In the first piece, Dr. Lynch recalls his immersion into residency training: “As soon as I dissolved, I began to react—or perhaps I should say ‘combust.’” In the second piece, Dr. Rock describes her terrible, horrible, no good, very bad birthday.
Use these essays (links above) to:
- Listen to audio recordings (here and here) , read by Drs. Hood and LaCombe.
- Do you feel like an “impostor?” Do you think others feel the same way, or do you feel alone?
- Do you feel inadequate and incompetent as a physician? Do you blame yourself for your patients' poor outcomes?
- Do you know to whom you can turn for support?
- Does your training program have well-established avenues for communication and help for individuals in need?
- What does Dr. Rock mean when she wonders how people whose jobs don't provide distraction from their own problems manage?
Annals of Internal Medicine is the premier internal medicine academic journal published by the American College of Physicians (ACP). It is one of the most widely cited and influential specialty medical journals in the world.