I struggled a lot mentally before attending the clinical rounds and felt very embarrassed. First, I didn’t know which department or direction to go to, and I knew nothing about the teachers. I was also worried about what would happen if the teacher disagreed after I went. I kept worrying for a long time, then I asked a senior student for a list of mentors to try to figure things out myself. However, the senior and I talked a lot, and they gave me direction and told me not to worry and just go for it. That whole afternoon gave me great encouragement and motivation. Then that night, I packed my things and went early the next morning, feeling nervous.
I arrived quite early; the teacher hadn’t come yet. Later, a graduate senior came. I nervously greeted her and explained that I wanted to observe the rounds to learn. She was very kind and told me to just sit on the chair behind the teacher and not to be nervous. Then, at eight o’clock, the teacher started seeing patients. I was very nervous at first and worried about being questioned, but later I realized there were so many patients that the teacher had no time to pay attention to me, haha. I just stood behind the teacher, watching him skillfully talk to each regular patient and take medical histories proficiently. Everyone praised the treatment’s effectiveness and many kept coming back for additional appointments. The teacher didn’t finish seeing all the patients until half past twelve and had to continue rounds in the afternoon. It was truly exhausting.
During my first time observing the rounds, I was also very awkward, just standing behind dumbly, not knowing what questions to ask. I felt like I wasn’t very capable, but this first observation wasn’t as scary as I had imagined. The teachers were very approachable. Once I made it clear that I was there to learn from the rounds, they were very welcoming. There was no awkwardness of being questioned by the teachers like I had expected. The teachers were all very busy, and just standing quietly on the side taking some notes was very rewarding.
Finally, I want to encourage everyone to start as early as possible. If your skill level is average, it is still very necessary to go early, especially when everyone is about the same!
