Medical Knowledge & Skills

Learning is not attained by chance, it must be sought for with ardor and diligence.”

Abigail Adams

As I reflect on the past four years of medical school, I am truly amazed at the knowledge and skills I’ve gained throughout my clinical rotations. The rigor of the first two years of medical school was unlike anything I had ever experienced. Then I started third year and the first clinical ring was also challenging – trying to attain adequate presentation skills, how to properly conduct a thorough history and physical, and aside from the clinical skills, being able to apply medical knowledge on the day to day in the wards. It was certainly challenging. On my second ring, I took on a different approach to my learning – read, read, read and digest everything. Attaining a sophisticated level of medical knowledge was important to me and I took on the philosophy best indicated by this quote: “Learning is not attained by chance, it must be sought for with ardor and diligence.” For the rest of my clinical rotations third and 4th year, I expanded my knowledge and skills in a variety of ways. I now feel at ease choosing a medical topic/ clinical concept to present to my residents and fellow medical students during rounds, my heart no longer races at the thought of possibly performing a clinical skill such as putting in an IV, suturing, or inserting LMAs in the OR. Learning is indeed a process, and one that has to be worked at everyday. I’m thankful for the various opportunities during my third and 4th year to expand my knowledge base and improve on various skills. As an incoming resident, I know my knowledge base will be stretched in further. I look forward to rising to the challenge and further increasing my clinical knowledge.

Medical knowledge improvement

 

Ross ICU – honors narrative