Words for Incoming Medical Students: Two Notebooks
- Amelia Black
- Aug 4, 2017
- 3 min read
Today UofM 4th year medical student and GHHS member, Amelia Black, spoke to incoming first year medical students at the University of Minnesota White Coat Ceremony. Her words are inspiring and remind us of the importance of humanism, self-care, and gratitude in the medical field.
Hello! My name is Amelia, and I’m a 4th year medical student here at the U. I speaking on behalf of the 4th year medical students from the Gold Humanism Honor Society, a society dedicated to serving as a model, support, and advocate for compassionate, patient-centered care.
Today, I’d like to talk you about notebooks. Seems a little silly doesn’t it? Well this mini-notebook was a staple in my white coat pocket in the wards. I would flip to a new page to record many a patient interview, delving into their chief complaints, symptoms, and past medical history. I would flip to a page in the back to write down words and conditions I didn’t know--a reference for my frantic medical googling on breaks. Later, I changed to templates, the back of patient lists, and any piece of scrap paper I could find--but to me, this little notebook represents the beginning of my medical journey, of walking into a patient room, ready to learn.
Now, after this ceremony, I’d like you to go out and get two of these. Two? I know, I said you need one for the patient wards. Well, the other one is for you. Let me explain. This other notebook goes by your bed, and every evening, you turn to a new page and write down 3 good things that happened that day. It’s called the “Three Good Things” model. Studies have shown that by doing this, providers had decreased symptoms of burnout, better sleep, improved self-care and reported more happiness. These “Three good things” can be simple or large, profound or lighthearted--it’s the act of doing it that counts. Here are some examples from my own throughout my four years of med school.
First year:
1. First day seeing real patients!
2. My attending was kind.
3. I got a free drink at Starbucks!
Second year:
1. Successfully came up with the weirdest ways to remember all the bacteria names and antibiotics for them.
2. Caught up on the phone with an old college friend after a very long week.
3. Meal-prepped all this week, #adulting!
Third year:
1. I think I found the speciality I want to pursue!
2. My best friend listened to me gush all night about the speciality.
3. I used the 10 lb weights at yoga sculpt!
Fourth year/Today:
1. Today a patient told me they’d want me to be their doctor.
2. The sun was shining on my bike ride into work.
3. I got to talk to the incredible, incoming first year medical class about medical school, and share in the beginning of their journey. I remember sitting in their shoes--feeling excited, nervous, and so proud all at once. And I know now that it all works out, and I can’t wait to share that with them.
So, I want you to have two notebooks. One in your white coat pocket and one on your nightstand. One for patients, and one for you. Because the way that you care for and nurture yourself and the way that you care for and nurture patients are inextricably linked. Finally, I’d like to share with you a poem I wrote during medical school. Similar to the oaths you just wrote, this was my version of the Hippocratic oath.
Help me to see and treat all my patients as whole beings—with stories, journeys, loss, and wisdom. Help me to practice kindness and care towards myself and make time for the things that lift me. Help me to find meaning in the mundane, comfort in sadness, and joy in the future. I will care for my soul so that I can care for others.
Thank you so much for your time, and congratulations on the beginning of this incredible journey. I look forward to working with you all in the future! Don’t forget your two notebooks :)
--Amelia Black, Class of 2018, University of Minnesota Medical School
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