The idea of see one, do one and teach one has been something that I have heard throughout medical school and now residency. In medicine we learn a lot, teach a lot, and witness tons of what may be new experiences for many people. Many of us are products of amazing mentors and teachers. I know that I would not be where I am today had it not been for the physicians both attending and residents that taught me both during my basic sciences along with my rotations.
Now that I am in residency I am so excited about teaching medical students and even my fellow colleagues from other specialties that rotate with us. One of the most common questions that I get is “how do you have time to teach in a busy environment, like labor and delivery for example?” Well, for starters I have the privilege of having amazing senior residents that do most of the teaching for medical students to allow us interns the ability to learn how to manage our time. There are times though when I have the ability to teach medical students. What I have found to be helpful, is to incorporate medical students into my daily workflow. For example, if I need to go see a patient, I will ask a medical student to go interview them, allowing them to practice their interview skills and then have them present to me with their potential plan. Then we will see the patient together, discuss a potential plan of action, while I add some teaching points as well. Not only does this routine allow me to provide a helpful experience for my medical students but also gives me the opportunity to review material that I have to brush up on as well. Furthermore, asking for ways that I can improve the medical student experience has led to some great ideas as well because we are always working on improving our teaching skills! How do you teach medical students during busy rotations?
