Now that I've worked with about a dozen medical students, I have revised my views. I realise now that there's a certain subset of students for whom this kind of scripted approach to being a person might actually be helpful. These students simply don't grok interpersonal dynamics and have the social elan of a bowl of custard. It's like how some guys resort to "pick-up tactics" when it comes to dating. It's not their fault per se; they just need all the help they can get. I'd reckon that this subset is a solid 8% of medical students because I'm thinking of one student in particular out of the dozen. Maybe I'll revise my views again next year.
I've noticed the best medical students are just plain fun to teach. What does that mean? It means they're receptive to things. They ask good questions. They're fun to be around. They learn and get better over the rotation. They do what they're told (including going home when asked). They have common sense when given work to do. They only triple my workload, and it makes me want to kiss their feet.
If you simply want to honour a rotation, I think your best bet is to, as with most things in life, ask somebody who has already done what you want to do, and do what they suggest. If a bad evaluation ruins your sense of self, you probably have an unsustainably fragile ego to begin with, and the real lesson is develop resilience above all else.
Regarding "support staff." A lot of people say "be nice to the nurses." What they really mean is, "be nice to the nurses so that..." This instrumentalist view of relating to people is actually really hurtful and will lead to disappointment or a shallow sense of connection in the long run. Everybody knows the feeling. Fake smiles when you're really dying on the inside.
I hold open doors, I smile, I say thank you, I ask them about their weekend--I do these things regardless of whether or not somebody can or ever will be helpful to me in the future. Why? Because I'm an outgoing person. I would do that for anybody, attending, patient, or janitor. Who you are is what you do even when it doesn't matter--especially when it doesn't matter. So much of life for medical students is a tiring charade of projecting a certain kind of image. I think the real mark of maturity comes when you can comfortably drop the charade, forget about the image, and hopefully not be a psychopath. If you're introverted, then embrace your introversion and be a damn good doctor. The accolades will come eventually, and when they do, they won't even matter. The real accolade will be doing a job well done in the first place.
