Documenting Your Stories

I was prepping with a fourth-year medical student who is interviewing for family medicine residency programs. When we got to the behavioral interview questions, where stories are required, she admitted that she was having trouble remembering stories. She said she had met hundreds of patients, and she was certain she had encountered many of the situations I was asking about, but she had not documented anything. Now, she was struggling to remember and having to make stories up to answer questions.

Life is always busy. It always will be, but taking a few minutes to journal throughout your pre-med and medical school journey will help you when it comes time to reflect on how your experiences have shaped who you are today. Reflecting on your experiences can also be therapeutic. Sometimes, situations can be triggering or induce new trauma. Creating a space to process those emotions can be really healthy for the learner/provider. Being able to write honestly about how you felt in that moment, without fear of judgement, helps you get that feeling off your chest, similar to the benefits of speaking to a therapist. Writing is a lot cheaper, but if writing uncovers deep emotional wounds, it might be a good idea to seek professional help.

For th purpose of preparing for future applications, such as residency or fellowship, I would encourage you to begin documenting during your third and fourth year of medical school. It will make your future application process much easier.