Do they teach you assertiveness in Med School?

[Medula]

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This is a very serious question, not a joke.

Did any of you people enter medical school as a very passive, non-assertive individual, but learned assertiveness and people management skills in Med School? Do those years learning the trade knock your fears off and help you grow a nice, strong, big, spine???

Thanks for your feedback.

 

[njbmd]

This is a very serious question, not a joke.

Did any of you people enter medical school as a very passive, non-assertive individual, but learned assertiveness and people management skills in Med School? Do those years learning the trade knock your fears off and help you grow a nice, strong, big, spine???

Thanks for your feedback.

Hi there,
Medical school provides you with the necessary tools to do residency. It is residency where you actually "learn the trade" of medicine. There is not much "people management" to be learned in medical school but there is plenty of knowledge. You will not be bored.
njbmd 🙂
(about to manage removing an esophagus!)

 

[LabMonster]

I can say from my clinical experience, yes, you will learn to be more assertive.

Why? You need to be confident in your decisions and you need people following your instructions to be confident in your decisions.

If you are the passive type, you'll get steam-rolled a few times, but those are the experiences that strengthen your resolve and confidence.

Best of Luck!

 

[curlycity]

Why is someone 'passive' - is it because they are comfortable letting people who know what they're doing do their thing, and they stay within their role and don't have to run the show all the time or speak up a lot as long as everything's getting done? Or is it because they lack confidence and resolve, and won't speak up out of fear of looking foolish, even if it's the right thing to do? People who fit into the first category do fine - they're sleeping giants that other people perceive as passive but are actually quite strong when the occasion calls for it, if not in a flashy way. The second group will have a harder time. You have to have a lot of inner strength to take risks, make mistakes, be a learner and admit you do not know enough to do something. A passive person who is weak or fearful can learn something from our ethics classes, the example of others, and being directly given advice from peers & mentors, but I think that person will have a hard time if they haven't outgrown those traits by the end of med school. That's how you make the really big mistakes - doing too much or doing too little. Med school can season you a little bit, but residency will really test you.

 

[Amma]

There is not like a class on it - no.
But I think I started out pretty passive and polite - and I think i thought I would be a better communicator with patients, soft spoken and gentle...blah blah..
I realized that if I want patietns to think I know what I am talking about I need to be assertive and speak confidently. Same with attendings and resdients, some even mentioned to me that i need to be more confident etc... Also, if I was constantly passive, opportunities would blow me by constantly by other students grabbing them up. I learned that on surgery, I could ask to participate more the surgeries and then I would be allowed to close or practice tying knots or whatever. So, I certainly have learned to be more assertive, but I like to think I can still be kind, gentle, and pleasant too.