly a bad thing (like I'm overenthusiastic, or something). I've really enjoyed clerkship so far and I've been engaged out of genuine interest, and I'm just trying to be a good clerk. Is this a polite way of telling me I need to tone it down? How is feedback like this interpreted on a MSPR?

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I agree with the above. Different feedback means different things to different people. I doubt they have some sort of standardized or secret meaning that all attendings are in on like keen = good or keen = bad. if it's really bothering you, the best thing you can do is maybe ask for an honest opinion from someone you feel comfortable enough asking.

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Being "keen" is great, always good when the med student is interested and engaged and happy to go above and beyond. From here it's impossible to read beyond that. I will say the following with the caveat that I don't know anything about you or weather it applies to you, but if you are not getting any other positive feedback other than "keen" its a sign that they are looking for something positive to say. As a resident who evaluates medical students, maybe there's a student who's knowledge is lacking or had another deficiency, at least I can say that on the positive side, they were eager to help out and seemed keen to be there, if you see what I mean. Again, don't know if this is you but its the only context in which I can think of "keen" as not a positive.

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On 12/20/2020 at 3:08 PM, mew said:

I keep getting the feedback that I'm very keen. I'm worried that this is tacitly a bad thing (like I'm overenthusiastic, or something). I've really enjoyed clerkship so far and I've been engaged out of genuine interest, and I'm just trying to be a good clerk. Is this a polite way of telling me I need to tone it down? How is feedback like this interpreted on a MSPR?

Def need context for this! Being keen is one thing, but if it's in the context of something like "Great to work with, team player blah blah" then it's fine. Try to look at the whole picture, and from what I've learned, usually 'bad' feedback will be given verbally. You could always reach out to preceptors as well and ask, if you're comfortable. Feel free to PM me, happy to chat :)

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On 12/20/2020 at 3:08 PM, mew said:

I keep getting the feedback that I'm very keen. I'm worried that this is tacitly a bad thing (like I'm overenthusiastic, or something). I've really enjoyed clerkship so far and I've been engaged out of genuine interest, and I'm just trying to be a good clerk. Is this a polite way of telling me I need to tone it down? How is feedback like this interpreted on a MSPR?

If you got this on an ITER from me then keen is a great thing. I love keen, interested and engaged medical students and will enthusiastically say so on evaluations :-) 

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Keen is a great thing. TOO keen is not a good thing. It is important to be interested and engaged, and actively seek out opportunities to learn and take responsibility for your patients. On the other hand, I have seen med students who overstep their bounds or their training and have sometimes stepped on the toes of more senior medical students or residents or even staff, and this is TOO keen. This rubs many people the wrong way and is a bad thing. It is still important to be aware of your role and expectations before trying to do too much. 

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