Even before I began medical school I had an interest in medical education. My appreciation for the value of medical education stems from an understanding that medical students are indeed physicians-in-training and represent the future of medicine in Canada. However this past week I was reminded that as healthcare professionals we are surrounded by opportunities to inspire. I recently admitted a patient who himself was interested in medicine. He was only in the hospital for a few days but on the day of his discharge he presented me with a small gift and a card that read:

“Thank you for all your help and care this past week. You have shown me what a good physician should do, and have inspired me to become one as well. Thanks for all your time. Hopefully we’ll see each other sometime in the future if I ever come to study or work in Toronto!”

When I reflect back on the week he was under my care, I don’t believe I did anything extraordinary. However, showing a little compassion and care was enough to make a significant difference in this young man’s visit. To me it seems life is filled with these tiny moments, moments that are over almost as quickly as they begin, but leave an indelible mark on who we are as individuals. I think as healthcare professionals we must be mindful of the intimate role we play in the lives of the people we serve. Our close proximity to raw human emotion and feeling provides great opportunity to inspire and empower.

In the early evening I was called to the emerg on a consult. After a lengthy case, my senior told me to go home and get some rest before rounds. The call of my bed was too much to resist, so I returned to her warmth and lay my head to sleep. But I couldn’t sleep. Then it hit me, I forgot to see my patient off to sleep. Did he get his meds? What if there was a mix up? (Which is part of reason he had such a crummy night the previous evening) What if he can’t call for help? Those who know me will tell you, I’m not really a worrier. But I was definitely worried my patient would have yet another bad night.

So I jumped out of bed, got dressed and headed to the hospital. About half way they I started to have doubts. Is this normal? Do other students get out of bed to essentially say good night to a patient? Am I even allowed to do this? My head was filled with these thoughts as I approached the doors to the hospital. I have a number mentors in medicine and as I rode the elevator I thought to myself, “what would they think?” As the doors of the elevator opened, I swiftly made my way down the hall, past the nurses station and into his room. The adrenaline was pumping, would he be happy to see me or upset I took so long? Would be sitting comfortably drinking his tea or writhing in pain from his disease? My last stride placed me squarely at the foot of his bed. I look up and there he was… asleep. I stood there puzzled for a few moments. I wasn’t quite sure what to do. I checked the electronic medical record and he indeed received his medication a couple hours prior to my arrival. I couldn’t help but laugh to myself. I didn’t know whether to pat myself on the back (for getting the job done and taking care of my patient) or kick myself (for losing precious hours of sleep). Either way I was overcome by this warm fuzzy feeling inside. The type of feeling that, although not exclusive to medicine, is the reason I look forward to my career as a doctor.

I share this story not illustrate how “hardcore” I am (if anything it may illustrate my paranoia). I share this story because I’m constantly thinking, “what kind of doctor will I become?” I’m not sure what insight this experience gives into the psyche of Dr. Brown, the staff physician, but I try to log and reflect on instances like this to get a sense of what the future may hold.

Hopefully I’ll be a better doctor for it.

There is no doubt medical school costs an arm and a leg – check out the fees for the first year of the MD program at U of T.

However, the costs may be so great that students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds are being discouraged from applying to medical school.

See the list below:

DR. MICHAEL BAKER
PHYSICIAN-IN-CHIEF, UNIVERSITY HEALTH NETWORK

MATTHEW ANDERSON
CEO, TORONTO CENTRAL LOCAL HEALTH INTEGRATION NETWORK

DR. ROBERT BELL
CEO & PRESIDENT, UNIVERSITY HEALTH NETWORK

DR. CHARLOTTE MOORE
MATERNAL, CHILD AND YOUTH STRATEGY, HEALTH SYSTEM STRATEGY DIVISION, MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND LONG-TERM CARE

DR. PATRICE BRET
CHIEF, DEPARTMENT OF MEDICAL IMAGING, UNIVERSITY HEALTH NETWORK

DR. CATHARINE WHITESIDE
DEAN OF MEDICINE &VICE PROVOST RELATIONS WITH HEALTH CARE INSTITUTIONS, UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO

As a medical student you are an important part of the team but not essential. Last week I spent 15 minutes talking to a 3 year old boy about dump trucks (coincidentally he has actually ridden in a backhoe). Last year I spent 40 minutes talking to a 6 year old girl about princesses and Barbies – it was her birthday and needless to say she was a huge Barbie fan. It would be unimaginable for a staff physician to spend that much time with a patient. But that’s what I love about being a medical student, you have the time to build that rapport, have fun with the patient and their family while taking a detailed history and physical exam. Experienced clinicians can find that balance and do it all in 5 minutes. I have some great teachers as well as some great patients. I look forward to rest of the rotation!

