May 31, 2021
“Now, in the unavoidable silence, I was forced to consider Mr. L, his mind and world. I was forced to move beyond myself, and in that movement, understand that a medical education meant far more than the acquisition and demonstration of clinical knowledge.”
For Aldis H. Petriceks, second-year medical student at Harvard Medical School, silence unexpectedly becomes a valuable tool in his patient assessment toolkit as he learns how to truly listen to his patient needs and struggles.
This essay was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments column in the December 2020 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.