When I was a kid, my teachers would often tell us that there is no such thing as a stupid question. Well, the truth is, there are stupid questions, and they annoy me to no end. They are just one of the many things that annoy me in med school, so I decided to share my top 5 list of med school pet peeves. Enjoy!
1. Stupid Questions. If you hear the professor contradict something in a slide, by all means, ask him to clarify. But if you just like to hear yourself talk, then everybody in the class will roll their eyes when you raise your hand. And, just for the record, any question you ask after a string of four questions in one lecture…is a stupid question.
2. Coming late to class. I don’t know how they manage it, but some people consistently come late to class every single day. And it doesn’t matter which lecture they decide to join us, they will still be five minutes late. And if there are only ten minutes left of class, wait outside, man.
3. Professors with unrealistic expectations. It happens every semester…I have a professor who doesn’t seem to realize that I’m taking any class but hers. There are only so many hours in a day…I can’t spend them all on pathology. There is a place for assigned readings from the textbook…that place is not med school.
4. When people talk in class. It’s 2013 people…we all have iPads. Just message it and shut up.
5. People who don’t take med school seriously. There are a few of my classmates who don’t seem to realize how lucky they are to be in medical school. It’s not just embarrassing if you come unprepared for your case presentation, it’s irresponsible and a little offensive. I’m not saying you have to know everything, but never use the phrase “I’m going to take a wild guess…”
my first patient 
bad day, huh?
My pet peeve is roommates who let their dirty dishes crowd the sink on a consistent basis. Seeing as I have three roommates, or rather housemates, this coming year, the chances of that happening are pretty big. What can I say, I enjoy keeping a clean living space! I stayed at a friend’s apartment earlier this year because I had an interview at her school, and I did the dishes for her and her roommate, and made her bed before leaving. She exclaims “Thanks, you’re like family!” 😛
There are two types of doctors- those that can admit when they don’t know something (and are taking a “wild guess”) and those that are going to get sued… a lot. Admitting when you don’t know something isn’t irresponsible- its honest. Maybe they studied the wrong thing. Maybe they’re better at other subjects. Most of this post irks me as being really judgmental.
“…lucky to be in medical school” seems to be the same viewpoint the less savory members of the administration here have.
Hey classmate! Thanks for commenting! Sorry if you felt I was being too judgmental. This post was supposed to be all in good fun. I must admit I am guilty of all of these things at one time or another, and I myself might have to make a few guesses during the upcoming case presentation! I completely agree with you that it is important to admit when we don’t know the answer, and there is no shame in that. Cheers!