So, confession time: I really want to be a doctor. I want to put my stethoscope on people and ask them questions and think up some things that might be causing their problems! I want to get messy and make mistakes! My preceptor, Dr. F, has a different approach. She wants me to see a lot and transition slowly. So, I spent the bulk of my day shadowing, took one history, and performed zero physicals. That made me angry.
I admit, her approach may have been a result of the way I presented that one history. I know presentations are supposed to be brief recaps of longer interviews that a med student makes to a physician. This allows the physician to check the student's mental work: what did she think was important? What step did he take next? What is he thinking of for a differential diagnosis?
I boiled down the history too much, I'm afraid, and I left my preceptor with the idea that I hadn't taken a complete history. To my frustration, she did not ask me for more; instead, she went in and interviewed the patient again, obtaining the same set of details that I did and all the while interjecting meaningful injunctions to me about collecting details.
Ah, misunderstandings! How you art rife when there is a power disparity!
I hope next week is better.
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