This very morning, I was listening to a lecture where the speaker used as his focal point the ability of the West to doubt.
He espoused that doubting is the reason why the West is the best culture.
We are open to argument. We are open to doubt things we believe are true. We are open to new evidence and are willing to change our position should the new evidence be sufficient. That isn’t always flip-flopping or being a hypocrite. Sometimes new information comes to light, and we should be able to adjust our positions based on that new evidence.
(If you haven’t ever watched The Big Lebowski, that’s another one to add to the list. I’m just picturing Lebowski saying, “I’ve got information. New shit has come to light, man.” )
We aren’t always good at this of course, but we at least have a framework for thinking. The scientific method. Whether we use it or not is a different story altogether.
We don’t believe that the sun is a giant plate in the sky put there by the gods, and leave it at that. We look for more. We may start out thinking snakes control the weather, but we question it and look for other possibilities.
We may begin from a bad idea, but we keep testing.
We doubt. We ask questions. We look for evidence and use reason to change our position.
Doubting our skills and knowledge is also really important to our growth. Anyone with the belief that they know everything is done and should retire.
One of the best things you can do to build trust with your patients and your preceptors is to say, “I don’t know.” Now, you can’t not know everything. But when appropriate and when you don’t know, say it.
“Hmm. I don’t know the answer to that. Let me ask Dr. Nick, and we’ll find out together.” Easy peasy. Way better than guessing right or wrong because, in the end, you won’t have grown at all.
Speaking of doubting (like I said it’s a good thing), there are plenty of you who aren’t sure if my material is right for you. You aren’t sure if I’ve really got the goods.
Allow Val to put your hearts at ease.
***
Brian,
I never usually take the time to write reviews on books/resources… but you definitely deserve a HUGE THANK YOU!!
I probably ran a thousand miles listening to your podcast, and The Final Step.
I paid for the Rutgers and HIPPO lectures but found I could follow your content/voice/flow the best.
They were a HUGE part of me successfully passing my PANRE!
Thank you so much!
All the best!
Val (PA-C!!!!)
***
You can’t get your hands on The Final Step right now. I’m teasing out the typos and finishing recording the audio (and I’m on vacation so that process slows a bit).It’ll be available in October for sure.
But, you can get the PAER podcast. Every single topic on the PANCE covered. It’s a medicine review course in your pocket.
Take a look here:
https://www.physicianassistantexamreview.com/podcast
Brian Wallace