1. Foster and support the creativity of youth (see how schools kill creativity, we want youth to reclaim it!)

2. Assist youth in the development of their ideas and innovations (innovation as defined by Vijay Vaitheeswaran)

We are looking for any and all ideas or resource you think might help foster innovation and creativity in youth! Have a suggestion leave a comment below or send me and email andrew@andrewbrown.ca.

Thanks!

For me the lecture was significant for two reasons:

1. It represents a shift in medical education. Traditionally, medical education has focused on the medical expert role of the physician – and rightly so. However, little thought was given to the other domains where a physician must excel to provide the best patient care, such as communication, advocacy and management. Leadership at an organizational level and a patient level are an important part of ensuring that patients receive the best care possible.

2. It was my first lecture to my colleagues and future physicians. I had the privileged of addressing 230 of the countries brightest students. During these four hours, I shared some of my experiences with leadership, provided them a framework to understand leadership and challenged them to apply their leadership skills in an exercise to forever transform medical education at the University of Toronto.

I hope my lecture has set a precedent at the University of Toronto and opens the door for other medical student leaders to share their experiences. The response from students after the lecture was very positive. More than anything, I hope I have encouraged them to make the most of their potential as leaders to make a difference in their medical school and ultimately in the lives of patients.

Very cool. Imagine if a patient chart could be displayed or reviewed this way!

“Education is that whole system of human training within and without the school house walls, which molds and develops men.”

It is clear to many that learning take place inside and outside of the classroom. Similarly, the experiences that shape ones desire and preparation for medicine often occur outside of the stereotypical medical student training grounds. Lets see a few examples…

Here is one students response to the question: Why do you want to study medicine instead of pursuing another career?

“A career in medicine would allow me to contribute to my community on a personal and professional level. On a personal level, I want to empower patients with the knowledge they need to live healthier lives. As an advocate of education, I have co-created a pioneering high school mentorship program which aims to encourage and prepare students to pursue a post-secondary education. These experiences have given me the skills to clearly communicate to patients. On a professional level, issues of health policy are important to me. With the rapid changes in technology new policies are needed to keep pace. I want to be apart of these policies to ensure the health of Canadians.”

Here is one senior medical students critique:

“I feel there is something mildly pretentious about the response. Advocacy and leadership are somewhat nebulous ideologies and they may communicate a readiness for medicine but I am not sure how well they illustrate the passion.”

I would agree, though not so bluntly, that there is much to be desired. While leadership and advocacy are great, they seem to be used merely as buzz words and the response communicates little understanding of the medical profession. This response could benefit from a short discussion of the profession and why, despite it’s challenges, one would chose medicine above all others. Du Bois would also suggest examining a perhaps “unconventional” experience, like the response below.

One student describing what the medical profession means to them:

“I believe for a physician understanding the world around you is an important part of caring for patients. This can be seen in my experience as a factory worker. In talking to my co-workers, mostly immigrants from the Philippines, they often did not have prescriptions filled because of other financial obligations. They told me caring for their children was more important than their own health. I was touched by the compassion of these men and women. This experience emphasizes the fact patients come from various cultural and social-economic backgrounds. I believe a physician needs to appreciate these sometimes subtle differences to best help each patient as everyone is different.”

Above we can feel the words of Du Bois. The seemingly ordinary summer factory job is an experience “which molds and develops” this successful medical school applicant. By taking such an “unconventional” experience and relating it to the medical profession this student has created an original response which demonstrates an understanding of self and the medical profession – which is surely to impress any admissions officer. Add to that the emotion that the student shares with the reader and you have a response filled with great content and raw emotion.

To reiterate, there is nothing wrong with including research or more prevalent experiences in your application but do not limit yourself to those experiences alone. If anything, Du Bois’ words inspire us to be introspective and examine our life experiences to discover which ones have truly molded and motivated us to pursue medicine.

Quick Tips
Tip: When answering application questions be sure to use detailed examples. How did the experience make you and others feel? What is its significance?

Tip: Don’t be afraid to appear vulnerable; it’s ok to have weaknesses and then state what you learned from your struggles.

Tip: Do what you love. Don’t feel as though you have to do something because it will look good on your application. Du Bois teaches us that great experiences are everywhere.