Academic Medicine Open Forum

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  • 1.  Question of the Week: What advice do you have for new med school graduates?

    Posted 05-10-2021 11:39:00 AM

    Medical school graduation season is upon us. The newest class of graduates enters a world that is dramatically different from what it was when they entered medical school. So much has changed across the social, political, environmental, and health landscape. 

     

    What advice do you have for new MDs as they begin the next stage of their journey in this new world?



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    Renee Overton
    Senior Director, Residency and Fellowship Program Solutions
    Association of American Medical Colleges
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  • 2.  RE: Question of the Week: What advice do you have for new med school graduates?

    Posted 05-11-2021 11:02:00 AM

    Define professionalism, and uphold it.  Be polite to everyone, listen to everyone; the patients, their families, the nurses, the housekeepers, the cafeteria  workers, and your fellow residents.  Find a park where you can take a walk. Become a "local," not an observer. Register to vote.

    (If it matters, I'm a JD, not an MD)



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    Carolyn Pointer, JD
    Assistant Professor
    SIU School of Medicine
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    Original Message


  • 3.  RE: Question of the Week: What advice do you have for new med school graduates?

    Posted 05-12-2021 10:42:00 AM
    I ask this question with every med alumni I talk with.

    Here is an episode of our podcast Ask Carver(featuring recent alumni graduation 0-5 years ago) for which advice was shared related to Match/graduation. Feel free to listen:  Identities concealed for privacy. Most advice ranged from finding your community, practicing wellness, and being confident with your choices. 

    Transcript: If you prefer to read. 

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    Adam Parker
    Alumni Engagement Specialist
    UI Health Care
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    Original Message


  • 4.  RE: Question of the Week: What advice do you have for new med school graduates?

    Posted 05-13-2021 12:06:00 PM
    The advice that I give to graduates is the same as the advice I give to new medical students.  
    1.  Don't accept opinions, they lead to playground arguments.  Always ask for reasons, they lead to discussions of evidence.
    2.  Understand weaknesses in your thinking if you expect to be a leader.  If you haven't thought about becoming a leader find out why.
    3.  Don't confuse empathy with sympathy; sympathy is how I feel about you while empathy is how you feel about you.  Patients respond much more strongly to empathetic physicians.
    4.  Find a quiet time to focus on thinking beyond your senses.  There is much more reality than is detected by your senses.

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    John Pelley
    Professor
    Texas Tech HSC
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    Original Message


  • 5.  RE: Question of the Week: What advice do you have for new med school graduates?

    Posted 05-22-2023 12:05:00 PM

    Graduation season is here again, and a great time to resurface the advice given in this discussion thread. (Thanks @Renee Overton @Carolyn Pointer @Adam Parker @John Pelley for your wisdom).

    I recently relayed some advice to a high school graduate that I wish I had taken to heart myself at that age: it's okay if you still don't know what you "want to be when you grow up." Even after college, grad school, and starting a fulfilling career I felt like I was still deciding... maybe I still am?

    What advice would you give to new grads--at any stage?



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    Nicole Buckley
    Communications Strategist
    Association of American Medical Colleges
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    Original Message