Student reflection: Day of the Doctor teaches students about the art of medicine
Written: October 13, 2015
Day of the Doctor is a day for medical students to spend the day with a resident or staff physician attending, for example, teaching rounds, ward rounds, operating room and other clinical work. Most importantly, it is a day for medical students to truly picture ourselves as future health care practitioners. Students are paired with a physician in a wide range of specialties in medicine.
The random matching process provides students the possibility of exposure to a field they have never considered or experienced otherwise. This was the case for me. An enthusiast about geriatrics, I was paired with a pediatrician.
The moment I stepped into a pediatric clinic, I was struck by the upbeat setting, the number of young kids patiently waiting with their caregivers and four physicians buzzing in and out of the visit rooms. There was never a dull moment in this community clinic of four pediatricians, nurses and researchers who demonstrated an admirable passion for the patients for whom they provide care.
During each patient visit, as the medical terminology and differential diagnosis that I had learned in the classroom would come flying through my head, I was sure to take a step back and reflect on the complex interplay of social and psychological factors.
Who is the patient being treated?
What is their story?
How can they and their caregivers be best supported?
As medical students at U of T, we are encouraged to reflect on our experiences and understand medicine as not just the practice of treating patients – medicine is also an art. It is an opportunity to make a difference. And it’s a privilege to be involved in the most intimate and significant aspects of people’s lives.
Day of the Doctor is an important part of the personal and professional development of U of T med students, and for me it was another step in the journey to becoming a physician.
This student experience article expresses the views of first year MD Program student Tina Felfeli and is not meant to be representative of the entire student experience, nor represent the MD Program.
