In the early summer months, medical students start taking on new internships in medical centers. Interns have historically been afraid of patients because of the new situations they encounter. Without repeat experiences of these situations, the knowledge from medical school can be lost in the emergent issues of the patient.

In a recent study by Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), they examined patient’s feelings towards new interns who provided their care. The majority of patients were uneasy, which increased when the interns themselves were uneasy. To remedy the problem, patients and interns unanimously wanted a “confident, knowledgeable supervising doctor”.

This study presents an interesting problem in the medical field and patient care in general. There needs to be a balance between intern experience and doctors helping teach the interns. Without that, interns may not diagnose or treat patients correctly, which can put patients at risk.

[New Report: Patients & July Interns Equally Frightened by One Another](https://www.medpagetoday.com/hospitalbasedmedicine/graduatemedicaleducation/73985)