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When in medical school what is the biggest thing to remember going into the medical field?

I have more questions pertaining to the medical field and just staying levelheaded.

What is the greatest strength to have within the medical field?

How are the quality of patient care and safety reviewed?

What was the greatest challenge going from grad school into your actual career?

nursing nurse
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Christina’s Answer

The greatest strength to have in the medical field is the ability to genuinely listen. It is so easy to sort-of listen, to listen to enough that you can order a test or refer to a specialist or make an assessment. In my experience, though, a lot of patients feel invisible and rushed. The more intently you are able to listen to your patients, the more they feel heard, and the more likely you are to make a correct assessment, rather than a fast or easy assessment.
Quality of patient care and safety are systematically reviewed within hospitals, within hospital systems, within insurance companies and more. There are very many layers of complexity in the overall healthcare system and most of these layers have their own review process to help ensure excellent care.
The greatest challenge going from medical school into my actual career has been that the American industry of Medicine creeps into and erodes the best parts of Medicine. Turning patient care into a moneymaking, profit-centered business style of healthcare means there is a constant push to do things faster and cheaper, to see more patients more rapidly, to document in a business-focused way that captures the most revenue. This is the darkest side of medicine, in my opinion. Eventually, the business of medicine will push me out. For now, I fight the good fight, trying to care genuinely for patients, fighting to allow them enough time, charting to meet the metrics demanded of me while trying not to lose myself to corporate or business or non-medical focused pressures.

Christina recommends the following next steps:

Keep asking the questions you seek the answers to.
Try to get some training or experiences which will allow you to see more sides of medicine in person yourself.
Good luck on your path!
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Lucio’s Answer

Persistence and compassion. There will be ups and downs as every where else. Keep pushing and think of your patients and their families. You are never the best but you can be the best that you can.
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