During one of my most recent rotations, I received a piece of advice from one of the chief residents on the team and I thought that I would share it hoping that it also resonates with someone else. She told me that as medical professionals especially in a surgical field we are oftentimes hard on ourselves and the mistakes that we make. We set very high expectations and forget the fact that we are life-long learners. Learning should be enjoyed rather than stigmatized. There will be mistakes to be made, we are human not robots. We should embrace those mistakes and take them as experiences that will make us better healthcare professionals. I think that this statement is extremely important and hits very near to my heart. Growing up and entering this profession, my aptitude has always been determined by exams and evaluations. There is always a right or wrong answer and if you do not pick the right answer you “fail.” But real life is not an examination. Real-life allows us to thrive through experiences, mistakes, and accomplishments.
