“Don’t make any waves”
“Keep your head down”
“Don’t rock the boat”
These are all common phrases that are used during medical training, and are necessary for a resident to survive.
If a resident starts making waves and rocking the boat, they are usually met with very swift punishment that makes them never want to do it again. It could happen from something as simple as stating that “the way they’ve always done it” is inefficient and ineffective.
Everyone who makes it through residency has some element of not trying to cause problems, even when there are gross injustices. This makes for a good resident, according to most programs.
But what makes for a good resident, creates the grounds for a bad entrepreneur. Entrepreneurs need to be creative and take risk, two things are beaten out of us.
“What makes for a good resident, creates the grounds for a bad entrepreneur. Entrepreneurs need to be creative and take risk, two things are beaten out of us.”
By the time a resident becomes an attending, they are so risk averse and any trace of creativity has long been buried. This is likely one of the reasons why most physicians will work in a terrible environment without much questioning, we were conditioned for it.
It is hard for a resident to un-condition themselves afterwards, but it is necessary for those who can if we ever want to have lasting changes and break free of the chains of insurance companies and large hospital systems.
