We medical students cannot just say that things are bad. So we've found new code words for expressing our distaste in things. WE'll talk about the hellishness of a rotation and instead of just being able to end it with that, we always have to add "well, I mean it was a good learning experience. I learned a lot." If one more person says that to me I'm going to kick their ass. Because I know! I know that means they hated every second of it, but for some reason we have to put a happy face on everything and pretend we love stuff that we dont! WHY?! It makes no sense! Is it just that we don't want to show any kind of weakness? Or that we are worried by saying we didnt like something we are going to get a bad evaluation, someone is going to think we are uninterested? Are we just trying to be more PC? I do not know. All I know is that I do it too. No one finishes a crappy rotation or class story without saying "well at least it was a good learning experience."
What does that even mean? I learned the self control not to kill myself or others? That's what it means to me. I learned how hellish life can continue to be. I learned that I hate certain parts of medicine. I learned that everyone is more interested in medicine than I am. GAH!
Why can't I just say "hey, this place sucked, and the experience sucked, and I hated it all, and I don't care if there was a good learning experience portion of it, I'm just going to talk about how much it sucked?" I mean, I know people should look on the bright side of things, glass half full and whatnot. But sometimes it just gets ridiculous.
I really have nothing more to say on this, except that I feel like a bad person if I don't end everything with "at least it was a good learning experience." But when you hear someone say that, run the other way from whatever they were doing. It's like when a guy asks someone if a girl is pretty and they say she "has a great personality." Code blue code blue! Run the other way.
