I am officially 1️⃣ month into residency and it has been a rollercoaster to say the least! • A highlight has definitely been my interactions with patients that have been very positive for the most part. One thing I didn’t expect was the amount of comments from patients about how “young” I look. To be fair, I never wear makeup to work which doesn’t help my case 😂 • While these comments are ~flattering~as I hope to look young forever (although inappropriate), it has made me think way more about how I am perceived by patients and how I carry myself when comments like these arise. What has helped me with these situations are the clinical experiences I had before starting med school. I began doing clinical research the summer before I entered my freshman year of high school, when I was 14. I worked at NYU on one of the first research projects that looked at barbershops and churches as sites of health interventions. Although I barely knew geometry, I had the opportunity to take people’s blood pressure and counsel them on how to manage their hypertension. Even though I most definitely looked like a child, I did my best to hide my age so that I could be taken “seriously” • Now, I’m not saying that you need to start getting clinical experience as early as 14. But, I do think it’s helpful to get those experiences as soon as you can because they prepare you for handling various situations you may encounter as a healthcare professional. It can be inaccessible to get this exposure early on, so that’s why I teamed up with @advancedclinicaltraining which provides clinical and direct patient care opportunities to pre-health students. Check them out! Comment below what unexpected comments you have gotten at work 👇🏾 #womeninmedicine #blackdoctor #clinicalexperience #premed #medicalschool #womeninstem #BlackExcellence #medicalpatients #figsambassador #blackinhealthcare #healthcareprofessionals #womandoctor #youngdoctor