Boot Camp

Yesterday some of my classmates and I went to our clinical skills lab to have our practical quiz. We practice our clinical skills on each other while a tutor who is an M.D. watches what we do and asks us questions. Most tutors have been really nice and have been good to teach us. They will hold us to it if we make a mistake but they do it in a respectful manner. The tutor we had the other day came in obviously agitated. He was huffing and puffing as if he had just been in a fight with his wife. He said to us while wiping his eyes, "I am really tired today, I don't want to be here so we will make this snappy." Then he asked us to write on a piece of paper our name and what system we were to examine. One of my classmates was writing hers in and he said, "hurry up you should be done by now." Each of us took our turns and he was rude to every one of us. He even said to one of my classmates the day before, "If you get this question wrong I am going to be pissed off!" I was dumbfounded. Needless to say it was a very awkward atmosphere and I was very nervous when it came my turn. I just tried to stay calm and do the best that I could. I actually was assigned something I knew very well so it wasn't a problem. When he hounded me with questions I was a step ahead of him yet nervousness overcame me and I misnamed one of the nervous plexus. He said, "Have you ever heard of brachial plexus? I replied, "Oh yeah it;s not cervical plexus it's brachial plexus." Hehe. I giggled inside just like that too. Anyway, long story short despite how mean the guy was I did really well and proved that I knew what I was talking about. I know that it is going to be rough in clinical rotations, internships, and residency. I will probably have doctors barking at me all day. I think that if you stay calm, don't take it personally, and do your best you can come out on top overall. It has been a long semester and I am ready to go home, but I am glad for all the lessons I have learned. I learn more about myself each day.