Reflecting on our first day, I feel incredibly grateful to be here with you all and be given the chance to contribute to the future of a better state of medicine. I loved how nebulous our conversation was, covering the impact of hierarchy on professional relationships, the importance of communication (and how easily communication streams can break down), and even the interaction of different cultural backgrounds. At the same time, my heart was broken by the stories we heard today – medical error is something that I always knew was real, but having a tangible story helped me understand the perspectives and experiences of family members that I am lucky to never have personally gone through. As a medical student, I think at times it is easy to lose sight of the big picture with studying, tests, and trying to stay afloat – but today really helped me remember that patients and providing quality patient care is the reason why I entered medicine. I am always battling to stay mindful in my interactions, and today really helped me re-center.
