A friend once told me, “confidence is the little sister of courage.” What he meant by that is that in order to be confident, you must have great courage to stare fear in the face and make your goals happen. Like an older sibling, courage faces the world first. Confidence follows in courage’s footsteps.
Self-confidence has been reported to be a key component in the clinical performance of students.1When you are starting your clinical rotations in medical school, you want to be confident in front of your peers and teachers, but you need to be courageous first to attain that self-assurance.
Confident students are more likely to become more effective healthcare providers.2Having courage when starting your clinical rotations may be difficult at first. Oftentimes students feel like they don’t know enough, like they will do something wrong, or just don’t know how to help. Nevertheless, people will notice when you try to help them. If it’s wrong, they’ll guide you for next time. You will be remembered for your efforts, and being courageous will become your greatest asset. I like to think of courage as a “get your hair wet” mentality, a metaphor for diving into life headfirst with bravery. Jumping in is more fun than sitting on the side of the pool, and learning in clinic is more powerful when you jump into the experience. You’ve probably heard the phrase “get your feet wet”, and while it is relevant to our area of expertise, you can’t just dip in a pinky toe to get experience. Dunk yourself into the clinical experience. Get your hair wet!
Little me about to dive in!
In clinic and surgery, you cannot know what you are doing on the first day. You have a solid foundation from your didactic years, but how do you pull drains, take out staples, dress wounds, put in foley catheters, scrub into surgery? How do you start to learn all of this information? Courage.
Clinical skill performance is reported to be the most influential source of self-confidence when students are learning in the medical environment.3“Can you remove the sutures from the patient in Room 4?” You may think to yourself, “it should be easy to do this, but I’ve never done it.” This moment is where courage and getting your hair wet meet in the clinical environment. You must get your hair wet by jumping in and saying “YES!” Because you want to learn, you have the courage to admit that you need guidance, and you ask for help. The more you perform a clinical skill, the more confidence you will have the next time someone asks for your assistance.4
Getting my hair wet and being courageous is how I became confident as a student. I have the courage to ask questions, even when I am nervous. I go out of my way to ask for feedback from residents or attendings that I have been working with after a few weeks. I try to take criticism with humility and without defense. I try to take praise with humility too, but I also tuck it away for days when I am feeling like I don’t know anything.
The most valuable advice I got about the clinical setting was that the student’s job is to be as helpful as possible to the residents and to absorb as much skill as you can from them.
I am going to add a few more I have learned myself:
· Introduce yourself and include that you are a student.
· Be enthusiastic and optimistic!
· Put on gloves when you go into a room, you never know when your hands are needed, and you will look prepared.
· Try to anticipate the needs of the people you work under.
· Always ask the question, even if you think it is simple.
· Most importantly, never underestimate the power of yourself.
Finally, enjoy the confidence you are building by diving in and having moments of courage!
By Frances “Frankie” LaGrone, Class of 2019
1. Crooks D, Carpio B, Brown B, Black M, O’Mara L, Noesgaard C. Development of professional confidence by post diploma baccalaureate nursing students. Nurse Educ Pract. 2005;5(6):360–367.
2. Brown B, O’Mara L, Hunsberger M, et al. Professional confidence in baccalaureate nursing students. Nurse Educ Pract. 2003;3(3):163–170.
3. Pike T, O’Donnell V. The impact of clinical simulation on learner self-efficacy in pre-registration nursing education. Nurse Educ Today. 2010;30(5):405–410.
4. Porter, Joanne et al. Preparation for High-Acuity Clinical Placement: Confidence Levels of Final-Year Nursing Students. Advances in Medical Education and Practice 4 (2013): 83–89.