Cultivating a growth mindset in both learners and educators.

 Anna Marie Martens, M.D. 

Resident in Pediatrics

Massachusetts General Hospital 

PGY 1

11/01/2020

Anna Marie Martens, M.D. 

 As a medical student, you encounter innumerable teachers throughout your education. Whether that be in the classroom with your professor or peer to peer education, to the wards where you are constantly learning from residents, attendings, nurses, staff or patients. Throughout my years of being a learner, I can think of a handful of people who had an incredible impact on me as a learner through their teaching. I can think back to the exact time and remember discreetly the educational points that they made and how influential these moments were for me as a learner. I can also think back to specific times where I was in situations that were not constructive and made me feel inadequate as a learner.

As an intern resident, my role has just recently converted from being a learner to now both a learner and educator. I have spent a lot of time reflecting on the positive experiences and role models that I have had as a learner and identifying ways that I can incorporate their ways of teaching into my own.

The Centers for Expertise Course on Medical Education helped me understand the theories behind effective teaching and learning. I was able to integrate my past experiences and understand why certain teaching methods were more effective than others. Through this, I have been able to come up with concrete goals for myself about the educator I hope to become and how I will accomplish that. Being surrounded by so many talented clinicians who are excited and dedicated to improving their teaching skills was inspiring and it made me excited to go back and teach my co-residents about what I learned, and how we can create a strong culture of education as a team.