carolynH Posted September 16, 2011 Report Share Posted September 16, 2011 *sigh* I took my relative to a specialist today. Before the doctor came in, a medical student came and asked pre-screening questions for the doctor. I couldn't say how disappointed I was with that kid and how some not so nice candidates can slip through the crack. She was impatient, pretentious, and full of herself. Her smiles were forced and fake (that's okay, at least there were smiles). When she asked my relative what causes the pain, my relative said that his joint hurts at certain angles only. Without listening further or understanding clearly, she made a face like he's so dumb and said "so, it hurts when you raise your leg." and started to write it down on her sheet. I'm just baffled to see a med student with such an attitude. Just imagine what she'll be like when she becomes a real doctor. I hope she's just having an off day. *sigh* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curi0user Posted September 16, 2011 Report Share Posted September 16, 2011 It sucks but there's grumpy people everywhere lol. They all manage to slip through the cracks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psychoswim Posted September 16, 2011 Report Share Posted September 16, 2011 Or she could be a new clerk and just extremely stressed... People react differently to stress so you can't really know for sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charmer08 Posted September 16, 2011 Report Share Posted September 16, 2011 Perception? Maybe you saw her as impatient, pretentious, and full of herself... others might have seen her differently. Those qualities are hard to measure anyways. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tooty Posted September 16, 2011 Report Share Posted September 16, 2011 you can report that to her supervising physician. if she's having an off-day, it won't be an issue. but if a few more patients complain it stands to show up on her evaluations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lactic Folly Posted September 17, 2011 Report Share Posted September 17, 2011 *sigh* I took my relative to a specialist today. Before the doctor came in, a medical student came and asked pre-screening questions for the doctor. I couldn't say how disappointed I was with that kid and how some not so nice candidates can slip through the crack. She was impatient, pretentious, and full of herself. Her smiles were forced and fake (that's okay, at least there were smiles). When she asked my relative what causes the pain, my relative said that his joint hurts at certain angles only. Without listening further or understanding clearly, she made a face like he's so dumb and said "so, it hurts when you raise your leg." and started to write it down on her sheet. I'm just baffled to see a med student with such an attitude. Just imagine what she'll be like when she becomes a real doctor. I hope she's just having an off day. *sigh* Sorry you had a poor experience. However, most of your post describes your interpretations, rather than what actually happened. It's possible we don't have the full story, but I don't see much evidence that the student was inappropriate in any way, just that she somehow rubbed you the wrong way. Of the events that you describe - so she smiled, but you felt it was fake/forced... what if she had been working at the clinic after being up on call last night? I know when I've been up 26+ hours, it does take an effort to smile and the result probably doesn't look totally natural. Why else might a person's smile be forced? Your interpretation is that the person has a bad attitude.. is it possible that they have a tummyache, a sick family member they are worried about, and are trying their best nonetheless to make the best of it and be friendly? You said she made a face "like he's so dumb".. I'm not sure what this means. Do you mean she actually rolled her eyes, or shook her head, or did she just scrunch up her face in thought? Then she paraphrased and wrote on her sheet - this is part of taking a history. Now she may have done a poor job of making you feel heard and understood (technically, his leg did hurt when raised to certain angles, did it not?), but that likely reflects inexperience. It seems easy on the surface, just like having a conversation with someone, but I know that when I first started seeing patients, it was actually quite difficult to keep everything flowing nicely and remember what to ask, as well as deal with all the cues from the patient and family. Just to clarify - I'm not trying to invalidate your experience, and clearly this medical student is not the one for you and your family. However, based on what you've told us, the inferences about her character and suitability for medicine seem somewhat harsh for the events you've described during one brief encounter - the main impression I'm getting is of someone inexperienced who could not put the family at ease. Now if there had been dishonesty, disrespect, outright carelessness, or something of that nature, then I could see justification for a complaint. However, in other cases, it would be preferable to give others the benefit of the doubt (you may be in her shoes one day). If something seems "off" about someone - why not ask them if they are having a bad day, instead of jumping to conclusions (look up the fundamental attribution error)? You will have helped them by bringing to their attention something they didn't realize about the impressions they were giving people. As a future medical professional, you will encounter patients and other staff members who seem "difficult" on the surface. Digging a bit deeper can offer a perspective you couldn't have imagined before and do wonders in resolving conflict. All of us are learning. None of us can be perfectly smooth 100% of the time, especially as trainees. But as long as we care and we try, we'll live and learn, and I think most people can tell when your intentions are good. I'm forever grateful to the patients and families who tolerated my awkwardness when starting out (and from time to time, even now) - not just letting me take a history, but stick needles into them and more, knowing full well they were in inexperienced hands. Their generosity amazes me and has been invaluable in my growth and training. [/soapbox] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leon Posted September 17, 2011 Report Share Posted September 17, 2011 ^ v.good post. +1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
future_doc Posted September 17, 2011 Report Share Posted September 17, 2011 Sorry you had a poor experience. However, most of your post describes your interpretations, rather than what actually happened. It's possible we don't have the full story, but I don't see much evidence that the student was inappropriate in any way, just that she somehow rubbed you the wrong way. Just to clarify - I'm not trying to invalidate your experience, and clearly this medical student is not the one for you and your family. However, based on what you've told us, the inferences about her character and suitability for medicine seem somewhat harsh for the events you've described during one brief encounter - the main impression I'm getting is of someone inexperienced who could not put the family at ease. Now if there had been dishonesty, disrespect, outright carelessness, or something of that nature, then I could see justification for a complaint. However, in other cases, it would be preferable to give others the benefit of the doubt (you may be in her shoes one day). If something seems "off" about someone - why not ask them if they are having a bad day, instead of jumping to conclusions (look up the fundamental attribution error)? You will have helped them by bringing to their attention something they didn't realize about the impressions they were giving people. As a future medical professional, you will encounter patients and other staff members who seem "difficult" on the surface. Digging a bit deeper can offer a perspective you couldn't have imagined before and do wonders in resolving conflict. All of us are learning. None of us can be perfectly smooth 100% of the time, especially as trainees. But as long as we care and we try, we'll live and learn, and I think most people can tell when your intentions are good. I'm forever grateful to the patients and families who tolerated my awkwardness when starting out (and from time to time, even now) - not just letting me take a history, but stick needles into them and more, knowing full well they were in inexperienced hands. Their generosity amazes me and has been invaluable in my growth and training. Thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m30wc0w Posted September 21, 2011 Report Share Posted September 21, 2011 i think you're just jealous Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aishley Posted September 21, 2011 Report Share Posted September 21, 2011 i think you're just jealous If you mean envious, then I do not feel and/or see that in OP! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jochi1543 Posted September 23, 2011 Report Share Posted September 23, 2011 you can report that to her supervising physician. if she's having an off-day, it won't be an issue. but if a few more patients complain it stands to show up on her evaluations. It doesn't sound like that person actually did anything wrong, though. Just a matter of perception. The variation in how people see you can be quite funny, I've had two patients tell me that my most recent preceptor was "the best doctor in Edmonton," yet one of his ratemd comments rips him a new one saying he's impatient, arrogant, and lacks knowledge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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