Acting Like a Doctor

Catalog description

Medical students face the great challenge of learning and becoming fluent in the language of medicine while simultaneously becoming aware of and comfortable with their nascent role as physicians. Either of these tasks is daunting: Acquiring a new language involves not just vocabulary and grammar but context and culture. Where do I use this language? What does it mean to speak these words with authority? How am I perceived when I use these words? Meanwhile, students are taking on the mantle of doctor and trying to figure out how they will be recognized in the world. Will this affect my relationships? Will it set me apart, or above, my patients, my friends, my family? How will I be perceived as a physician? These intellectual and affective challenges are remarkably like those faced by actors taking on a challenging role. The actor has to learn a script, understand its meaning, and.