Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

Polarizing medical students do not foster discussion and education

Anonymous
Education
November 8, 2020
13 Shares
Share
Tweet
Share

Though many say freedom of speech has never been more prevalent with the creation of social media, moral relativism and shaming have taken a toll. Evident today, cyberbullying in the name of justice polarizes attitudes while placing some opinions as martial law and others as bigotry. This polarization of America marginalizes majorities and attempts to silence them into submission. Concurrently, it diminishes the “moral” side’s own goal to gain support for their cause by such an aggressive and submissive nature. The intolerance to free speech has deleterious effects in all facets of education, none more important than in future physicians’ education.

My school of medicine class of 2022 has experienced such intolerances. In the light of the horrible acts against black Americans, people in our class admirably felt invigorated to do their part and petition for changes in our school. As future leaders of our communities, striving to help correct social injustices and improve holistic health is an honorable path for any medical student, as was the heart of this petition. As any effective petitioner may do, actions were taken to gain support. Unfortunately, sometimes people are impelled to rhetoric that diminishes or insults their audience.

Below are two examples of such rhetoric sent to our official class group messaging system that are detrimental to good causes, masked in the name of morality. These are examples of ineffective persuasion that ultimately hurt noble causes by polarizing or offending people. Example 1 was sent days after the petition had been formed and distributed. Unsatisfied with the number of signatures, this person felt the responsibility to persuade people to his cause by insulting the majority of the class that had yet to sign, stating that, “I’m going to be straight with you all … some of you are only in this for the money, and it’s showing right now.” If common sense plays any role in medicine, insulting your patient would not build rapport and convince them to speak openly, honestly, adhere to medication, and so forth. Nor does insulting your classmates build rapport to join your cause. This person may feel justified in their plight, but this is a poor technique if their true goal is to persuade.

Example 2 exemplifies a more subtle lost art in the polarization movement. Information about a round table discussion on race in medicine, a great opportunity to broaden those potentially less informed minds, was sent to our group with good marketing alongside. The message stated, “It’s a great time to discuss important topics and get face time with some surgery staff.” Hastily after, another student degrades anyone wanting to speak with surgeons for perceived less than noble causes, “Don’t go to promote your own agenda!” stating it “defeats the whole purpose of the series. Go because you believe in the initiative and want to evoke change.” This is a major flaw that plagues our schools and society, which diminishes free speech and open discussion. Imagine if you wanted to have an open discussion and inform patients on the importance of adherence to medical therapy, but the only patients that came had a 100 percent adherence rate. You would miss different perspectives. You would miss educating yourself on the perspectives of those that do not think the same as yourself. You would miss addressing these perspectives by educating those that think differently. As such, when you tell people that are less enthusiastic about racial disparities and more interested in meeting surgeons to stay home, you may miss the target population you seek to inform regardless of their reason for participating and perpetuate a self-reinforcing cycle of discussing similar ideas that all parties agree with.

This attitude of factual opinions and polarization of sides is antithetical to the latest educational approach of team-based learning and round table discussions seen in medical schools. Many schools have weekly small group sessions to foster discussion about diagnosis and treatment and moral and ethical dilemmas with the thematic goal of understanding that there are always different perspectives to the same picture. In essence, petitioning is a luxury people with less freedom do not have, and as such, respect for all opinions is paramount. Without this respect, opinions become self-regarded as fact, and the efficacy of conveying such opinions is lost. Open discussion becomes closed discussion, and education becomes dictation. Ultimately, many of those seeking to persuade are achieving a paradoxical effect against good causes.

The author is an anonymous medical student.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

Prev

Imagining a pandemic as a physician novelist [PODCAST]

November 7, 2020 Kevin 0
…
Next

The need for on-demand access to medical technologies when treating COVID-19 patients

November 8, 2020 Kevin 0
…

Tagged as: Medical school

Post navigation

< Previous Post
Imagining a pandemic as a physician novelist [PODCAST]
Next Post >
The need for on-demand access to medical technologies when treating COVID-19 patients

More by Anonymous

  • Do residents deserve the title of physician?

    Anonymous
  • Breaking down barriers: How technology is improving diabetes management in underserved communities

    Anonymous
  • The patient who became my soulmate

    Anonymous

Related Posts

  • How medical education fails minority students

    Shenyece Ferguson
  • Advice for first-year medical students

    Jamie Katuna
  • Physicians and medical students: Unlearn helplessness

    Jamie Katuna
  • An open letter to graduating medical students

    Lilian White
  • Advice for graduating medical students

    R. Lynn Barnett
  • Medical students must have this mindset

    Manisha Ravi​

More in Education

  • The secret to success in medical school: self-awareness and courage

    Kaelor Gordon
  • Is mandating pre-medical training widening disparities in the U.S. physician workforce?

