Hi! I’m a vet student entering clinics soon, and I have 2 main concerns: 1) academically I’ve been a good student, but I’m worried that my “book” knowledge isn’t going to transfer to practical real life situations - I’ve heard a lot of stories of students who were good academically but hopeless in clinics; 2) I know I’ll be getting critiqued by doctors, and I know I need it in order to become a good doctor myself, but I don’t know how to keep it from crushing me emotionally (beating myself up because I’m not perfect, or being horribly anxious that I’m still not going to know right from wrong once I’m in practice and I end up hurting my patients). Any advice?
Sueanoi here,
You are a student.
Everyone in your year are students.
No one is going to be perfect the first time.
No one is perfect the first hecking YEAR.
You're gonna be just fine. The entire point of going into clinic training is to TRAIN you to use those knowledge that you have as a huge amount of jigsaw in your head and finally able to put them together into a readable picture. You'll learn how to set up a thought algorithm in your head on how to follow clues to its final answer.
Everyone will struggle. Everyone including you. and it's okay.
You're there to learn. If you're already perfect then you won't need to learn that station anymore now do you?
Do not be afraid to admit that you don't know something. Be up front to your supervisor. You can even ask them to confirm your thought. This will still be a normal thing even after you graduate. Asking for consult from a specialist is very normal to do in this career. So this is also a training to get you used to asking for help as well.
It's always ok to ask for help.
Some supervisor will have a ...less kind... style of teaching. Don't let it go to your head. This is a practice that I myself do not agree with (im always kind to my vetlings). Take only what's useful. Leave the insults behind in that consultation room. Promise them you will correct it, and give them the answer you couldn't recall right now in the next day.
That would impress them.
You will struggle a lot.
but you will struggle less often as time go by.
and you will learn how to learn, and it will get easier.
I wish you luck.