D.O.ing It

Yesterday I had my last standardized patient of the quarter and even though we technically aren't 2nd years until after 4th quarter is over in August, I am counting it as being done with my last SP of the year seeing as how I will have been in med school a whole year by the time I have my next one. For those that don't know what standardized patients (SPs) are, a few times each quarter we are assigned times to come in to the exam rooms set up at school and you are given 18 min to see a patient and then have to write up the visit completely in 20 min. This may seem like a bunch of time but boy does it run out quick. You see two patients each time you are scheduled and we generally do this twice a quarter though this quarter we have done four. The "patients" have a script that they are to follow and when we ask the correct questions or perform the right tests we are given a card with what the findings should have been for the case. After we do the patient exam, we go to feedback time which I always find entertaining. I have never had a patient that I didn't like and I always find their feedback useful. While I want to of course be doing the correct exams, I also want my patients to feel at ease and have a space that they feel like they can be open and honest and I am invested in their care. Anyway, I thought I would share some of the feedback I have gotten over this past year of pretending to be a doctor.

-"You were dressed the part. Some student doctors come in here with boots on and it makes me think I have walked in to a feed store. Or there are the girls that look like they are about to present a business offer or sell me real estate. With you, I didn't get that." -I think what made this one funny was the guy that walked in with his pants tucked in his boots was two students before me and I saw him come out of the room and he was made about his feedback.

-"You have a very upbeat and warm personality. Too bubbly though." -He did follow that up with telling me that he had enjoyed the encounter and it was probably his best of the past two days.

-"The important thing was that you focused most of your time on examining my eyes which was my problem. This silly checklist they gave me says that you have to examine all these other things but that would make me think "this idiot doctor doesn't really get what my concerns are for coming in" so I say screw their checklist. Good job."

-"You were a little soft spoken but that just seems to be your personality. I can tell you are a kindhearted soul." -Med school has also taught me that I have acting skills I never knew I had.

-"Honey, I looked at your handwriting as you were taking notes and I could read everything you wrote. That means your handwriting is far too neat. Also, you don't abbreviate anything. Were you an English major?"