An interesting point was raised during discussion after a powerful film about physicians ignoring mindfulness in favor of confidence. Is this trait taught through the culture of medicine or are physicians self-selecting to value confidence over being questioned? As a pre-medical student I worked with a fourth year medical student who shared his thoughts on how doctors think. His motto was “sometimes wrong, but always with conviction.” When he asked a question he did not want someone to answer with a wavering voice or second guess a statement. He wanted to hear a confident answer over the right answer- the way he believed a physician would respond. Diagnosis and clinical management certainly require a degree of confidence, but what is the balance between mindfulness and conviction? How can both of these traits be taught in a harmonious way to change a culture that values conviction without mindfulness?
