What I'm Watching

These days I've been spending a lot of time reflecting on my own training, which was truly a series of juxtapositions—excitement and boredom, energy and exhaustion, profundity and mundanity. This PBS documentary portrays each phase of medical training with a profound accuracy. I remember the shock of calculating the number of hours I was spending in front of a book during the preclinical years.

This PBS documentary portrays each phase of medical training with a profound accuracy.

I remember the sense of uselessness as the third year medical student at the very bottom of a well-defined hierarchy. I remember the sadness and disappointment when the mental and physical exhaustion of residency overrode my ability to empathize with my patients. That being said, I also remember the nervous excitement of seeing my first patient and the satisfaction of successfully managing several critically ill patients by myself overnight for the first time. I still feel that sense of gratification when I reassure a patient that she is going to be okay, or maybe that she’s not, but that either way I’m going to be there to help. If the documentary seems depressing overall, I would encourage one to pay close attention to the high points in the training process. They do exist.

Where to find it

If you're a KUED Passport holder, access the series here.