Resident Physicians, You Are Competent, So Be Confident!

Written by: Laura Hamant, MD

Is your confidence as a resident physician wavering?

Well, that’s completely normal. Making the transition from being a medical student to a resident physician is one that you’ve been preparing for over the course of several years. However, despite all your preparation, you still might find the transition turbulent.

Now that you’re a few weeks into residency training, those warnings of physical and emotional exhaustion are coming to fruition, and you’re perhaps not as confident as you’d like to feel.

Sure, the sleepless nights of studying to retain massive amounts of information were tough, but now you’re facing a different kind of challenge. Now, your performance has the potential to impact more than your future as a physician; it could impact the health and wellbeing of your patients.

Take a deep breath. You’re not unprepared…

After all, you completed four years of undergraduate education just to make yourself ready for medical school. You spent an additional four years in medical school learning how to treat patients, studying how the body works, and preparing for the very challenge of succeeding as a resident. So, you’re certainly not unprepared.

Of course, preparation does not equal perfection. It’s important to remember that despite all your training, you are still bound to make mistakes. With this fact in mind, perhaps the most important step of preparing for the rest of your residency is having a plan for when you do make a mistake.

Part of your plan post-mistake should include learning from that experience because the very essence of being a physician is learning continuously. At no point during your career will you know everything. Therefore, you should not expect yourself to be a perfect resident, because no such person exists.

…and you’re certainly not alone.

There has never been a resident that flew through their residency with complete and utter ease. That’s because “residency is no small feat. It is… a lot of blood, sweat, and tears.” I know that’s intimidating, but I promise that for every challenge you face, you’ll also get a joyful moment and countless positive learning experiences.

So, if you remember anything from this article, let it be this: thousands of physicians have stood where you stand now, including the director of your department and your attending. The training, studying, and preparation they underwent during medical school aptly prepared them for their careers, just as it did for you. So, keep your chin up and remember: you are competent, so be confident!

About the Author

Dr. Laura Hamant is a pediatric resident physician at Phoenix Children’s Hospital. She attended medical school at the University of Arizona College of Medicine in Phoenix. Currently, she serves on the Arizona Medical Association’s (ArMA) Board of Directors as a resident director.

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