Pre-Marseille Thoughts – Maryland

Attending the Marseille Experience is important to me because, as a medical student, I sit in lecture halls for the majority of the first two years of school, learning all there is to know about the body and all of the diseases that can plague it all in preparation for the Step 1 exam. I learn the presenting symptoms, the pathogenic mechanisms of the disease, and the treatment. While this seems great in theory, we are never taught how to ensure patient safety during these first two years. We are given very straightforward knowledge of the disease and the theoretical treatment but are very rarely given real-life examples of patients. Instead, we learn these things through hands-on training in third year rotations, where we are adjusting to a new environment, applying clinical knowledge for the first time, and simultaneously preparing for Step 2. Patient safety is something that should be… Continue reading →