Embracing a Collaborative Mindset with Dr. Adam Atoot

Adam Atoot, MD  is currently the director for the transitional year resident training program at Hackensack Meridian Health Palisades Medical Center. Dr. Atoot earned his medical degree from the American University of Antigua and completed his residency in internal medicine from Staten Island University Hospital at Northwell Health. As one of the youngest program directors in the country, he takes pride in mentoring residents and medical students. His focus area in clinical medicine is in providing preventive care to his patients. As the director for residents’ training, Dr. Adam Atoot interacts with medical students and residents regularly. He believes that these interactions should be collaborative: yes, he teaches his students, but he recognizes that students can also teach him, or each other. By encouraging his students to read daily and asking about what they read, he demonstrates that they can also share knowledge. It’s not just about one person having all the answers. Introducing new ideas leads to questioning what happens in the clinic: searching for the rationale or looking for ways to improve medicine as it is today. Today, Dr. Atoot shares his vision of a collaborative learning environment. Pearls of Wisdom: 1. Students and residents should strive for a collaborative mindset, be humble, and realize that we know that we don’t know. 2. Question what you do in clinical practice and understand the rationale behind what you’re doing. This questioning can lead to innovation and improvement. 3. The best mentor/mentee relationships are between people who have intellectual compatibility: that are interested in the same thing and are on the same path.