{"id":3421,"date":"2020-05-18T18:58:00","date_gmt":"2020-05-18T18:58:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/?p=3421"},"modified":"2025-05-08T11:42:55","modified_gmt":"2025-05-08T19:42:55","slug":"overcoming-impostor-syndrome-in-medical-school","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/overcoming-impostor-syndrome-in-medical-school","title":{"rendered":"Overcoming Impostor Syndrome in Medical School"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_80 ez-toc-wrap-center counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">In This Article<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/overcoming-impostor-syndrome-in-medical-school\/#Insidious_onset\" >Insidious onset<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/overcoming-impostor-syndrome-in-medical-school\/#Improving_performance\" >Improving performance<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/overcoming-impostor-syndrome-in-medical-school\/#Taking_a_doubt_and_creating_a_surety\" >Taking a doubt and creating a surety<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><em>Do you struggle with impostor syndrome? What if there was a way to take control of that nagging little voice that tells you you\u2019re not good enough, and turn it into confidence? Osmosis Medical Education Fellow Sarah Patterson shares her experiences battling impostor syndrome, and how she was able to overcome it.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>\u201cImpostor syndrome can be defined as a collection of feelings of inadequacy that persist despite evident success. &#8216;Impostors&#8217; suffer from chronic self-doubt and a sense of intellectual fraudulence that overrides any feelings of success or external proof of their competence.\u201d &#8211;&nbsp;<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/hbr.org\/2008\/05\/overcoming-imposter-syndrome\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Gill Corkindale, 2008,&nbsp;<\/em>Harvard Review<\/a>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Insidious_onset\"><\/span>Insidious onset<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When I started my first week of medical school, I had convinced myself that I was not an impostor. I felt worthy to walk on campus, and in that sense, I was confident. I was convinced that my passion is what made me deserving of a spot in the ICOM Class of 2022. Then, the second week hit. The third week hit. My first quiz hit; I didn\u2019t do well.<br><br>I remember walking the halls and seeing people studying intently, drawing out information on white boards and the glass walls of each study room, as if they were decoding a conspiracy. I felt like an outsider;\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/2019\/05\/03\/overcoming-failure-in-medical-school\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">somehow, I didn\u2019t belong<\/a>. I felt like a dull crayon in a box of sharps. There was something they knew that I didn\u2019t. Surely everyone was a master at biochemistry except for me. It ate away at me, and I was almost convinced I couldn\u2019t be successful.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/plans\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"700\" height=\"250\" src=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/image_5b63b0.png\" alt=\"Learn more and forget less. Create an Osmosis account.\" class=\"wp-image-3423\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/image_5b63b0.png 700w, https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/image_5b63b0.png?resize=300,107 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/plans\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><\/a>People started throwing around medical student jargon and listing off programs like\u00a0<em>Anki<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0<em>Pathoma<\/em>. For the life of me, I didn\u2019t know what they were talking about. How did they know all this? Had I missed the memo? It was jarring. Everyone kept saying First Aid and talking about \u201cthe right way to study for boards.\u201d Boards? I knew next to nothing about boards! How was everyone an expert? I felt left out. I felt inferior. I was part of the club, but not really.<br><br>Looking back,\u00a0<em>this<\/em>\u00a0was impostor syndrome. It wasn\u2019t at all what I had expected. It was\u00a0<em>insidious<\/em>. When I started using\u00a0<em>First Aid<\/em>, I felt like the pages were written exclusively for MD students. I was too scared to start using\u00a0<em>UWorld<\/em>\u00a0because I felt like my brain wasn\u2019t smart enough. I felt in the dark and hopeless and it seemed like there was no way to be better.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"701\" height=\"468\" src=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/image_eb3a98.png\" alt=\"Osmosis illustration of a group of students learning on Osmosis and OMEF Sarah experiencing impostor syndrome.\" class=\"wp-image-3424\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/image_eb3a98.png 701w, https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/image_eb3a98.png?resize=300,200 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 701px) 100vw, 701px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Improving_performance\"><\/span>Improving performance<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">My second year of medical school was bizarrely easier. A switch flipped; I was comfortable with approaching material and studying got a lot easier. I started analyzing my viewpoint and challenging my negative thoughts. I&nbsp;<em>am<\/em>&nbsp;just as good as any other medical student,&nbsp;<em>because<\/em>&nbsp;this is what I want to do. I deserve to be here because I\u2019m a hard worker. I started reading&nbsp;<em>First<\/em>&nbsp;<em>Aid<\/em>&nbsp;like it was written&nbsp;<em>for<\/em>&nbsp;<em>me<\/em>&nbsp;(because it was!). I realized that the same students across the country are reading the resources that I am. The information opened itself up to me willingly.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nothing about the material changed; my state of mind did. As I began mentoring some of the new first years at school, I realized just how much I had learned in a year. It took this newfound self confidence to really start performing well.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I realized that all the students that were throwing words around the previous year did not really know any more than I did. They were just trying to sound like experts about things they were new to. Perhaps they felt the same way I did, and were clinging to what little they\u00a0<em>did<\/em>\u00a0know. Sometimes impostor syndrome jabs me when I\u2019m doing practice questions. Odd thoughts intrude like \u201cI bet the students at Harvard or Yale are way better at this,\u201d or, \u201cThese questions are designed for 99th percentile students.\u201d This is not so! I am every bit as deserving to earn my medical degree. When impostor syndrome kicks in, I like to think about my future patients instead of myself. This isn\u2019t about\u00a0<em>me<\/em>. This is about\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/about\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">providing the best care possible<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"701\" height=\"468\" src=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/image_504a64.png\" alt=\"Osmosis illustration of OMEF Sarah with a group of students learning through Osmosis together.