Since the beginning of the fourth year of medical school, I have lived in six different cities and have been fortunate to call a Michigan apple orchard, an island on the Mississippi River, and a little apartment in the Coolidge Corner neighborhood of Boston home. I come to you as an emergency medicine intern fully immersed in the second month of residency excited about what the future holds as a newly minted physician-in-training. Yet, as I continue to integrate myself in a new city and role, I want to take a moment to look back and offer my perspective on a few key qualities that separate good medical students from superb ones. These skills and behavior cornerstones are ones you can begin to cultivate on your path as a medical student, so long as you possess a growth mindset and employ daily intentionality.
Am I learning?
Ask this question each day and challenge yourself to find meaning in daily interactions with patients, physicians, and most of all, support staff. Non-linear learning accelerates when you are thrown into uncomfortable situations. For example, my first few days as a visiting medical student at Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania were filled with uncertainty. I presented myself as someone eager to learn and I showed up early and pre-read on physician’s patients. Attending physicians noticed and made the effort to teach me their craft and included me in meaningful experiences: the opportunity to learn how to perform a lumbar puncture and sit it on a family meeting where a pediatric cancer diagnosis was revealed are a few that come to mind.
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