Beyond the Stereotypes: What Medical Students Should Know About Internal Medicine and Surgery

As students entering the world of medicine, we are exposed to numerous opinions and perspectives on various fields, conveyed to us through lectures, rotations, television, social media, and even conversations with strangers. This article shall discuss and dispel some of those myths or rumors.

From my own experiences in the classroom and on rotations, I have identified two areas that I would like to focus on: Internal Medicine and General Surgery, as these two specialties receive considerable attention and varied opinions.

Debunking Dramatic Diagnoses: What Really Happens in Internal Medicine

An Internal Medicine resident explained that there is some truth to the concept of long rounds and discussions of diagnosis that strays into the realm of rare diseases, but not as regular or as common as one was told to expect. These conversations are important to facilitating the necessary discussions for providing exceptional patient care and, in certain cases, leaving no stone unturned.

Those older methods of patient presentations or discussions at patients’ bedsides are much more of a part of the past. They are still used to be sure residents and medical students understand how to filter information to accurately treat patients without the soap opera theatrics that social media and television portray. With Internal Medicine, these misconceptions or stereotypes seem to be more of a dying trend within their training and practices, which should encourage any students who may have shied away from Internal Medicine before, a reason to re-engage with the specialty.

General Surgery: Unpacking Common Misconceptions

General Surgery is another area of contention with opinions and perspectives from outside of the medical community, and for medical education.

Conversations with numerous General Surgery residents have mentioned false claims of a lack of free time or life away from medicine, and that all General Surgery residents are rude.

Work-Life Balance in General Surgery

While there is more time required for the residency, as a whole, compared to some specialties and shorter than others, these residents state that they still find the time to be able to enjoy life outside of their training, citing movie theatres, plays, and enjoying activities like camping and hiking. The training, at times, can feel like a great burden and is difficult, but still, there are many more moments of respite than what rumors have stated.

General Surgery Residents: Temperament and Stereotypes

Temperament and conversational skills were the other areas of misconceptions voiced by residents, as they say that these conversations are misconstrued as General Surgery residents are not rude and are actually quite pleasant, a majority of the time. There can be moments of bluntness, but never rudeness, as everyone is human, and that directness should not be taken to heart. Those moments happen a lot more rarely than what has often been portrayed on social media.

One of the biggest statements from a very kind General Surgery resident was:

The Value of Seeing for Yourself

Misconceptions and medicine are very common, and the goal of this article was to outline a few and attempt to either calm any fears or prove that sometimes it is better to learn from your own experiences rather than the opinions of others. Especially during your third and fourth years of medical school, please enter each rotation with an open mind and try to do every task to the best of your ability. Throw yourself into the deep end of pediatrics or OB/GYN, even if you do not think you will like it, because you never know until you try. Allow yourself to be a sponge and not to let outside opinions decide for you about different areas of medicine.

About the Author

Alexander Lamb is a third-year osteopathic medical student attending the Marian University Wood College of Osteopathic Medicine. He is passionate about patient care, osteopathic medicine, and furthering medical knowledge. Feel free to email him if you have any questions!

About Franc Notes

Discover the voices of Marian University's health professions students through "Franc Notes", a vibrant, student-led blog that embodies our Franciscan commitment to community, reflection, and compassionate service. Inspired by the rhythm of "SOAP notes," it features weekly insights—from "DO Diaries" interviews with physicians to summer reflections and program spotlights—fostering collaboration across disciplines."