Feedback given correctly, constructive criticism done right 🥰

 Today was the first time I was sat down and given feedback by a member of my gen med team. Previously, all feedback was given on the fly or as part of mini-cex (which varied in usefulness) and it made me feel, "damn, this is really useful feedback I can incorporate into the rest of my MD journey" and DIDN'T bury my self-esteem 6 feet underground (shocking I know 😆💀😥). 

General brownie points 

• centralised feedback delivered by intern → less intimidating, more relatable
• face-to-face (yes, I'm old-fashioned) 
• dedicated time during lunch, had time to unpack and explore feedback, including regular check-backs on how feedback is being taken, any concerns I would like to raise etc.
• secluded area, no one walking around or sitting near to distract and overhear → reduce anxiety and stress
• asking about how I'm going so far, not to stressed, anything to raise about placement in general etc.

Specific feedback done well 

• turns out sandwich style does work well 😅 → intern started w "I think your proactiveness will be a great asset for you as a doctor in the future, however as MD2 [these are the things to look out for]"
• unspoken team rules, culture and etiquette → for internal med rotations, let consultant, reg, and person on WOW taking notes (diff to many surg teams where the interns actually tell u to duck in first otherwise you won't see shit) 
• save qs to when walking from one patient to another, 
• be wary not to cut into conversations between interns and up (that's right, you're not as part of the team as the med school makes you feel like you should be during placement)
• if nurse or another other healthcare worker try to hand pt info to you, let them know you're a med student, ask whether they wanna speak to medical team directly or happy for you to pass on the info
• be proactive but not too proactive → wtf does that mean? → it means showing that you're engaged w the team but learn the appropriate times to speak, back out a bit and let the team do their jobs and not lose their workflow 
• if you're going to do self-study during the rounds (b/c let's face it there will be long periods on gen med where you have no input and can't really help the team, so inefficient use of your time, buit you don't wanna leave b/c the consultant is really good at spon. teaching) → pot good idea to ask if anything you can help w, and then flag you're just going to research the cond. on your phone or pocket handbook etc.) 
• at the end of the feedback session → intern asked how I feel about the feedback, whether I've been given similar feedback in the past etc. → really showed that she cared and was genuine in wanting to help me improve → she even said that she was hesitant in how she was going to go aobut giving me the feedback b/c she can see that I'm actually interested and engaged in learning, it's just that sometimes it may come off wrong

How I will improve from now on

• be more mindful of what's happening in the group 
• write my qs down so I'm not burning w need to ask right then and there
• flag what I'm doing if it "may look bad" (e.g. studying on phone but they can't tell) 
• don't be so distracted that you forget to drive the WOW or you haven't moved by team has already started moving
• be more proactive in asking for feedback 
• first day of next rotation, ask about expectations of the team, and ask interns about the faux pas

General reflections

• I used to be super sensitive to "negative" feedback and take everything super personally regardless of how the feedback is delivered, but this time I realised I wasn't actually upset but glad that the intern took time out of her busy schedule to sit down w me and go over areas of improvement in a non-confrontational and non-blaming way
• likely reason for this change → I think I'm more self-assured in my abilities after not failing any exams so far and even being able to face my fears and come back to med school this year and not bail out after Sem 1
• Unfortunately self-confidence cannot be taught, it can only come from w/in → doesn't matter how many times or how many trusted family members, friends, fellow MD students, and colleagues reassure you that you're actually doing fine and better than you think you are, you won't believe it until a switch flips in your head → trust me, been there done that, done that to the f**king extreme, and still catch myself doing it sometimes → nothing will change (don't ask me how that switched flipped for me, no idea but ONE THING I can say for certain is that I COULDN'T HAVE DONE IT W/O FAMILY, FRIEND, AND PROFESSIONAL SUPPORT)