What they don't teach you in medical school
BMJ 2003; 327 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/sbmj.0308265 (Published 01 August 2003) Cite this as: BMJ 2003;327:0308265
- Timothy Rittman, third year medical student and training director1
- 1International Federation of Medical Students' Associations, University of Nottingham
Medical school is a place for learning but should not be the only place medical students pick up the training they need to be doctors. We take in clinical skills and information at an often alarming rate, but the job of a junior doctor is made up of more than clinical work. Articles in the BMJ have highlighted consultants' lack of skills outside the realm of the clinic; it has even been said that seeing patients is “the easy bit.”12 The same is likely to be true of doctors at all levels.
Important for medical students and doctors
For most people, training in management skills means sitting in a seminar room being talked at from a flipchart. Although this is the start, training also includes applying what is learnt to everyday life. The range of skills is almost endless—for example, time management, communication, presenting, teaching, effective learning, working in a team, and leadership—to name just a few topics.
Imagine a junior doctor looking after 20 patients, following up the results of blood tests, x rays, meeting relatives, liaising with nursing staff; time management is key to surviving an …
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