The hospital environment can be intense for medical students. “Being in an acute-care setting, you will encounter shouting, temper tantrums, and rudeness,” Allison Ludwig, M.D., Einstein’s associate dean for student affairs, told the medical students assembled in Lubin Dining Hall as part of their Transition to Clerkship training. “It may not be directed at you. But it erodes the learning environment,” she said.
She cautioned students to not confuse being embarrassed with being mistreated. “On rounds, we go from the lowest up, which means the student speaks first” when giving a patient assessment, Dr. Ludwig said. This is meant to be a learning experience—not an exercise in humiliation. She noted that mistreatment, which can include public belittling, will not be tolerated at Einstein. “We have a zero-tolerance policy, and an ‘ombuds’ panel of faculty and students will confidentially investigate your complaint without risk of retaliation,” she said.
Dr. Ludwig offered other advice to the third-years:
