"To study the phenomena of disease without books is to
sail in uncharted seas, while to study books without patients is not
to go to sea at all."
Sir William Osler
Daily, goal-directed reading is critical to your success on this rotation and more importantly, to your ongoing success as a physician. Internal Medicine, probably more than any other core clerkship, can be overwhelming in the amount material to learn. But, this constant challenge is quite stimulating if you allow your natural curiosity to override the anxiety associated with not knowing much (yet!).
Some of you already have figured out how to balance all your clinical responsibilities with the regular self-study required in the ever-evolving profession of Medicine. While others of you are still struggling to find a method that works best for you. For those of you in the former group, this log will simply involve a brief documentation of what you do already.
For those of you in the later group, it is suggested that you use the following format when recording your reading and other scholarly activities.
- Keep a list of questions that come up about your patients, on rounds, in lectures, or at other times.
- Ideally, at the end of each day, prioritize these questions and let them guide your reading. However, some people like to reflect on their self-study every week, even having a specific focus to each week, like “cardiology week” reading and study.
- Record the general sources you use for study (Cecil’s, NEJM, MKSAP questions, etc.).
- Note any articles you share with your team (this means giving a brief synopsis to the team, not just setting a pile of copies on the table), any talks you give, or handouts you prepare.
Many students complain that this can be tedious. Yet in retrospect, students also noted that they read more when they made a point to keep a log of what they were doing. This was required of all students last year and NBME exams scores were higher than they’ve ever been…food for thought :-).
