One key requisite to becoming an expert in a given field is to be given consistent real-time feedback regarding your performance. I think this clerkship phase of my medical education is a good set-up for such feedback. The thing that gets in the way though is a mix of pride and evaluation threat (people don’t want to get a bad eval because they asked or said something wrong/ dumb [this is a whole ‘nother conversation about how these evaluation are constructed]).
I brought some of these concerns up to my new attending during a conversation about expectations and he did a pretty good job of alleviating them and making me feel heard. The beauty of this part of our medical education, in my opinion, is that we as students have the opportunity to make mistakes in a safe environment that won’ actually negatively affect a patient’s health while also opening opportunities for timely feedback. If I’m afraid to look dumb, I’m denying myself learning experiences that are probably way more potent that me just reciting the “correct” management plan that I read off of UpToDate or from the night float’s note.
nANIMOv 