MedEx Day 14

To start the day, Al came to talk to MedEx about where we can improve as our performance in this tier has not been great. Below is my writing assignment:

I believe in order to improve my performance, I need to be more engaging in activities and take better advantage of the opportunities. Firstly, I need to be more consistent in taking notes when speakers lecture because I believe that I would get more out of my experience if I did that rather than just trying to remember everything that was said. I want to be able to look back on what I learned each day, and the best way to do that is to document it, which I have not been doing as much. I also believe that I need to participate more often when speakers ask for opinions and thoughts on a topic. I have always been timid to stand up and say something for fear that it sounds “unsmart” or “unworthwhile”. However, in order to grow as a person, a student, and a future medical professional, as well as get the most out of the experience, I need to take more action to overcome this fear of saying the wrong thing. I need to have confidence in myself, as I promised myself I would from the beginning, or I am not learning as much as I can from the program. Lastly, I believe I need to exhibit a bit more reflection in my Wixes as I don’t believe they are as long as they should be, and although I talk a bit about what I learned from experiences, I don’t think I go into as much detail as I could. I know that I will be looking back at this experience and what I did through my journal in the future as I apply to professional school, so it is important that I document everything as best as I can now because I won’t remember it later. 

In order to improve my connections within the tier, I believe that I need to continue to get to know and talk to more people. There are some members that I tend to talk to more often than others, even though I have talked to each member at some point. In order to form deeper relationships, as well as create an environment where MedEx is the best experience for each person, I believe that I need to talk to other participants consistently. Another way I can help others in the tier is by not being afraid to politely get groups back on track when we are working on a project. I know some group members tend to start talking off topic during a period where we are working on a group project, and I don’t want to rock the boat, so I don’t say anything to keep us focused on the necessary task at hand. In order for us to follow all the directions that this program directly states and follow what our superiors have told us to do, I need to politely change the conversation to one that leads us back to our projects. 

In order to improve the support of my lead interns, I need to fully follow each word they say. If they tell us to work on a project, I MUST work on the project. If they tell us to be quiet in a certain building, I MUST be quiet. I also must utilize them as someone to look up to and ask questions to, and not just depend on myself. Since they have more experience than us, they are knowledgeable in things we don’t know yet, and in order to get the most out of the MedEx experience, I need to take advantage of their wisdom. I can also ask them how they are doing consistently as I know it is a difficult job to lead multiple students in an environment such as MedEx. They deserve much more appreciation! I can also help them by making sure that other tier members heed their requests in a kind way as it is nearly impossible to have full control and understanding from each of the students in a room.

After Uncle Al spoke, Dr. Epright came in to discuss our second presentation of ethics. It was extremely eye opening to see how eugenics was not just utilized many years ago in the 1940s and 1950s, but that it was even used as recently as the 1970s and beyond. However, I realize that it is a much more complicated issue than what people believe. I had heard of pre-natal testing before, but I had never thought of it as a possible contributor to genetics. I understand that many parents are actually worried about their children having a disease not because they despise disabled people and want to be rid of them, but because they worry that their child will have a harder life and the financial aspect will be too hard as well. I had heard of the Tuskegee Trials before but had never really understood what they were about. I was horrified to learn that the continued lack of treatment of African American males continued for many years with syphilis. I wondered why no physicians stood up for what was right, just like how I wondered why no physician stood up to the Nazi party. However, I realize that the desire for status and providing of tools is really important for doctors, and they would risk giving it up. I would hope as a doctor I would be able to discern between right and wrong and say something, but I will never know. She also made me think as she stated that the horrific research projects that patients did technically could be seen as necessary in order to get the best results and possibly find a cure for ailments. If the option to undergo certain tests that could help science exists, why would you not try them? This is a difficult question, especially as someone who is interested in going into research in the future. However, I think first and foremost that the consent of the patient is the most important as we are still in the field of "people", and if we don't take care of their wishes, finding a new scientific discovery won't really matter.

After lunch and headshots, Uncle Al came back to discuss embracing diversity, as well as the dos and do nots of the workplace. It was interesting to learn about the fact that our brain unconsciously makes judgements on people we see, and that we need to work on switching our viewpoints around. We also were split into groups and were tasked to come up with topics that people talk about in the workplace and categorize them into appropriate, borderline, and inappropriate. In the end, we were completely wrong with what is appropriate as anything work related is the only thing that is. Everything else is inappropriate or borderline because many topics can easily make coworkers uncomfortable. Uncle Al also discussed the importance of finding people on your board of directors who lift you up rather than bring you down, which made me start to think about if my friends and family members fit into this role, or if I need to find someone else.

After this, everyone went to the medical school to meet rising M2s and learn about IPMS, or basically the introductory steps to interacting with patients. It was fun to try different scenarios and learn how hard it was to stay on track in going through the steps QPRST. However, the medical students stated it gets easier, but more complicated, as you do it more. One of the M2s I talked to is interested in being a pathologist, and I had never met anyone who was interested in it before. It was great to meet someone who was just as fascinated with it too, and I realized I was not alone!

After we left the medical school building, we were met with Dr. Benjamin Griffith, who is a psychiatrist. He had very interesting past work experience, and he was extremely knowledgeable about all things psychiatry related. As someone who takes medication for anxiety, I loved how open and understanding he was about mental illness and health. I am not sure I would have the capacity to work with people who were extremely mentally ill like he does, but he also made me realize that it is likely my desired path will change if I get into medical school as it did for him. I definitely have a connection to mental illness and the necessity for it, so psychiatry may be an option! I was also astounded when learning about the change in PTSD cases in veterans from World Warr Two until now. I always though World War two veterans would be suffering more with it, but I learned based on the stigma surrounding mental illness and the lower amount of time offered to process their experience, Vietnam veterans suffered from PTSD the most. I am extremely glad to know that we have taken mental health and illness more seriously now!