ABSTRACT
The acquisition of knowledge sometimes appears to be a way of overcoming role confusion. Yet students' relationship to learning the requisite information, facts, and data of their medical education is complex. Students often feel confused about their role as a medical student, with more knowledge than the patient, but not nearly enough to really be a physician. Studying and preparing for examinations constitutes a large part of becoming a doctor. Although some of these stories are cries for help, most of these poems assert resistance to this aspect of medical education. Some poems about knowledge attainment are stories of transcendence. A tired student forcing herself to study suddenly has an epiphany - knowledge is about more than passing exams or appeasing professors. As students advance through training, they move from ignorance to some measure of confidence. Some poems that focus on students' evolving attainment of learning and competence are true journey narratives.
