One of the things people judge you on right away is your confidence. I’ve said before that you create your own reality. If you come across as someone who doesn’t take any BS, you won’t be given any BS. If you put a “kick me” sign on your own back, every morning people will kick you. It’s just the way it works. I don’t have a reason, but I’ve seen it happen too many times to question it.
Our little group recently hired a new teammate. My immediate impression after working with her on a few cases is, “she’s comfortable in her own skin.”
What I mean by that is she’s confident, but not over-confident in her skills and abilities to do the job and learn anything she doesn’t already know. This is EXACTLY where you want to be. Yes, she has years of OR experience, so you may think it’s easy for her to act confident, but then you’d be missing the point.
We have students come through here who come across the same way. They’re comfortable with themselves and willing to learn. Contrast that with the few students we have who won’t touch or even talk to a patient. They’re terrified of their own shadows and won’t do ANYTHING without EXPLICIT instructions. Those people may learn over time, but it’s a much much slower process.
Over-confidence and bravado aren’t helpful, but I see them so rarely that I’d advise you to err on that side of the spectrum.
Another thing that allows you to exude confidence is having knowledge. No better place to look than The Final Step for that. In that book, there are 1,200 key term questions that will put the right answers right on the tip of your tongue, whether it’s on on rounds or on your exams.
Check it out here:
Brian Wallace
