The Myth of the Self-Made Doctor: Why ‘Figure It Out Yourself’ Fails in Medical Training

Medical training is often framed as a journey of relentless personal responsibility. Trainees are expected to learn from manuals, absorb literature, and independently synthesize vast amounts of information. But I didn’t come here just to learn from textbooks. I came to be trained by world-class experts and, most importantly, by the patients I serve.

There is an unspoken rule in medical education: success is almost entirely the responsibility of the trainee. If a trainee thrives, it is attributed to their hard work and dedication. If they struggle, the burden of that struggle is placed squarely on their shoulders. Over the years, I’ve seen this model play out again and again. It suggests that success is 95% the trainee’s responsibility and only 5% the responsibility of their supervisors, mentors, and the system itself.

I understand why this idea is appealing. It creates a convenient narrative: mentors can celebrate a successful trainee while distancing themselves from one who falters. But from my own experience, and from years of observing the journeys of my colleagues, I have come to a different conclusion. The truth is that success in medical training is not a solitary pursuit—it is a shared endeavor. The balance is closer to 50/50.

This is not to say that trainees bear no responsibility for their learning. Of course we do. We must show up prepared, ask thoughtful questions, engage in critical thinking, and put in hours of study and practice. But training does not happen in a vacuum. Mentorship matters. Guidance matters. The environment in which we train—the culture, the expectations, the support—matters. When these elements are lacking, even the most determined and capable trainee will struggle.

There is an illusion in medical training that the best way to learn is to figure things out on your own. That if you are truly dedicated, you will spend every spare moment combing through the literature, searching for answers in isolation. But I have found that this is often an inefficient, and sometimes even ineffective, way to learn. Expertise is not just about knowledge; it is about the ability to distill, to interpret, to teach. A well-placed question, asked at the right moment, can unlock understanding in a way that hours of solo study cannot.

And yet, the culture of medicine does not always encourage this kind of active engagement. Some trainees hesitate to ask questions for fear of looking unprepared. Some supervisors expect trainees to “figure it out” without recognizing the inefficiency of that approach. But mentorship is not about making learning harder—it is about making it richer. The best mentors understand this. They do not see a trainee’s questions as a burden, but as an opportunity to guide, to shape, to share their hard-won wisdom in a way that truly makes a difference.

My own path through medical training has not followed the standard script. I am not a fresh-faced twenty-something with no external responsibilities and a financial safety net. I work multiple jobs to afford the privilege of being here. My time is not infinite, and my ability to learn is not enhanced by exhaustion or financial stress. For someone like me, efficiency in learning is not a luxury—it is a necessity. Asking direct questions, seeking clarification, and engaging in real-time discussions with my mentors is not about cutting corners. It is about making the most of the time and resources available.

And isn’t that what training is supposed to be? Not an endurance test, but an experience that equips us with the skills, knowledge, and confidence to become the best physicians we can be?

If we want to train the next generation of great doctors, we need to rethink the way we approach medical education. We need to recognize that success is not the result of solitary struggle, but of meaningful mentorship and shared responsibility. We need to create an environment where trainees feel supported, where their time is valued, and where learning is seen as a collaborative process rather than an individual burden.

Because in the end, the measure of a great training program is not just the excellence of its trainees, but the quality of the mentorship that shapes them.