-Prashasti Sharma
My day as a medical extern often starts off by seeing patients. I take histories, do physical exams, and talk to patients about their symptoms and concerns. Every time I interact with patients, I remember that medicine is not only about diagnosing pathology but also that medicine is about listening carefully, focusing on detail and how illness affects someone’s daily life.
After the patient encounters are finished, I spend time writing notes and participating in case discussions. I have found this is often the time when the real education occurs. Dr. Simcha Weismann makes these discussions engaging and participatory. I will always remember his teaching discussion we had on sepsis and septic shock. I have read about sepsis and septic shock before, but the way he dissected the clinical topic as it related to a patient case made it so much more impactful.
Dr. Adam Atoot brings his own energy and teaching style to the learning process. He keeps us mentally sharp with games, quizzes, assigning group tasks for us to work on, and actively involving the learning process.
I presented a topic – “Pancreatitis and its management”, and the follow-up discussions led me to deepen my education and think with a more critical mind; he also spent time with us teaching us about some cardiology diagnostic tests – telling us the difference between a nuclear stress test, cardiac catheterisations, CT angiograms, and a few other modalities. He makes complicated topics much easier to digest while also keeping us sharp.
One particularly intriguing case I saw during this externship was a young girl with hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, precocious puberty, and POTS. Her paediatrician suggested the possibility of it being a syndromic co-occurrence of hEDS and congenital adrenal hyperplasia. It was exciting to be a small part of her evaluation and learn just how complex and layered real-world cases can be.
What I enjoy the most is how both Dr. Weismann and Dr. Atoot create an inclusive team culture that makes me feel like I am a resident already.
They do not just lecture; they ask questions, challenge us, and invite us to embellish their discussion with our contributions. They ask questions, challenge our thinking, and encourage us to contribute actively, creating a dynamic space where learning feels collaborative and rewarding. The mentorship and guidance I receive every day reinforce my confidence and help me grow into a more capable, thoughtful physician.
At the end of the day, I feel a sense of fulfilment after wrapping up my responsibilities at this rotation. I am reminded with every case that I see, every procedure I help with, and every discussion I am involved in, that I am doing more than just watching medicine- I am learning it, and imbibing it. Each day reinforces that medicine is as much about connection, critical thinking, and empathy as it is about knowledge and skills, and I feel privileged to be gaining this experience firsthand.