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| "No disease of the human body, belonging to the province of the surgeon, requires in its treatment a better combination of accurate anatomical knowledge with surgical skill than hernia in all its varieties." -Sir Astley Paston Cooper (1804) |
My last full week of my Surgery rotation allowed me to observe as well as participate in several hernia repairs. Its possible that my observation of these repairs made me realize that as a medical student in the clinical arena, it is easy to get a little cocky (especially when you've been on a roll during rounds thanks to your preparation for what you could possibly be asked). When that sense of arrogance starts to swell up to the point where you no longer realize that you're simply a medical student at the bottom of the totem pole, your ego now protrudes through a defect in your thinking resulting in an urgent need of repair.
As your clinical exposure expands and you find yourself finally understanding the basics and finding a balance of your life, do your best to remain humble, stay in your lane and always keep at the forefront of your mind you are a student first-whose sole purpose is to ensure you are exposed to as many clinical scenarios that would stimulate an interest and eagerness to understand all aspects of a patient's presenting complaints in order to diagnose, treat and manage them. Before you know it you'll be an intern with responsibilities that you can't easily escape from.
Savor every part of the journey, because its so easy to get caught and to want to leap to the next step.
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