Does being shy really hurt you in medical school?
Started by Hemichordate
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the entire basis of medicine involves convincing people that you just met that you are worthy of being trusted with their life. i would think that inability to talk to new people would kind of limit your ability when most of the time you are spending less than 15 minutes with patient in a lot of specialties. you could always go into pathology or rads.
Not in medical school at least. I wouldn't characterize myself as having any of those qualities you describe but I feel I've gotten along well and can still have a good doctor-patient relationship. And I am not alone on this one, a bunch of people in med school are not the most outgoing.
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Very true, but being shy does not prevent you from doing your job. I have a lot harder time talking to people I don't know casually than I do when I am talking to a patient I have just met.
As a doctor it won't hurt you. As a medical student/resident it will hurt you. In my school you need to be able to speak out and make points in a small group setting. Rounding on rotations in M3/M4 and the PGY's is similar. The shy kids get stepped on by all of the Type A personalities, and often their grades suffer for it.
Word.
The nice thing about interacting with patients is that there is a structure to the encounter. You have an idea what you need to know about the patient, and you ask the appropriate questions. This becomes very easy, especially once you become familiar and competent in what you are looking for in taking a history. It's nothing like making small talk with a stranger in a casual setting.
Agree with the latter part, although I think it actually will hurt you as a doctor as well. It won't matter in the first two years. But in third year, you will be presenting to teams, you will be pimped, often alongside more outgoing med students, and you will be participating in rounds. If you are the quiet one and your teammate always pipes out the answer, or good questions, you will be hurt by comparison. And the evaluation of the attending is going to reflect your lack of participation in a negative way. As a doctor, you are going to continue to be in those situations, but also be expected to take control of those situations to a greater degree. And you will always have superiors evaluating you throughout this process.
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Premed issue and now moving to preallo. Medical students read and respond to thread in preallo and may follow and respond to this one if desired.
I wouldn't say Type As are more outgoing...more competitive for sure (think of all the gunners you know...) Introverted/extroverted isn't related. I'd think being outgoing, or at least coaxing yourself into becoming more outgoing would be a good idea for success in MS3+ in your medical career.
If you're shy, the outspoken people will overshadow you and that's gonna hurt during clerkships
There are different types of shyness too. People tend to think "shy" people experience anxiety at any sort of social endeavor, but those type of people are going to have difficulty in nearly any career, including medicine, because conducting business or services is a social enterprise.
I consider myself a pretty shy individual. I tend to keep to myself in large groups of people I do not know well, I hate public speaking, don't ask me to keep small talk going... only child syndrome, yknow. But I've never had a problem leading a small group discussion, or interacting on rounds, or taking a patient history, or presenting a patient. If anything, I've been told by superiors I do those things pretty well. You get pretty comfortable in the medical environment.
I consider myself a pretty shy individual. I tend to keep to myself in large groups of people I do not know well, I hate public speaking, don't ask me to keep small talk going... only child syndrome, yknow. But I've never had a problem leading a small group discussion, or interacting on rounds, or taking a patient history, or presenting a patient. If anything, I've been told by superiors I do those things pretty well. You get pretty comfortable in the medical environment.
Well, in every rotation I've been in there has been ample times where the med students have to keep small talk with the attending going while the residents run to return pages, etc. I promise you that the student who holds up his end of the conversation is going to come off better than the shy one.
And as you mentioned it isn't just this, it's presenting patients to the team, talking on rounds, asking good and thoughtful questions, making presentations on topics, interviewing patients (sometimes on video), and jumping in and answering the pimp questions before the competition. Someone who describes themselves as "really shy" is going to have trouble with this. Which will have an impact in grades/career.
"If you can breathe, you have a voice; if you have a voice, then why falter in using it?" - Thats my Motto. There is no reason to be shy. Just face the world. The most effective way is to ignore completely what others think of you. If you have a screaming match in public for example, sure people will look at you, some will laugh, some will point fingers and others will join in/sympathize. But no one will "bite" (excuse the cliche- plus my accent aigu is not here at the moment-_-). Just take the world in stride. Life is too short to go aroud in perpetual fear of other mammals.
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Interacting on a professional level is completely different than interacting on a personal level. Normally shy guys may be very vocal in the professional environment, yet can struggle some in a personal environment.
Being shy can hurt you gather information, IMO. YOu have have to formulate a strategy to class and talk with people about the best approach, etc.
Being shy can hurt you gather information, IMO. YOu have have to formulate a strategy to class and talk with people about the best approach, etc.
females have an easier time getting into medical school....atleast statistically.
A friend of mine is a retired female plastic surgeon. She told me that she was a shy person before medical school. I did not believe her at first because she was the most talkative person I have met. But she admitted that medical school and so many years of medical training made her force herself to speak up and it has become second skin. You have no choice but to speak to people if you want to pass your training. Practice makes perfect. If you talk to people everyday, you'll get used to it. And before you know it, you're no longer the shy person you used to be.