\" class=\"wp-image-3425\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/image_504a64.png 701w, https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/image_504a64.png?resize=300,200 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 701px) 100vw, 701px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Taking_a_doubt_and_creating_a_surety\"><\/span>Taking a doubt and creating a surety<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Looking back, I thought that I was above impostor syndrome and that it wouldn\u2019t affect me. I wasn\u2019t\u2014I\u2019m just like everyone else! The difference was a matter of self-actualization. I had to first accept the fact that I am not perfect.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I started seeing our new on-campus counselor and talking about my self-perception. He helped me start to deal with my stress and helped me understand that I can do as well as I want. Perfection is unattainable and not advisable. Failure is inevitable and not everlasting. He pointed out my successes. Each time I went for a chunk of material and put in the extra effort, it paid off. Looking at material with a mind that says, \u201cI&nbsp;<em>will<\/em>&nbsp;understand this, it\u2019s just a matter of&nbsp;<em>when<\/em>\u201d makes all the difference.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It is only when I accept myself for who I am and embrace my strengths that I can begin to address and improve my weaknesses. Now I am sure that I can overcome difficult topics with extra effort. Now I know that there is nothing that I cannot learn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"701\" height=\"468\" src=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/image_0dd35b.png\" alt=\"Osmosis illustration of a medical school counseling session.\" class=\"wp-image-3426\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/image_0dd35b.png 701w, https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/image_0dd35b.png?resize=300,200 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 701px) 100vw, 701px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I won\u2019t say there aren\u2019t still moments when I feel like I don\u2019t belong. However, when some of the first-years look at me and say, \u201cWow, you know so much!\u201d I realize things are all about how we look at them. My response is, \u201cI do know so much, but so will you\u2014it takes time. It is slow, difficult and\u2014unfortunately\u2014painful, but it will be&nbsp;<em>so<\/em>&nbsp;<em>worth<\/em>&nbsp;<em>it<\/em>&nbsp;if you just believe in yourself.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When I was younger and more naive, I used to use phrases like \u201csteady hand\u201d when talking about surgery. Now I know those things don\u2019t really exist. \u201cExperienced hand\u201d might be more appropriate, I think. No one\u2014and I mean no one\u2014is born a \u2018gifted\u2019 doctor. I might venture that \u201cgifted\u201d simply refers to a person who has gifted themselves with acceptance. &nbsp;The only impostor in any given room is the shadow of self-doubt. Remember that.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>About Sarah<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Sarah Patterson is an OMS-II at\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.idahocom.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine<\/a>, and is currently participating in the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/osmosis.org\/omef\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Osmosis Medical Education Fellowship program<\/a>. She enjoys writing, reading and playing piano when she\u2019s not studying. She wants to pursue pediatric cardiothoracic surgery or internal medicine with a cardiology specialty.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/plans\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"700\" height=\"250\" src=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/image_84014a.png\" alt=\"The most powerful platform for learning medicine and the health sciences. Try it now.\" class=\"wp-image-3427\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/image_84014a.png 700w, https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/image_84014a.png?resize=300,107 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/plans\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><\/a><strong><em>Try Osmosis today! Access your\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/login?type=create\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">free trial<\/a>\u00a0and find out why millions of clinicians and caregivers love learning with us.<\/em><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Do you struggle with impostor syndrome? What if there was a way to take control of that nagging little voice that tells you you\u2019re not good enough, and turn it into confidence? Osmosis Medical Education Fellow Sarah Patterson shares her experiences battling impostor syndrome, and how she was able to overcome it. \u201cImpostor syndrome can [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":113,"featured_media":3422,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[22,35,16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3421","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health-and-wellness","category-osmosis-health-leadership-initiative-ohli","category-do"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Overcoming Impostor Syndrome in Medical School - Osmosis Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/overcoming-impostor-syndrome-in-medical-school\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Overcoming Impostor Syndrome in Medical School - Osmosis Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Do you struggle with impostor syndrome? What if there was a way to take control of that nagging little voice that tells you you\u2019re not good enough, and turn it into confidence? Osmosis Medical Education Fellow Sarah Patterson shares her experiences battling impostor syndrome, and how she was able to overcome it. \u201cImpostor syndrome can [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/overcoming-impostor-syndrome-in-medical-school\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Osmosis Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-05-18T18:58:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-05-08T19:42:55+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/2024-09-18T125849.519.webp\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1080\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1080\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/webp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Sarah Patterson\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":[\"Article\",\"BlogPosting\"],\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/overcoming-impostor-syndrome-in-medical-school#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/overcoming-impostor-syndrome-in-medical-school\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Sarah Patterson\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/9b5babe3e855be1f10d53ac4b477e6a5\"},\"headline\":\"Overcoming Impostor Syndrome in Medical School\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-05-18T18:58:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-05-08T19:42:55+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/overcoming-impostor-syndrome-in-medical-school\"},\"wordCount\":1149,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/overcoming-impostor-syndrome-in-medical-school#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.osmosis.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/2024-09-18T125849.519.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"Health &amp; 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