My first visit to the hospital as a medical student

In our second year of medical school we get the chance to visit a local hospital and perform some "real" interviews and physical exams. Of course, the patients have already been interviewed by actual doctors and their physical exams already completed. Regardless, it felt much more genuine than being in a classroom interviewing someone who was invited to come and tell us about their illness.
Our group was a little too excited to get to the physical exam, and I'm sorry to say that I skipped a few of the initial steps. It wasn't too bad. Dr. "I don't shake hands", who was our instructor for the morning, made it a memorable enough experience for us all that I don't expect to be forgetting again any time soon.
In the afternoon we got into a group of five and interviewed a gentleman who had a back injury. I got my first "Yeeeaaaoooww!" reaction while palpating his left kidney. He was in some real pain. I felt bad.
Upon reflection, (because that's what bloggers do right?) It seems that in my career as a physician I will continue to cause pain (poking people with needles, giving them noxious medication, eliciting pain responses, etc.) all in the name healing or obtaining the information I need to heal. A nurse friend of mine once told me that many of the things they do to patients are extremely painful and might be called torture if it was under different circumstances. I imagine he was referring to something like changing the bandages of a burn wound victim or like procedure.

I guess "Do No Harm" doesn't necessarily mean "Cause No Pain". It's probably why so many people are afraid of doctors: Sometimes the cure hurts.