Graduates

You may think to understand all those principles and be that flexible is just asking to much for our students.

You're right. But don't get me wrong. I was talking about specialists.

For the others, there are shortcuts: A substantial portion of routine clinical practice could be standardized by protocols and checklists. (Alas, in the language of Pluto, the practice is "protocol-driven".)

(My friend JW knows all these just too well. When he was a trainee, he began to prepare a few standard management orders for emergency admissions of several common clinical problems - so that he could sleep slightly longer during night-calls.)

As for medical students, it would be good enough if they could take a history, perform a reasonable physical assessment (I deliberately avoid the term "physical examination" for a reason that many of you know just too well), have some understanding on common conditions, could faithfully follow established protocols, and able to practice under supervision. (They are, in other words, expected to be neither creative nor even flexible.)

Oh, this paragraph is not my invention. Many of you who had experience in communicating with extra-terrestrials should have read similar things - and it has been put into action over the years. Do you spot the catch ?

Right, what it means is medical graduates are not expected to practice independently.