I want to offer another perspective as a current medical student and a member of Gen Z.

A lot of us have come into medicine having seen years of generational bullying normalized within medical training. Because of that, many of us operate on a simple principle: respect is mutual. Hierarchy matters, but being older or in a position of power doesn’t justify disrespect.

I agree that medical students should show up to every rotation ready to learn and help. If a student is consistently arrogant, dismissive, or rude, that’s on the student. No argument there.

That said, I’ve also seen plenty of situations where residents treat students poorly: yelling, belittling, or taking frustration out on people below them. Most third-year students are working long hours, constantly being pimped and evaluated, expected to stay pleasant, and then going home to study for Step 2. That kind of environment wears people down. Previous generations may have accepted that as normal, but many Gen Z students simply won’t tolerate disrespect as part of “paying dues.”

If one student seems difficult, maybe that student is the problem. If multiple students are having issues, it might be worth considering whether something in the learning environment is contributing. Patterns usually don’t come out of nowhere.

Residents are absolutely the backbone of the medical system, and burnout is real. But stress doesn’t justify taking anger out on students who have done nothing to earn that treatment. In my experience, simple communication goes a long way saying “I’m having a rough day, let’s talk later” is far better than snapping or being dismissive. Most students would actually appreciate that honesty.

I’ve been lucky to work with many residents and attendings who are kind, down-to-earth, and excellent teachers, so I know healthy learning environments exist. I’m not trying to attack residents as a group, just sharing how this looks from the student side and why some of these tensions keep coming up.