When I started my clinical journey as an intern, I felt everything all at once. A great wave of enthusiasm hit me the moment I realised that this was the purpose I had held on to through all these years. As I stepped into clinical practice, I always had a great desire to give the very best of myself.
In this process, I made many mistakes, which initially left me questioning whether I was a good fit for this field or whether I was enough. But as they say, “learning is a journey, not a destination.” I realised that every single day I spent learning was worth it.
So today, I want to share a few mistakes of mine that eventually made me a better clinician:
1. Not taking enough clinical history.
More than half of your diagnosis lies in the history itself. While listening to patients, we often fail to pay attention to every detail, assuming that those small details don’t matter much. But that’s a misconception. Listening to each and every detail while taking history helps you diagnose better and draft a more appropriate treatment plan.
2. Treat every case like it’s your first one.
Every case is a new lesson. Overconfidence can sometimes be a bane. Feeling that we know everything can lead us to overlook simple things that might later become major concerns.
3. Communication, education, and patience are the true heart of healing.
Sometimes, no matter how great your treatment plan is, communication is always a game changer. There are times when the prognosis may still be poor despite the perfect execution of your treatment plan. There is always something left behind for certain skeptical patients. In such cases, more than the clinical treatment, communicating with patients, educating them about how everything works, and ensuring that they can get through it make the biggest difference.
So, these are a few mistakes of mine. What are some mistakes that made you a better clinician?
, best way of learning is learning from mistakes