Medicine has long been a journey of wise sage teaching eager student. The medicine men (and women) of ancient times took an apprentice and slowly unveiled the arts of their trade. Even as our profession has been formalised, it relies greatly on the passion and time of seniors to encourage, shape, and water the younger generations. We are not taught how to teach but instead are meant to know, intrinsically, how to communicate our experience and understanding to one another.
As a medical student, it was hard to imagine ever knowing enough to manage a patient and their ills. As an intern, each medication charted initially brought a level of fear. What if this patient for whom paracetamol has just been charted actually has liver failure? What if clexane is contraindicated based on renal function? What if they can’t have metoclopramide because of possible small bowel obstruction or the extrapyramidal side effects of someone with Parkinson’s? Such big considerations for such little effort of filling out the appropriate boxes on the chart. As a registrar, the questions become about bigger picture management and getting a patient safely to discharge. As a consultant, your worries are about juggling inpatient and outpatient concerns, managing your staff (junior doctors, nurses, secretaries, public and private facilities) and the constant demands of training and academia. And at each transition, there are new lessons to be had.
And so it is, at each stage, that the younger generations learn from the older ones. Often the best lessons come from those closest to you in training. The residents teaching the interns how to cannulate, the senior registrars teaching the junior registrars how to operate or intubate or co-ordinate dialysis or manage hyperparathyroidism. The senior consultants teach the juniors how to develop a practice and hire staff and manage their diverse demands. One wonders how the very first medicine (wo)man managed their multitude of tasks.
And so, to help you in understanding the world around you, here are some articles about learning, travel and our planet.
Maybe our practice shouldn’t be just about medications and operations. Perhaps we should be prescribing fruits and vegetables too. And, interestingly, mushrooms (no, not that kind) and nature.
If you are lacking in creativity, perhaps you need to pack your bags and head on a trip. Travelling teaches us lessons we mightn’t otherwise gain.
Until next time, enjoy the little things.
