Medical Formalities

An interesting aspect of the medical education process is all the formalities involved.  Those of you who know me are aware that I have never been one to like "formalities". If the rule says you need to wear a white shirt, I most likely am going to show up in any color but white. I know this is probably immature but I just can't help it. If these formalities are never questioned we would probably still be wearing fur loin cloths. 

Anyways  there are many rules involved in writing up and performing a physical or doing an exam. As a medical student we are required to do everything by the book which is a good idea because it forces us to learn everything the proper way and then later we can modify things to fit our style. I have spent a lot of time this year learning all the finite details in doing a medical presentation. There is an exact format and order to the way we are suppose to examine and then report on a patient. Ultimately this art cannot be mastered without lots of repetition. Like many other things in life it seems to be a daunting task at first, like learning a foreign language or learning how to play an instrument but soon enough you just get it down and without even thinking about it you have finally mastered the process. 

I am finally getting in my groove with all the formalities of doing physical exams, giving presentations, discussing patients with other doctors, etc. The nice thing about these rules / guidelines is that they provide a framework that help you to remember all the things you need to do and you become less likely to miss things in your exam or presentation. This is an aspect of medical education that I did not realize would require such effort. In talking to younger medical students there is no way to explain to them how or what they will need to do. The only way to really get it all down is lots and lots of real practice and interactions with patients which only comes with time and time takes time, you know.