I learned that CONFIDENCE comes not from all the theoretical knowledge we keep acquiring all through our medical school.And the real game changer is when we stand beside the bed of the patient-though completely mentally equipped, the physical interventions and implementation of that very knowledge helping us TREAT them in real life situations.
Loved this! Clinical postings really do teach you things no classroom ever can - from real patient interactions to teamwork, communication, and confidence in your clinical skills. It’s a great reminder to stay curious, prepared, and open-hearted on the wards.
What surprised me most was how human medicine felt real people, real emotions. Textbooks prepared my mind, but clinical posting reshaped my perspective, confidence, and humility every day.
This article is spot-on — there’s so much about clinical postings that textbooks don’t prepare you for. From communication and confidence to handling uncertainty and emotional resilience, these real-world skills make a huge difference in how we learn and care for patients. Very relatable and a good reminder for anyone starting their first posting.
When I was handed the first patient, I was confused and blank I mean there was no one to guide me about it. I felt all alone and somehow gathered myself and made a first step of introducing myself and ask his name and I felt familiar with the scenario.
Very true! When I entered my first clinical posting for the first time, all concepts from the textbooks went blank in my mind, and it was just me and my patient fighting with what the next step in the textbook was. But textbooks didn’t help here completely. I learned daily from each patient, because each patient was not just a patient but a different human being who had a different attitude, mindset, and own set of experiences as a patient. And communication, understanding each patient, and practicing were what made me confident in my clinical practice.
1st day in clinicals was orientation for us. We were taught “the art of history taking and physical examination” on slides and lectures. The 2nd day was the first interaction with a patient and the very first attempt on taking the patient’s history. The teacher tore the pages in front of the patient saying it was inadequate and ‘useless’. Took us all a while to gain confidence again… revisiting that memory, it seems funny now… the teacher did appreciate our growth later in future classes though.
