A Hypothetical Question

[medravi]

Would a third or fourth-year medical student who corrected the diagnosis of an attending be well on his way to highest honors or well on his way to failing (assuming that ultimately the attending was incorrect and the student was correct)? Say for example a patient presented with some simple signs/symptoms that were indicative of some common condition (and that's what the attending concluded it was); but say the student saw something additional that was suggestive of something less common that the attending did not see (and the student ended up being correct). I know all attendings would be different on this matter. In general, though, how might it turn out? Has anyone had personal experience with this? What was the outcome?

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[Hercules]

It would depend on the attending's personality, but for the sake of this hypothetical question, let's assume it's the first day of the rotation and we know nothing of the attending's personality. I wouldn't dream of doing it in public on rounds. I would probably talk to him later on and tell him what I had thought and why, but I wouldn't "correct" him. I would merely give my opinion.

 

[Rads]

First off, you never correct an attending unless you are a fourth-year and have one foot out the door. It is a sure fire way to get on one's bad side. No professional cares to be "corrected" especially by some hot shot med student who thinks he knows everything. A far better solution if you think the attending is wrong is to find a review article on both what the attending thinks and what YOU think. You can then make up a little presentation for rounds with your DIAGNOSIS high on the differential. Then you can work in your thoughts in a non-confrontational, and educational way.