    Deepak Gupta, MD and Sarwan Kumar, MD
  • Equalizing the future of medical residencies: standardizing work hours and wages

    Deepak Gupta, MD and Sarwan Kumar, MD
  • From studying to baby kicks: Navigating motherhood in medical school

    Natalie Eichner-Seitz
  • The power of advocacy: a medical student’s journey to helping an uninsured immigrant

    Fabiola Plaza
  • From AI to love: the key to a better future in medical education

    Stevan Walkowski, DO
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • The real cause of America’s opioid crisis: Doctors are not to blame

      Richard A. Lawhern, PhD | Meds
    • Healing the damaged nurse-physician dynamic

      Angel J. Mena, MD and Ali Morin, MSN, RN | Policy
    • The struggle to fill emergency medicine residency spots: Exploring the factors behind the unfilled match

      Katrina Gipson, MD, MPH | Physician
    • What is driving physicians to the edge of despair?

      Edward T. Creagan, MD | Physician
    • Deaths of despair: an urgent call for a collective response to the crisis in U.S. life expectancy

      Mohammed Umer Waris, MD | Policy
    • Beyond the disease: the power of empathy in health care

      Nana Dadzie Ghansah, MD | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

    • The hidden dangers of the Nebraska Heartbeat Act

      Meghan Sheehan, MD | Policy
    • The real cause of America’s opioid crisis: Doctors are not to blame

      Richard A. Lawhern, PhD | Meds
    • The vital importance of climate change education in medical schools

      Helen Kim, MD | Policy
    • The fight for reproductive health: Why medication abortion matters

      Catherine Hennessey, MD | Physician
    • Nobody wants this job. Should physicians stick around?

      Katie Klingberg, MD | Physician
    • Resetting the doctor-patient relationship: Navigating the challenges of modern primary care

      Jeffrey H. Millstein, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • The harmful effects of shaming patients for self-education

      Maryanna Barrett, MD | Physician
    • The power of self-appreciation: Why physicians need to start acknowledging their own contributions

      Wendy Schofer, MD | Physician
    • The endless waves of chronic illness

      Michele Luckenbaugh | Conditions
    • Skydiving and surgery: How one doctor translates high-stress training to saving lives

      Alexandra Kharazi, MD | Physician
    • Telemedicine in the opioid crisis: a game-changer threatened by DEA regulations

      Julie Craig, MD | Meds
    • How this doctor found her passion in ballroom dancing [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

View 3 Comments >

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

CME Spotlights

From MedPage Today

Latest News

  • Are We Losing the Personal Touch Because of the Way We Staff?
  • Orismilast Clears Skin in Moderate-to-Severe Psoriasis
  • Pediatric ICU Cases Becoming More Complex in Recent Years
  • New Combinations Promising in Advanced Urothelial Carcinoma
  • Embryo Development Delayed in Pregnancies Ending in Miscarriage

Meeting Coverage

  • Orismilast Clears Skin in Moderate-to-Severe Psoriasis
  • New Combinations Promising in Advanced Urothelial Carcinoma
  • No Survival Benefit With CRT Versus Chemo for Locally Advanced Endometrial Cancer
  • Ankle Sprain Physical Therapy Doesn't Shift the Pain Elsewhere
  • Use of EMR Directive Tied to Reduced Opioid Prescribing After Spine Surgery
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • The real cause of America’s opioid crisis: Doctors are not to blame

      Richard A. Lawhern, PhD | Meds
    • Healing the damaged nurse-physician dynamic

      Angel J. Mena, MD and Ali Morin, MSN, RN | Policy
    • The struggle to fill emergency medicine residency spots: Exploring the factors behind the unfilled match

      Katrina Gipson, MD, MPH | Physician
    • What is driving physicians to the edge of despair?

      Edward T. Creagan, MD | Physician
    • Deaths of despair: an urgent call for a collective response to the crisis in U.S. life expectancy

      Mohammed Umer Waris, MD | Policy
    • Beyond the disease: the power of empathy in health care

      Nana Dadzie Ghansah, MD | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

    • The hidden dangers of the Nebraska Heartbeat Act

      Meghan Sheehan, MD | Policy
    • The real cause of America’s opioid crisis: Doctors are not to blame

      Richard A. Lawhern, PhD | Meds
    • The vital importance of climate change education in medical schools

      Helen Kim, MD | Policy
    • The fight for reproductive health: Why medication abortion matters

      Catherine Hennessey, MD | Physician
    • Nobody wants this job. Should physicians stick around?

      Katie Klingberg, MD | Physician
    • Resetting the doctor-patient relationship: Navigating the challenges of modern primary care

      Jeffrey H. Millstein, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • The harmful effects of shaming patients for self-education

      Maryanna Barrett, MD | Physician
    • The power of self-appreciation: Why physicians need to start acknowledging their own contributions

      Wendy Schofer, MD | Physician
    • The endless waves of chronic illness

      Michele Luckenbaugh | Conditions
    • Skydiving and surgery: How one doctor translates high-stress training to saving lives

      Alexandra Kharazi, MD | Physician
    • Telemedicine in the opioid crisis: a game-changer threatened by DEA regulations

      Julie Craig, MD | Meds
    • How this doctor found her passion in ballroom dancing [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today iMedicalApps
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Polarizing medical students do not foster discussion and education
3 comments

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...