What Hides in the Shadows
Austin Henke
Chapter Treasurer
In light of the recent OMM mentorships the AAO is providing at Convocation, I wanted to reflect on my own mentorships and provide more insight into a successful mentorship. As a 2nd year student at TCOM, I have had the opportunity to have long-term mentorships with a variety of doctors including OMM, PM&R, and Family Medicine physicians throughout the DFW area. Every time I shadow I recharge my enthusiasm and excitement for my future career in medicine and I implore you to do the same.
Letters of Recommendations are great, and definitely a positive for getting to know your mentor. But as former pre-medical students we are used to the box checking for our resume/CV for many years now. Obviously long-term shadowing and hours of conversation with physicians there is a greater chance of getting a letter that means a little more than just checking the box. However I can’t stand doing these types of things just for the sake of going through the motions. So, let’s look at other reasons to do mentorships.
We are all excited for rotations in third and fourth year. In these years, we have the chance to get out of the classroom, the chance to see real patients, to remember why we are going into medicine. Wait, that's what shadowing is! The only difference is rather than the physician asking you questions and putting you on the spot, you and your mentor can set up a good question and answer session after each case- active learning. You will be surprised at just how comfortable you are at taking a patient’s H&P and being quizzed after a long day at clinic. Next thing you know, you are quite prepared for 3rd and 4th year rotations and show a comfort level your peers just don’t have.
The most unexpected reason to do mentorships is perhaps the most obvious. Your mentor has done all the steps you are trying to do right now. Even in natural conversation, you will talk to your mentor about the path to medicine. This is your opportunity to learn from their triumphs and take note of their mistakes. This is organic learning, unlike the typical Q&A sessions within the walls of your university. Along the same lines, the cases in the clinic that you are able to follow the physician’s logic in questioning and resolve to the same diagnosis are the ones I remember the most. Mentorships inherently boost your confidence level in the classroom. Real live patients are extractions the information out of the textbooks, and that feeling that “Robbins page 468 is just like Ms. Smith” is exhilarating. It gives you the rush of excitement that you will one day become a great physician and that you are on the right track in your career. When I feel the most disheartened is when I escape to my shadowing opportunities.
Lastly, when your mentor actively practices OMM in their clinic it means you can too! If you are confident in your OMM skills, you can actively help the patient. Rather than in most shadowing experiences where you stand in the corner trying not to make noise, in OMM settings you can participate in treatment of the patient and help them to feel better. This experience has left me more attached to the field of medicine, to my OMM skills and made a noticeable impact that I will be able to talk about into rotations/residency years.
I strongly encourage you to spend some of your free time seeking out these mentorships, and taking advantage of them. Mentorships mix up the daily routine, give you a glimpse of the bright future ahead of us, and with some luck treat some of our first patients. Good luck to all and stay in the shadows! ❉