Introduction
When doctors are asked what they expected medical school to be
like, they often answer with a blank stare. "I didn't really think
about it. I knew it would be hard. I just wanted to get in." If asked
what medical school was like in retrospect, they frequently say something
like, "It was awful. I'm glad those days are behind me."
So what happens to us in medical school? Because prospective medical
students are so focused on getting in and on their eventual membership
in the prestigious and powerful medical profession, they are
primed to be particularly susceptible to the indoctrination that typically
occurs. Medical school is, in many ways, like boot camp-patriarchal,
militaristic, and designed to strip you of your individuality and turn you
into a physician clone, devoid of personality, emotion, or creativity.
Your life is hijacked. You're told what to do every minute of the day and
overloaded with homework at night.
Always trying to catch up, you devise ways to try to make up for lost
time. You shorten your conversations with ... read full excerpt from: What I Learned in Medical School: Personal Stories of Young Doctors ebook
